Hi gents Seeing as Winter is almost over, I finally managed to get my *ss into gear and start work on replacing the fuel pump on my 2000 (yes, 17 years old) 900SS i.e. Basically it's a helluva long story but my bike has been standing totally unused for about 7 or 8 years (perhaps even longer) under covers in my garage. When I say "unused" I mean not even starting it up etc. As you can guess, the battery (which I removed) went first, then the fuel pump went on strike (I think) followed by the gas cap lock that "stopped working". I posted some years ago for advice on getting it to open, but none of the advice worked (oil treatment, shock treatment etc). So havng to be able to remove it to get to the fuel pump means the covers went back over the bike for another couple of years. So... I am now undoing the 5 bolts that hold the cap down. I haven't undone any of it completely yet - fearing there may be nuts faling into the tank, it might be completely verboten to undo those bolts etc, Nuclear holocaust even resulting?? My plan is that if I can take the complete cap off to a locksmith to see if he can fix it. Any warnings or Gotchas tha you gents know of? I do have a service manual in PDF for the bike but it doesn't seem to even mention the cap bolts ever - I guess the idea of a cap jamming shut b/c of never being used just never crossed the Ducati designer's minds...
Rats. Threw caution to the wind and undid the bolts anyway. As everybody else probably will already know, that doesn't seem to do anything. Perhaps all it serves to do is to hold a "cosmetic" metal ring around the cap down... So, back to the drawing board.
Only 3 of those 5 bolts hold the cap in place. The ones at 10.00 o'clock and 2.00 O'clock are "decorative". The cap is in 2 parts, the base mounted to the tank and the cap that screws into the base with those 3 bolts. However the catch still mounts into the base so you will need to get the key to do it's job if possible. I'd use piles of WD40 or equivalent or light oil and see if you can get some movement without breaking the key. If that fails it may be possible to lever out the cap, with those 3(5) bolts removed, from the hinge side. I'm not 100% if there is enough clearance but worth a go as long as nothing get dented or broken. Last option would involve destroying the lock by drilling out the core of the lock and using a big screwdriver. I would prefer this as there are a few cheapish lock options available but fuel tank repairs are expensive. When you have finally got the top/cap out with the silver rim, you will need to remove the base of the cap from the tank to get your hand in and the pump out of the tank. I would definitely also get a new base gasket O-ring for the seal between the base and the tank otherwise you may get leakage with a full tank. Be prepared for a bit of rust in the tank too which should be cleaned up and converted maybe to stop it sreading and corroding a hole in the tank. I saw these lately http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Ignition...606960?hash=item3d45d539f0:g:o-4AAOSwwvBZnpqa Good luck
If yours looks like this I don't think you have any option but to get the key to work http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=36513.0
Hi guys Thanks a ton for the suggestions. I have a better grasp now of how the lock actually works... and yes, it does look like the one on the Monster that you posted, Martin. I also tried the suggestion to see if I can "wiggle" it from the hinge side. looking at the underside of the cap (hotlinking image here, no idea how long the pic will last) it does seem like it SHOULD come out and is perhaps stuck down by the gasket material... Or more likely a blind bolt that you can only access when the cap is unlocked? I think my next option may be to attempt to drain the tank (no idea if that is possible without being able to get the cap open), remove it and take the complete tank in to a Ducati workshop in Vancouver.
tank drain plug is at the rear left of the tank the cap assembly can be a sod to remove without the key the top cap head screws hold the cap assembly to a secondary assembly which is attached to the tank via series of small grub screws the latch if I remember rightly catches on the secondary collar
Fantastic - thanks Johnboy, that helps a lot. I'll drain the tank tomorrow& remove the tank (after labeling each pipe and wire, of course).
...Meanwhile, my neighbour has his late-1980s Yamaha serviced regularly at the local Yamaha R*ce B*rner service station. Guess what manufacturer my next motorcycle is NOT going to be.
Hah, I was chatting to my neighbour yesterday (the guy who owns the Yamaha). He tells me that in fact the Yamaha service guys are not really that much better, and the trick is to wait until it is high winter before you go calling on them (and they're running out of work)... Then they'll be all over you, trying to sell even more maintenance than you need. For some reason they seem to also have an uncanny ability to rediscover those service manuals they need for servicing "older" bikes during winter times - must be the cold, I guess...
As you'll have deduced there is one additional screw to remove, only accessible after the fuel cap has been opened. The section in the manual which discusses fuel filter replacement has a diagram which shows that... ("anti-theft" screw !). Other things to watch out for once you've got that far are the two vent hoses which attach to the underneath of the cap assembly, and connect to spigots in the bottom of the tank. These are pipes that would ideally be replaced but they are expensive (and hard to get) submersible-grade hose (Ducati charge a lot for it apparently), so it's best to avoid tearing them when removing. If the tank is not leaking, that's a bonus - either corrosion or cracks around spot welds holding the hinge on can be a problem. There's a good guide to sealing the tank here: http://www.ducati.ms/forums/57-supersport/1553-repairing-rusty-leaking-ss-tank.html I can't remember where I got my PDF manual from, but it's also discussed here: http://www.ducati.ms/forums/57-supersport/166481-manual-2001-900ss-ie.html
Thanks a ton, Recidivist - fantastic resource! (Of course I had to *accidentally* find the Umbrella Girls section on that shop service manuals link in post #3 - and I was so hoping I'll grow out of it..)
if you follow the Canadian Temperature Scale (attached), you will be waiting quite a while for it to get "cold"
They are very cheap and simple locks, surely you could take it to a locksmith and have it "picked" couldn't you ?. Or if the actual key/tumblers are working but not withdrawing the latches fill the tank with water (through the breather or fuel outlet) then grind through the cap with a dremel or similar then buy a secondhand filler to replace it, you need to be sure the tank is brimmed with water when doing this though because if there is an air pocket with fuel vapour in it you'll blow yourself to pieces, although on the bright side the cap would almost certainly be opened by the explosion
LOL! - now that should do it Thanks for the suggestions (and also thanks for that Temperature Scale, efcbluepete). I'll keep you gents posted!
Hi guys Sorry for resurrecting this old zombie... Just wanted to post that I basically gave up on getting my 900SS back on the road - always something more important coming up - kids getting married one after the other etc etc, then (almost 2 years later) this evening I'm upstairs when I noticed a locksmith's truck parked in front of the post office - guess someone lost his mailbox key. The moment the locksmith guy came out I called him over and asked him if he could take a look at the tank cap. He didn't even blink an eye, asked me if I have a key for the bike, took it and made a copy of it from what seems to be a helluva hard steel (he's got a complete workshop in the back of his truck) - stuck it into the keyhole and used a pair of pliers to force the gas cap to play nicely. Took less than 5 minutes! He then took the gas cap and repaired the lock - cleaned it out - and it works fine again! I'm pulling the fuel pump tomorrow, with some luck I can have the bike running again within a week - just in time for my yearly summer vacation. EDIT: When reassembling the tank + gas filler cap, I'm definitely NOT going to replace that "anti-theft bolt" (#3 in the diagram above) - if it wasn't for that silly bolt, my bike would have been back on the road 2 years ago already (TBH it also took a massive effort from a Procrastination Expert to just let it sit for that amount of time too). It is parked in my garage year-round anyway.
