Hi guys, First off I’m new here and new to the Ducati world. I recently acquired a 2002 750 SS through a trade and decided to keep it over the summer. I took it out the other day for the first time for a gentle ride to get to know the bike and noticed in 4th gear the rpm would shoot round. Thought nothing of it as the fella said it had been lay up since last September. I since rode it again and now in 2/3/4th I’m getting a lot of what fees like clutch slip. from about 4K rpm it just revs right round but doesn’t do much. Basically looking any information or points on the cause and the fix. Planning on taking it apart this weekend when I have some free time to check it out so any advice welcome. I am well versed in mechanics but I am a BMW guy (mostly pre 80’s) so the Ducati set up is new to me. Thanks.
Before you pull it apart change the oil to Semi synth and see if that fixes the problem. ln theory any JASO2 fully synth oils will have friction additives and should work fine. but many a older monster /SS owner have encountered slip with fully synthetic oils
I ask because I have seen bikes where the clutch slave cyl has stuck part way out due to standing and corrosion, and bikes where the mcyl piston cant get back to fully out to release the pressure due to swollen seals or a badly adjusted aftermarket lever, and in both cases it causes the clutch to slip. The first is usually consistent, the second normally gets worse over a ride until you get no engagement, then you leave the bike 5 mins, the pressure bleeds out, and it works ok again for a while. Worth checking before pulling the clutch plates out.
The clutch feels fine there is a good biting point not far from the bar. If you don’t ride hard it’s a nice ride it’s only at about 4-5k rpm on throttle that the revs just shoot up but no actually acceleration happens.
Good point - I made that mistake myself once (non Ducati). However, I don't see this as an instant fix because the friction plates will have absorbed the 'old' oil so it may take a bit of time to be purged by the new.
TBF the clutch slip with fully synth oil tended to only happen for me under load in 4th or 5th gear at high revs, if its slipping in all gears its likely the plates are worn or maybe the clutch isnt fully disengaging
It’s only happening on full throttle as in no throttle to max wrist at once it rides along in traffic happy with no issues.
So last night I drained out about 4L of oil which seems excessive. Haven’t checked spec capacity yet. I all so found a receipt for 10w40 fully synthetic oil dates late 2021 so guessing that’s what’s in it. This morning I have flushed out the clutch fluid as it does not look heathy at all. Can anyone confirm the amount of sludge and silver is anything to be concerned about?
A master cylinder repair kit is cheap and easily available, so it makes a lot of sense to install one anyway, and while it is apart you can judge any wear on the mcyl bore.
