Replacing Tires on the '87 Paso 750

When it was time to replace the worn tires on my 87 Paso I was faced with a problem - buy Michelin 59s or do whatever it takes to replace my 16" wheels with 17" wheels. Neither of these options thrilled me. The 59s are ok (some people say they're fine, some say they suck) but I wanted stickier rubber.

I called Metzler and found out two interesting things:

1) They MBS COMP Ks in 160/70 16" rear will work with the 130/70 16" front. Although they no longer produce the 130/70 16" front I was able to track one down with a few minutes of phone work. The tires are great! They stick great, fit with a simple mod that raises the front fender a few mm and as an unexpected bonus, raise the height of the bike so that getting it on the center stand is extremely easy now.

2) The Sales Rep at Metzler said that they have been receiving so many inquiries related to the Paso/750 Sport wheels, that they may produce some tires specifically for the bike in 97.

Repairing the Clutch Master Cylinder on the M600/M900

You can repair it using repair kit part number 0000-47226. This applies to master cylinders with part number 6304-0031a, etc. If anyone requires any other questions answered they are welcome to get in touch with me and I would be glad to help. I also stock a large range of parts so the problems some U.S. dealers/riders have been having locating parts I can confidently sort out.

Deristricting Ducati Mufflers

If the idea of spending 500 bucks for a set of mufflers doesn't appeal to you read on. The stock mufflers can be modified to the construction of an after-market slip on without too much grief or expense by following the steps:

1. Remove mufflers and the two 8MM bolts that attach the mounting brackets.

2. Mark the stainless input cap and aluminum outer cannister with a magic marker for indexing upon assembly. Do the same with the stainless end cap and other end of the aluminum cannister.

3. Drill out the three rivets holding on the stainless end cap (3/16 bit).

4. Have someone hold the aluminum outer can and drive the inner muffler assembly out. (Place a large socket over the small outlet pipe and use the end of a short 2X4 to drive the innards out). Remove the fiberglass packing.

5. Using a 4 inch disk grinder, grind off the 3 welds that hold the large perforated stainless tube to the input cap. A sharp chisel helps to get that last bit of weld broke loose. Don't worry about damaging the large stainless outer tube, but be careful with the input cap. You will now have a large and heavy piece of restictive steel in your hands. If you have a neighbor you don't like, throw it in his pool.

6. Cut the short perforated tube (about 1 5/8 O.D.) that protrudes from the input cap so that 1 inch remains. Use a ballpeen hammer to straighten and round the tube as it will be slightly angled and oval.

7. Place the outer aluminum cannister back on the input cap (remember the indexing marks) and attach with four 3/16 pop rivets with a 1/4 reach. Place the rivets at 90 degree intervals. Using 8MM flat washers and lock nuts on the inside, attach the muffler brackets onto the aluminum cannister you just riveted on (There should be wear marks on the muffler and bracket so you get them back in their original location).

8. You are probably saying "Hey, now there is nothing in my silencer and the stock innards are in Senator Kennedy's pool". This is where Aircone in Nevada (702-566-1077) will come to your rescue. Have them make you up a 4 inch O.D. end cap with a 1 5/8 inch I.D. perforated tube attached that protrudes 15 3/8 inch into the muffler. A pair made of steel will set you back about $50 and stainless construction is $20 more.(Steel ones can be painted with high heat cast finish paint).

9. Attach the stock stainless end cap onto the Aircone assembly with three 3/16 X 1/4 rivets.

10. Wrap the perforated tube with fiberglass muffler packing. Duct tape works well to hold the packing under wraps for assembly.

11. Slide the new innards into the cannister. The perforated tube from Aircone will slip right over the tube you previously shortened to 1 inch if you got it fairly round. Index your mark again before driving it home.

12. Just as you riveted the input side, rivet the end cap on. (Keep them in line with the input rivets so it looks sano).

Exposing a 900SS Logo

900 SS, CR, SP Jetting Tips

There are different methods of rejetting your bike when aftermarket mufflers are installed or you simply don't like the long warm up periods. Here are the methods I have tried, and the pros and cons of each.

1. Euro jetting: Change the stock 5C22 needle to a 5C19. The 2 needles are the same except for the adjustable clip position in the Euro needle. Set the clip in the #5 (from the top) groove. Change the stock 37.5 pilot to a 42.5. Bike will warm up quicker and not surge at low throttle settings. Fuel economy is good and since this mod leaves the Airbox alone, intake noise is low. Good choice for sport touring.

2. Stage 1 Dyno Jet: This kit is designed for the stock airbox. The lighter slide springs improve throttle response. The needle is much richer than stock and runs rather rich. I found that installing the needle clip in a leaner setting than recommended helps. Mid range is good and warm ups are quicker. Utilizes stock pilots with fuel screw cranked full out. I prefer to use the Euro pilot and set the fuel mixture myself.

