The Gear Up has a tool storage tray under the seat in the tub. However, not much beyond the factory tool roll fits in there, and if the tub is loaded up, it's not easy to access. While digging through Ural content on YouTube, I found a video of a guy who added an ammo can on the bottom side of the back of the tub. With this idea in mind, I set out to find a modern plastic surplus ammo can that would fit.
Eventually, I found the perfect container. It's from a Bradley (I believe) for 25mm linked ammo, and opens from either end. With the can in hand, and a few trips to the hardware store, I was ready to drill more holes in my new bike. Using the scissor jack I ordered for the Ural, I placed the can where I wanted it to live, I drilled holes downward from inside the tub, through the ammo can. Using some flat steel stock, I made braces to sit inside the tub to help distribute the weight.
My initial plan was to use silicone sealant on all the bolts, but instead, I opted for rubber washers under large fender washers. That's the same process I used (and some of the same hardware) on my Hurricane.
The weight is nice and low, and it holds all my tools (tool roll, jack/handle, socket bag, and tire spoons) in a spot that's easy to access. I know it decreases the rear clearance but I don't plan on doing any crazy off roading. Although, a quick disconnect system would be a fun project.
One of the ugliest spots on my bike are the oil cooler lines. They aren't the only rusty spot, but the most visible, sticking out like a sore thumb. Last year, maybe the year before, I got a set of new old ones from eBay and intended to swap them out with the next oil change. But, there they sat on my messy work bench, stuffed in a box with other Duc odds and ends.
Recently, I started cleaning up my work space and bought a second tool box so I could fully separate all my SAE and Metric tools. The Metric went into my fancy new box, and the barely used SAE and specialty tools stayed in the old Craftsman. I still need to address the other cabinet, but those drawers are overflowing, so a larger one is the only fix. While cleaning up the rest of the clutter, I found the oil cooler lines and decided now was the time.
Soooo much better!
After a general application of PB Blaster and some soak time, the old ones came off without issue. However, the vibration dampeners tore apart when I tried to remove the cooler side connections. Luckily, I found a set on Amazon and they should be here any day. I ordered 2 sets so I could keep a spare. With older bikes, that's generally a good idea. Sometimes, it's the only option, like when I had to order the vacuum port o-rings for the Hurricane. I got them from a manufacturer and could only get them in a large quantity.
Oil loss was about 4oz not counting what soaked into the headers.
Much better!
There is plenty of other rust to tackle, like the crusty header pipes but that's off season work, along with those pesky leaking head o-rings. Maybe I'll add another bike to the garage this year, so the Duc can be down for extended service and clean up?
Somehow, I got it into my head that the jets on the 900ss were back to factory spec. Might have been because I was working on the Hurricane at the same time? A few weeks ago, I decided to tear down the carbs again because it was still smelling a bit rich at idle. What did I find you ask? Well, jets, jets that were not at stock config. The main was 127.5, and the pilot was a 40. The Ducati Bible states that the main should be a 140, with a 42.5 pilot. So, I did what the good book says and fattened it up.
I also added some filters to the breather lines to keep the yuck out.
With the carbs back on, and the battle with the throttle cables complete (I still need to get a new throttle cable, despite all my effort, I cannot get the throttle to snap closed), I warmed up the bike. I had the mixtures set at 3.5 turns out and it started without issue. Took it out for spin.
I never understood all the talk about the 900ss being a wild machine, even with Hunter S. Thompson's tail of the sausage creature, the bike seemed mild. Fun, but a bit mild. I thought maybe it was because the big twin 1200cc Buell Ulysses set such a high expectation. While it's not match for the XB, the 900ss now feels like I expected it to feel. The front end feels lighter on throttle, where I used to have a flat spot at 6k-7k, it now pulls hard all the way through! Yeah baby!
The ability to tune the mixture screws by ear is not something I have gained, I just can't tell the difference enough to know if it's in the sweet spot. So, I did what I did before and tuned them to allow the bike to roughly idle one cylinder. The horizontal still requires more turns out than the vertical, and I think it's because some chucklehead widened the ports on the throats, and they are not equal size.
Hard to tell in pics but they are not the same.
