900SS fork rot - help needed

[rspete]

Help!
Advice needed…
95 900SS
Friday I noticed a small patch of oil under the nearside fork leg….
I knew that the stanchions would need replacing or replating soon and this was making the decision for me ahead of its MOT.
Start looking on the internet for seals, bushes, stanchions etc and think about posting in these forums asking if anyone can recommend on hard chrome platers in the UK and any advice on the necessary rebuild….

Also realise I need someway of supporting the bike while the doing this job so order a front head paddock stand…

Any ways… Looking on ebay I find these
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ducati-900-SS-FORKS-YOKES-handlebar-Risers-Spares-Or-Repair-/322085137081?hash=item4afdc52ab9:g:ZqYAAOSw~gRV3c~ I
sensible..ish price …what can be up with them?

Then I check out the photos and see the corrosion on the outer/upper alloy tubes….
A sense of growing dread and I go back to check mine….nowhere near as bad but unmissable corrosion eating into the alloy tube…

So now a real dilemma.. No point in sorting seals/bushes or stanchions when the uppers also need replacement..

• Has anyone got a set of Showa GD-011 forks for a 95 900SS in good order they would be prepared to sell?
• Anyone with upper tubes they would sell?
• Any suggestions of alternatives, Ducati or otherwise, that would fit with minimal effort? I guess later SS iE are longer and bigger dia so would need new triple clamps and calipers?
•
Any suggestions at all would be most welcome.
(looks like I need new front discs too…. Its been sat a while as I work away from home - paying for the neglect now…)

My apologies in advance I have posted this on another forum however this one seems more appropriate due to being UK based.

[antonye]

I think the fork upper tubes are the same between SS and SSie; I know when we put SSie forks into my old SS yokes there were no changes required.

Also, I know that Andy (Hypermoturd) on here has a load of forks parts for sale including uppers and stanchions, as well as a complete set of forks that should fit as well!

I'll give him a nudge...

[Hypermoturd]

http://i484.photobucket.com/albums/rr210/uksurvivor/Mobile%20Uploads/Screenshot_2016-05-09-12-41-16.png (http://s484.photobucket.com/user/uksurvivor/media/Mobile%20Uploads/Screenshot_2016-05-09-12-41-16.png.html)

Have been nudged and have the bits in the photo available. Used but in good condition with no damage etc.

[rspete]

Hi Andy

Thanks for the response.

What are these from as the uppers llok different to the ones on mine which I believe are Showa GD011's.

(I have edited my original post to include a couple of photo's of the damaged forks.)

[Iconic944ss]

Lots for sale in the USA but you will suffer an import duty.

You could change to later forks from another series, but as well as a new triple, you will need a new front wheel and speedo drive & clipons.

There are some half decent 600SS forks (brake hose rub and chrome pitting) on Ebay UK, I think the 900 internals might fit? I'm sure Kev (Skidlids) will know the answer to this one.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ducati-600SS-Pair-FRONT-UPSIDE-DOWN-FORKS-USD-1993-Desmodue-SS-/282005826011

OR

There is a UK seller with a brand new stanchion (1 only) here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-OEM-Ducati-fork-stanchion-tube-Supersport-600-SS-95-97-Monster-600-94-97-/401016937083

Good luck

[skidlids]

note 600SS forks are Marzocchi and have a 40mm diameter slider, they are also non adjustable, but would fit as spindle, caliper and mudguard mounts are the same

Later forks from an injection bike use 65mm caliper mounts, different mudguard mounts and a 25mm diameter spindle, yoke sizes are the same at 50mm top and 54mm bottom

[rspete]

Since last we spoke… (I work away from home during the week so nothing gets done then other than surfing the net and trying to find parts....)

Having got the forks off yesterday I had a good look at the alloy corrosion. It looks a lot worse than it appears, which is bloody awful. Scraped off the worst and was down to bare alloy straight away so will give it a good clean off and thorough inspection over next weekend. If this is only surface and nothing appears to be dangerous then I will probably clean up and reuse the uppers.
Depending of course on how confident I am in them…… Even at Stein Dinse prices the rebuild would add up… UK dealer prices are eyewatering…

I have decided that the easiest option probably is to rebuild standard forks.
• Get new uppers (maybe…)
• New bushes and seals
• Get stanchions re- Hard chromed
• New oil
• Easiest
• Dependent on a lot of factors but cost anywhere between £200 -£400 (providing I don’t source parts from Ducati dealer then the upper limit is £1200- £1300)
• Minimal changes to fit (well none I can think of….)