3. Stage 2 Dyno Jet: This kit is designed for an open airbox with a K/N and aftermarket silencers. The lighter slide springs help throttle response. Nice boost in mid range and top end performance. Dyno tests show 6-7 HP gains. Removing the airbox lid sets all the factory Ducati jetting work back to the start. Won't carburate as cleanly at all RPM's and throttle settings like the factory Euro jetting. Exhibits a stumble or confused area under 3000 when the throttle is quickly wicked fully open from the basement, but who does that anyway. Again I like to use the Euro pilot jets. Intake roar will resonate your brains at some throttle/RPM settings!

Notes: If the performance of the Stage 2 has your attention, but you don't want the intake noise, install a K/N filter designed for the stock airbox and use the stock lid with the snorkels removed. The snorkel diameter is only 30MM but the housing holes are 60MM. Intake noise is much less and it still runs ok. If you installed a Stage 1 and don't like the results, the needles and springs are VERY similar between the early Stage 1 I removed from my bike and the Stage 2. The difference is in the mains. Install 145 Mikuni mains and open the airbox. Finally, the Euro method carburates ok, but don't expect gains like the Stage 2.

Summary: If sport touring is your thing and clean running and fuel economy are important issues, I would have to go with the Euro method. If you are after "balls to the walls" performance, Stage 2!

Update: I have helped the 3000 RPM stumble on my 900SS with the Stage 2 by installing the 42.5 Euro pilot jets and installing the 144 mains from the kit. Would like to hear some feedback on the Factory jet kit.

The following Dyno Results are from a Dyno Jet 100 with temp. Around 80 degrees Farenheight and an altitude close to 4,000 feet.

	DynoRun 1 Stock 900SS		DynoRun 2 D&D CF Cannisters Dyno Jet Stage 2 K/N with filter ring		DynoRun 3 Same mods as run 2 11-1 Pistoms Intake manifolds
RPM	HP	Torque	HP	Torque	HP	Torque
3000	26	46	22	38	28	49
3500	32	46	32	46	36	54
4000	36	48	40	52	46	60
4500	41	47	46	55	53	62
5000	50	53	56	60	62	66
5500	55	54	63	59	68	66
6000	60	52	68	59	75	65
6500	66	53	74	58	81	65
7000	68	51	76	57	84	63
7500	66	45	75	53	83	56
8000	64	42	72	48	80	52

Note that the popular mods such as cans and stage 2 drop the performance slightly at 3,000, but from there on make nice gains. With the 11-1 pistons the low end is back and then some! 84 ponies and 66 ft lbs of torque is quite impressive. Similar runs with unmatched intakes yielded a drop of 3 HP or so up top. Worth the time.

Brake mods for Ducati models with Dual Stainless Rotors (900SS, 851, 888, etc)

1. Replacing the stock pads with aftermarket. I have had good luck with those from SBS. The stockers seem to lose their bite as they heat up and transfer a lot of heat into the caliper and fluid. Hard riding brake fade went away after I installed the SBS pads.

2. Kevlar lines will give you a more solid feel at the lever and seem to be less effected by fluid heat.

3. Brembo knows how to make pad/rotor combinations out of cast iron that work. Although costly, the 900 SS SP system works well.

Note: If after all the above methods have been tried and the brakes still have a mushy feel with lots of lever travel before biting, the stock stainless rotors are probably slightly warped. After much grief, I finally fixed my 888 brakes by installing the cast iron rotors.

Update: Repeated use of the front brake will make the fluid overheat, but some of the bikes exibit fade after only a few hard applications. In either case the brakes work fine during normal riding but the lever feels mushy after use. In the latter case the rotors heat up quickly, and warp slightly. This tends to push the pistons into the caliper slightly, and the increased lever travel is due to moving the pistons towards the rotors. The stock pads (or any organic pad for that matter) tend to insulate the calipers from the heat, thus retaining it in the rotors. If this is your symptoms, a set of the new EBC sintered metal pads (which transfer heat to the caliper better than organics) may help a lot. The sintered pads also retain their coefficient of friction better than organics at higher temperatures. They are a bit harder on the rotors though.

Stuttering 750SS

Free Horsepower

916 Cannister Deristriction

Broken 888 Crank

On stripping the engine, instead of only finding the big ends destroyed I also found the crank snapped probably due to fatigue. Replacement costs approx 800 pounds sterling plus all the other spares required when the engine gets stripped. Acording to Baines Racing at Silverstone in the UK who are a Ducati and Moto Guzzi specialist th is extremely rare for big ends to go let alone the crank to break. so dont worry but be prepared if you have the same symptoms as I had. here is a picture of the offending item.

Free Horsepower II

Icing carburetors or a cold twin single

Belt Tension