So...that is probably the root cause of the mixture discrepancy. Now I am faced with a choice. Do I live with it? Do I get a new carb body and move all the bits over? Or...do I save my pennies and put a set of FCR39s on it and open myself to a whole new world of jetting adventures? ( I really want the FCRs.)
Listen to that sound (and look at the vapor condensation)!
I see all my bikes as utilitarian machines. The 900SS is obviously focused on sport riding but I need it to perform for all of my needs. In Peter Egan's Cycle World Review, it was stated you could you ride the 900SS all day, and that with a duffel bag strapped on the back, they toured all through the Black Hills. A sport bike that was comfortable enough for trips, but yet could unleash its potential while in the twisty bits. Sounds good to me! Now, to be clear, I've never been a sport bike guy (haven't my last 2 bikes been sport bikes?) but I have always loved this bike. Geez, sorry, didn't mean to start gushing again.
So, back to the matter at hand. When I first picked up the 900SS, I started looking at ways to mount luggage, maybe even my yellow Pelican cases from the Hurricane. Eventually I found the Hepco Becker Luggage Rack listed at MotoMachines. I was reluctant to place an order without knowing whether this was something I could actually receive if purchased. The team at MM reached out quickly and stated HB still makes this rack, but only as ordered. So it could be at least 4 weeks turn around time. I pulled the trigger in late August. Hoping it would arrive before my trip but that wasn't the case (see my Rhinowalk 20L post).
While cleaning up the garage, the big brown truck arrived and handed me a large box. I immediately knew what I was doing that day! I emptied the box of it's contents, and dug out the instructions.
This should be simple, right? Right?
Well, this complicates things.
I managed to use Google Images, which prompted me to translate the documents. It worked pretty well, with some exceptions but it was good enough to get me through the process. Overall, the installation was fairly straight forward. Like anything else, you only hand tighten each piece so you can get everything aligned as best as possible. I did have to remove the license plate mount to install the crossbar, which the instructions did not state.
Don't do this. You'd think that's how it works, but it's not.
See the stack of 3 washers on the front bolt, don't forget those.
I did need to use a little mechanical advantage to get the last bolt lined up.
After everything was good-n-tight, I put the plastic bolt caps on with
a bit of Kragle just to be sure.
I added some LED brake light strips that I had lying around.
Recycled the LED Flasher module from the Hurricane.
If I were to move or mod the rear signals, I could put my Pelican cases on there, but I think I'm going to stick with soft bags for now. Maybe use one of the yellow cases as a top box, or a small HF case? Either way, the rack is damn nice and I'm glad they still make them. To some, it may spoil the looks of the 900SS but to me, it still looks damn nice. Then again, as I said, I like Utilitarian vehicles and styling. Plus, now I can pick up the rear of the bike easily, and have a better hold when putting it up on the rear stand.
- stay safe out there and enjoy these last weeks of perfect riding weather.
For anyone interested here are the Installation Instructions in English-ish:
"Remove the seat. Remove the surrounding plastic parts. Unscrew the two rear indicators. Remove the reflectors attached to the side; they are no longer needed.
Loosen the fastening screws of the aluminum arms of the exhaust suspension and pillion footrest mount from the frame. The front lower tube struts of the pannier rack are screwed under the aluminum arms to the rear fastening. To do this, replace the original screws with the supplied M 8 * 25 Allen screws. To ensure that the arms are not installed too tightly, 3 8.4 washers are placed under each of the front fastenings. Also use the longer M 8 x 25 Allen screws supplied
for fastening.
The holes in the side tube struts are congruent with the fastenings on the frame. An aluminum spacer 18 * 7 * 25 is inserted between each as a spacer. Use the hexagon screws \ matrix 6 * 40 matrix for screwing.
The mounting bracket is positioned so that the two centrally attached tabs run over the outside of the fender and are aligned with the original indicator holes. Use the hexagon screws 8 * 20 to attach it.
The side tabs of the mounting bracket are mounted on the small rear tabs of the pannier rack (seen in the direction of travel - in front) with the carriage bolts M 6 * 16.
If HEPCO BECKER panniers are mounted with aluminum adapters, the aluminum adapters are mounted with the hexagon screws M 6 * 20 instead of the carriage bolts 1 6 * 16.
The luggage bridge is screwed directly to the existing fastening points of the pannier rack from the inside with the hexagon screws M 6 * 18.