So assuming I am going for standard Showa rebuild is there anything that is recommended I do while they are apart?
• Recommendations on where and what to get in the way of seals
• Bushes – where do you get these from?
• Any suggestions on Springing or re-valving that is beneficial and where to go for parts (this is only really likely to be on if the uppers do not need replacing)
• I guess I’m looking for the Best bang for buck mod that people would recommend short of replacing them with Ohlins…..

Many thanks

[paynep]

Try Wemoto.com for the fork bushes and seals. They were good when I rebuilt a set a few years back. They should be able to confirm the sizes too.
Spring-wise I went for single-rate and 7.5w oil, but it depends on how you ride.
HTH.
Paul

[Iconic944ss]

+1 For Wemoto:

http://www.wemoto.com/bikes/ducati/900_ss/94-95/

[skidlids]

I have a set of what I would say are very good condition for their age 900SS forks,On the alloy stanchions there is a small amount of wear from where the brake hoses have rubbed
I will see if I can sort photos on Sunday
These were going to be used for a Desmo Due Class A race bike
But happy to sell

For Spares I also have 90% of another set that has had the outer stanchions polished so much by someone that they no longer get gripped by the yokes, the fork caps are missing from these as they were used for converting another set of forks

£200 the lot plus postage
or can be collected
or if on one of my service routes can be dropped off
or could be collected at Kempton Autojumble on Saturday

[rspete]

Hi Skidlids

Very very interested! Photos would be good thanks.
Whereabouts are you?

(You dont, by any chance, have any discs as well do you....?)

[skidlids]

I'm in Oxford, I'll see if I can do a couple of photos within the next hour, raining outside at the moment so may have to try and take photos in the garage where lighting isn't ideal

Usually I hang on to my discs for the race bikes if I know they are straight and true but may consider selling a set depending on what type you are after

[skidlids]

First Four Photos of the complete set

[skidlids]

A couple of Photos of the 90% complete set with the over polished outers

[rspete]

Oxford....hmmm
Brakes are fronts, the ones I have are cast iron and have not thanked me for lack of use by corroding and jamming the pins so no longer float...just pulse like crazy!!
So anything that fits standard setup and is functioning MOTable condition would do.

[skidlids]

Oops my mistake it seems I have yet another pair of 900SS forks
Pics below, a small amount of corroded alloy as seen in the photos

My Discs are over at the unit, I may have a pair of the original 900SS pepper-pot discs but I would need to dig them out and spin them up to make sure they are running true and check the thikness against the wear limit allowed

[skidlids]

Happy to sell one of the complete sets for £160 plus postage

as I'm quite happy to keep one set and the spares

[rspete]

OK...You have a sale, just what and where and when (don't find any more forks!)
Interesting differences between the first and last..mine have the darker lower bush/seal carrier part like the first..

I work in Gaydon during the week and travel back to Bath on Friday afternoon early evening. Any where we could meet up en route?

[skidlids]

Do you go up the M42 and then down the M5 to get to bath or along the M40 then A34 and A420 to the M4 as there are a couple of places on the A420 I could meet you

I have a dentist appointment at 3 pm tomorrow, so could probably get across to the A420 by Kingston Bagpuise around 5 pm

Otherwise I should be passing by Gaydon on the M40 on Tuesday on the way up to Stafford in the morning and then on the way back in the afternoon


OK...You have a sale, just what and where and when (don't find any more forks!)
Interesting differences between the first and last..mine have the darker lower bush/seal carrier part like the first..

I work in Gaydon during the week and travel back to Bath on Friday afternoon early evening. Any where we could meet up en route?

[rspete]

I drive down the Fosse way A429 from Gaydon to Bath all the way to just after Cirencester then A433.
Happy to deviate to a convenient place.
Failing that when in the afternoon would you be passing Gaydon?
I am unfortunately spending most of the day navel gazing with my work colleagues discussing how the job is going..basically what is done weekly in a 20 min discussion but now spread over a day....

Or something else..

[rspete]

Skidlids

Have sent a PM. Can you confirm receipt, never sure thy actually get where they are meant!!

[rspete]

A big and rather belated thanks to Kevin, Skidlids, who went out of his way and stopped by Gaydon with a set of forks for my 900SS.

Top man and many thanks to you. Hopefully a quiet weekend ahead may mean I can now get them fitted :-)

[skidlids]

Hopefully a quiet weekend ahead may mean I can now get them fitted :-)

Not so Quiet for me Pete as I'll be racing around Oulton Park