I've got a 93 900ss with 18k on the clock. My brother was following me yesterday and commented that there was smoke coming out when decelerating. I changed the oil for Motul 5100 15w/50 and hoping its something to do with it compatibility on that bike. (I've seen something about 20W/50 on the net) I'm just about to do a 1000 mile European trip starting the weekend (not sure why on a 20yr old 900SS!) and wandered if its likely to blow up! planning to repair valve seals and new rings this winter, but wanted it to get me home. and before anyone asks.... no I haven't got breakdown cover as anything over 15years old costs a fortune!
Is the oil fully synthetic? I normally use a stock semi-synthetic in 10w/40. If it's stem seals/guides then I've never heard of them being a problem at that mileage. They're pretty bombproof, I'd happily run it and just keep an eye on the level ;-)
The oil is motul 5100 semi synthetic 10w40 thanks nuttynick, i'll ride it but take a top up bottle with me ;-)
I went to France in 2011 and Germany in 2013 on my 93 900ss with no real problems. Have a look here if you haven`t already: Has Anyone Done Much Touring On The Ss? | Ducati Forum Before I left, I had the bike serviced and gave it a quick check over. On the Germany trip my bike had similar mileage to yours. As for breakdown cover, I was with Swintons at the time of both trips and they were happy to add European cover no problems.
Thanks everyone. Im in france at the moment and burning 200ml of oil for every 200 miles. I Managed to speak to a guy over here that said i was running the wrong oil and it should be 20w50. It doesnt smoke as much when i topped it up. Ive resigned to the fact that the seal will need replacing. Does anyone know if its much hassle to replace them?