The indicators are mounted in the last holes in the pannier rack. Push 2 washers 6.4 * 3 mm thick onto the threaded ends that will become the indicators and mount the fastening nuts on top.
Please turn
Internet: www.hepco-becker.
HEPCO & BECKER
The indicator cables are routed through the fairing at the side of the rear light. They must be extended using the cables provided.
The carrier is suitable for all HEPCO & BECKER cases and top cases, but the JUNIOR 30/40 side cases and the aluminum cases significantly restrict the legroom for the pillion passenger. For pillion use, we recommend using the Benjamin case set, contents per case approx. 28 litres. Order no. 610.220
After fitting the cases, check that the space between the bottom of the case and the exhaust is at least 20 mm.
Due to its design, the carrier can be loaded with a maximum of 20 kg."
Well, I certainly learned a lot about carbs over the last week. As mentioned previously, the H cylinder was barely running during the idle circuit but operated fine over about 1500rpm. I swapped the coils, the ignitors, tested the pick-ups, and replaced the plugs. No change. Then I balanced the carbs again. Nothing. Pulled the carbs, cleaned again, and cleared passages with compressed air. Verified my jets, checked all o-rings, and the diaphragm. Still wouldn't run on the H cylinder only.
Once again, using some random part I saved, to plug the crank case breather hose inlet.
I decided to keep the oil separator box, and just add a breather.
I decided to broaden my web searches and start reading about the mixture screws since it was the only thing left to adjust. Eventually found a few posts on Triumph Rat regarding enrichening the carb until the idle starts to drop, then leaning out a bit. Interesting....
See, all my previous bikes that actually ran, were inline four cylinders and I always set them back to factory mixture settings assuming they need to be the same. Well, that's just not the case. I fired up the Duc, enrichened the H cylinder carb and I'll be damned, it worked. I could pull the plug wire from the V cylinder and it ran! I threw in some fresh plugs and went out for a ride.
Afterwards, the plug on the H cylinder looked about perfect, but the V plug was a bit rich, so I leaned it out about a quarter turn. I also noticed I have leaky valve stem seals. While that is supposed to be a quick and relatively easy job, it will have to wait until I pull the engine and do all the top end seals.
The other day, I reached out to my friend in CT, aka Mr. Wizard and asked for his input on what I had learned about mixture screws and if them being at different ratios was indicative of a carb issue. He said, most multi-cylinder bikes actually rarely have them all at the same setting! *MIND BLOWN* I guess my inline fours were just compensating enough that I never noticed. Crazy.
Recently, someone commented my bike smelled like it is running rich. So after my ride, I sat and listened to the bike while it idled. It sounded... off. I pulled the front plug wire, minimal change. Pulled the vertical, dead. Well, that's not good especially since I wanted to take a multi-day trip next month. Guess that will have to wait until next year.
After some testing, the horizontal cylinder is running at least poorly, but in order to get the bike to run on the vertical only, I have to have the RPMs above idle. So, my first guess is the carbs are out of sync somehow, or I didn't do it properly. If the issue persists after the synch, it could be fuel starvation on the idle circuit, or even a spark issue. The plugs definitely look like it's running rich, or at least burning oil on both cylinders.
I'd like to rule out as many things as I can before tearing into the carbs. However someone did mention you can clear the idle circuit by removing the mixture screw and blasting cleaner through there. If I have to tear into the carbs again, I need to double check the float setting.
So... the plan of action:
1. Synch Carbs again
2. Swap Coils
3. Swap Ignitor
4. Remove mixture screw and blast idle circuit
5. Pull carbs
No real work pictures to show, so here are some from my last ride. Heated grips are working great! My new to me tank bag is working much better. However dropping the triple has messed with my posture and that will take some getting used to. I also tinted the windscreen, but those details are to come in a specific post about that process. Plus, there is another review on the way for a new action camera mount.
Saturday morning, I woke up early to get out some tools a coworker needed to borrow, as well as hand the Hurricane off to it's new owner. Once that was complete, I planned on balancing the carbs and putting some miles on the Duc before I had to meet up with my kiddos.
Adios Hurricane, you were a good bike and kept me sane during the pandemic.
Coffee, breakfast, and wrenching.
