900ss buying advice please?

[hogfisch]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum but have been lurking on the Monster Owners Club for a while (1994 M600).

Anyhoo, I am now thinking of a 900ss (the newer style, from 98 onwards?) and am after a little advice. From my experience on the Monster forums, owners clubs seem to be THE place to get good, objective information so many thanks in advance everyone.

My questions are (hopefully someone can help!):

1. Are the later ones all fuel injection (I was told post 2000 models are and the earlier ones 98-2000 are carb)

2. If the pre 2000s are carbs, do they suffer at all with icing (my Monster is the original pig-b*tch-from-hell in that respect and I am looking forward to a bike that doesn't kick and buck in the cold!)

3. I will be commuting (not daily but certainly quite a bit in the summer) a round trip of 50 miles on it. What are they like comfort-wise compared to full on sports Dukes (my cousin has a 916 Foggy rep - I have had a go on it and although it was amazing to ride, my wrists had had enough after 20 mins)

4. Are there any peculiarities to look out for (except the usual chain, spocket, fork seals etc.) on the 900ss?

5. Is £3,700 from a main dealer a good price for a 900ss (98 R reg, FSH, 4000 miles with DP high level carbon fibre cans)?

Sorry to come on here as a newbie and bombard with questions. Just want to find out as much a possible about these bikes before committing myself.

Best regards

Hogfisch

[Iconic944ss]

Welcome,

Glad to see you are after the best variant of the sports bikes series :wink:

Its always good to ask questions, search the 'SS' forum and there may well be some answers in there otherwise I'm sure someone with more knowledge than me of the later bikes will be along shortly.

Dont rule out the 7/9 series bikes as there are hi-rise bars kits available - if you really like the chassis/engine but not the riding position it could be a way to go.

The book I have states the Fuel Injected 900SS came out in 1998.
I dont believe I have experienced Carb icing on my 93 900SS yet - but I tend not to ride much in winter anyway.

A full dealer/service history is always taken as pretty much essential on anything newish I gather. I have not heard of any particular failing with the fork seals at all but as always stand to be corrected.

Hope to see you back as a member sometime :D

Regards - Frank

[KeefyB]

1)All 900SS's from '98< are fuel injected.
2)The carbed SS's (89-90 and 91-97 models) all suffered from carb icing.The carb heater kits helped but the best cure is to slosh a fuel octane booster in the tank like Silkolene Pro FST.
3)The riding position is very similar to a 996,ie @rse in the air,low bars.You do get used to it tho.
4)Dont forget to check the service record.Duke services are mileage and time dependant.You may be able to use a service as a price negotiator.
5)£3700 sounds a bit pricey to me,but I guess the dealer has to make a profit.I know Fordie sold his bike for a lot less than that.(Similar age,but a lot more miles).
You wont go far wrong with an SS.

[paulmort]

Hogfisch
Welcome to the forum
Ive got an X reg 900ssie and loved it from the moment I got 'er
While I rarely commute on bloooduke, I do oftern 70 - 100 miles in a sitting (so to speak) and apart from some vibration in RH bar (which has now gone thanks to a bit of balancing of injectors/exhaust thingy (dont ask me how or what, our Nelly at cornerspeed did it) I enjoy riding that distance
I fitted a double bubble and find being just over 6 ft tall, it keeps wind on shoulders but off the helmet so a fairly buffet free ride
£3700 is a bit steep for an R reg, but with only 4000 miles then that should be no prob
There are a lot of things that can be done with 900ssie's, as my bank manager can attest.
Test ride it, if you enjoy, then go for it
btw where do you live?
bestest and good luck
mort:bouncy::bouncy:

[hogfisch]

Thanks for all the replies so far guys. £3700 does seem a bit steep on the face of it but condition wise it is A1 and the mileage is nice. The bike is at Ducati Aylesbury (On Yer Bike) so I am always going to be paying a premium although tax and 12 months MOT and free service prior to collection are included.

I will keep looking between xmas and New Year prior to purchasing. Does anyone know of a post 98 model 900SS for sale?!

BTW I am Oxford-based but will be moving towards Bath in the near future.

[moto748]

I'd suggest you look on autotrader.co.uk or similar, to get a sense of what money people are asking. For example, I see that "new", zero miles, 900S bikes are going for £4200. However, be aware that the 900S is a "budget" model with cheaper shocks and so on, I believe,. I rode a 750S a couple of times, and it was like sitting on an iron girder. Made my 748 seem like an armchair by comparison! That said, I have the so-called "cheap" shock on my 748, and it works perfectly well, and is still going strong after 40000 miles!

The 900SS is a lovely grunty bike to ride, very long-legged (over-geared as stock, in fact). The riding position is *slightly* less radical than the 748/996, but against that, the seat height is a little greater. You would probably want want to back off the damping settings for road use. Most Ducatis are pretty stiff as stock, as I'm sure you know. The side-panels on the injected bikes provide a limited, but useful, storage space for locks, waterproofs, etc.

If you go for a secondhand one, make sure the belts have been changed recently, and that the clutch is not on the way out (any slipping, or graunching when pulling away?). Those dry clutches don't last forever! But if the basket's OK, replacing just the plates is a very straightforward job; even a DIY muppet like me can manage it quite easily!

[Iconic944ss]

Ebay auction seems custom made for a 900ss buyer !!!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=9945&item=7943470703&rd=1

[Iconic944ss]

I'd forgot about the new 'SS' old stock being sold and wracked my brain for ages before I remembered who was selling them........

£4799 - DK Motorcycles...

Search here for Dukes:

http://www.dkmotorcycles.co.uk/usedbikes/search.php

[phil_h]

My advice ...
1) Auto-trader-bikes is by far the best place to look for sensible prices.
2) Ducati Aylesbury are not cheap !
3) At this time of year almost everyone (Duc-Ayles included) will take a knock on the price to get a sale !
4) My SS feels like an armchair to me - I'm 6ft 1in - but I find the 916/748 comfy too ! If you are buying from a dealer - GET A TEST RIDE !!!
5) The air-cooled engines are very robust - and because they do not breathe as well as some other duc engines at high revs ... I don't think they get thrashed as much as some others do. Ride them on the mid-range and enjoy !
6) Have a search for the new 1000SS - they are on sale pre-reg for some amazing prices !