.
Nipple.
Be careful, there are 2 screws, one is the idle, the other is balancer.
Perfetto! Nice and balanced.
There was a small hiccup before I could balance the carbs. I told R., the new Hurricane owner that he could ride the Duc. But when I hit the start switch, I got nothing. Not a whine, buzz, whimper, or crank. Well, shit. Electrical gremlins again. After he left, I grabbed my multimeter and tested the switch, all was well. So, I grabbed an allen wrench, uncovered the starer selonoid connections and ZAP she fired up! One more part to replace. But after some internet sleuthing, this appears to be rather common on the 900SS and M900, mainly due to the connector coming loose. It happened again later in the day, and I wiggled the connector, it started. One zip tie later, it's "fixed".
I rode to the gas station, filled her up with petrol and took a quick ride. Man, I love the feel of this engine. It reminds me of riding vintage twin cylinder bikes with my friends back when I first got into riding. Bikes like this have character, a soul if you will, which is something I find lacking on new bikes. They're just to clean and smooth, I like the visceral nature of this bike and engine. You never feel the bike disappear beneath you, it's always there reminding you.
I replaced the crank turning tool access cover with an oring I ordered off of Amazon, 10 pack for less than the prices of the Duc oring including shipping. We'll see if this holds up to the heat.
My connector kit arrived and I made quick work of the foul repairs for my fuel pump, but also noticed another questionable wrap of electrical tape. Hmm...we'll deal with that later.
Much better!
I also decided to print a clutch gasket out of TPU instead of using the washers to space out the closed cover. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the dry clutch rattle. I think it takes away from the lovely L Twin sound.
We'll see if it holds up to engine temps.
So, with the wiring fixed, the last hurdle was those damn float valve seats. With no more work to be done on the Duc, I started pulling all the remaining "stuff" off of the Hurricane. I decided I would rather take less dough, and sell it to someone who wants to bring it back to it's full 80's plastic glory; instead of selling it to some rando on FB who'll put it in a ditch (or worse). Stripping down the Honda was pretty easy, now I essentially have a street fighter kit in a box.
I got a USPS notice about an inbound packing with a funky tracking number. Could it actually be my parts, all the way from the Netherlands?! It was indeed my friends!
That night, I got the carbs assembled, and then installed them over lunch today. With my kiddos gone for the evening, all resources were redirected to the garage. I had one goal, and one goal only. Ride the Duc, even if it was around my street. All the remaining reassembly went rather easy (hmmm...maybe too easy). I dropped in the new fat battery, put some fuel in the tank and turned the key. The gentle whine of the fuel pump filled my ears. So, I hit the go button! It turned over a few times, and then back fired like a 5.56 rifle round going off. Hmmm...too easy indeed. Perhaps I swapped the plug wires. About 1 minute later, I was hitting the go switch again. One revolution, then.... nothing. No lights, no starter, no fuel pump. Just a buzz from behind the instrument cluster. Is this it? Am I getting the Ducati electrical curse right off the bat?
I found the buzzing relay, luckily I had a replacement (never throw anything away). With the new relay installed, I turned the key. LIGHTS! Glorious lights and the fuel pump singing like a choir of angels, then BUZZZZZZZ. SON OF A B!TCH. 2 relays? Wait a minute, this has to be something else. Immediately, my mind went to a guy on YouTube that I've been following as he works on his 900ss. He chased all kinds of issues and went way down the rabbit hole, only to have it end up being a bad ground. So, I pulled the airbox (man this bike is easy to work on), cleaned up the ground cables and frame mounts.
The moment of truth....
I threw on my helmet and gloves, and rolled out into the street. I put about 3 miles on ripping, I mean, riding as a sane person. Once the clock hit 10pm, I figured my neighbors probably didn't enjoy the fine music of my Italian motorbike, so I rolled into the garage. The idle was still high, so I referenced the good book and found the idle screw. I dropped the idle, it sounded better, then I noticed the damn "enrichment circuit" (it's not a choke, according to Ducati), was still about half on. It's reversed from my Honda and has a pretty far throw so I goofed on it. With the circuit closed (open?), I reset the idle and it seemed happy. Tomorrow I'll sync the carbs, and pass the Hurricane on to it's new owner.
