Thought I’d start a thread re what’s the worst failure you’ve experienced with your 900ss, I have a 1991 carby, so far (had it a couple of years done around 7k miles on it) all I’ve had is a rear indicator bulb holder disintigrate and a high tickover suddenly appear, not sure what fixed the tickover because I did several things at the same time such as oil cables/choke mechanism, sprayed inside carbs with cleaner etc, anyway it went away, the rear bulb holder (silver reflector bit) is still lashed up with a rubber band, really must get a replacement,so mines been good so far, how has yours been?
Have you checked for cracks in the top frame rails at the end of the flat plate behind the headstock?? Also notorious for broken studs, cracked aluminium swingarms, oil gallery plugs backing out of the crank and the alternator/flywheel nut coming undone. If you have none of those problems, you’re doing well.
Mine had the classic head stud failure and rectifier meltdown. I 'sealed' the front indicator housing in place with Dow Corning, worked a treat. Great bike and many fond memories.
Was touring on th IE and it pissex with rain for a whole day. Towards the end of the day, it was a sunday, it started coughing and sputtering, no chance of ticking overat all. Had to keep the engine reving like mad when refueling , had a horrible last days ride from France back home. Turned out the TPS connections got soaked and had rusted in that rain, so simple fix in the end.
I periodically check the frame for cracks, thankfully none so far, no ally shavings on strainer, swing arm is fine, no headstud issues (I always ride gently for the first few miles until she’s warmed up which I’m told helps with that issue), and no untoward noises from the alternator area, so far so good! , re the gallery plug that’s a nasty failure, I wonder how common it is?, i.e we hear about it because it’s dramatic but for every SS it’s happened to there must be thousands where it hasn’t?.
I had both the frame cracks and the alternator nut issue. It was a 750 though, so no issues with studs or the steel swingarm. It used to foul the plugs badly though, until I got some uprated CCW coils. It was as still a really sluggish starter though, how I wish we had @Exige cable kits in those days... One of the best things I did to it was to put lighter oil in the forks. They actually worked after that...
Isn't the alternator nut a service item? Head studs were a recall, and should have been done, you can tell by the colour of them. Frame can be braced with a bolt-on mod and it's worth keeping an eye on the swinging arm (and eBay in case the worst happens). Dialectric grease in the electrical connections is a prudent stitch in time and cleaning / oiling of all control cables likewise. A clean bike makes it easier to spot / catch problems, and with the newest carbed bikes now 20 years old they're worth looking after.
Zero problems, always starts on the button. I've only had it for 100 miles though I checked the frame when I bought her, all fine. I have added a bolt on brace although the fit is so so and needed some adjustment, but hopefully it will do the job. I did a fair bit of research on the alternator nut with no real conclusion. It seems that if the nut hasn't been disturbed on 900ss carby models then it will be fine?. Not necessarily the case on 750/600s? Then again, other sources say this is not the case. It can be spotted/heard before disaster though. This is worth a read: http://www.ducati.ms/forums/56-superbikes/139639-alternator-nut-questions.html#/topics/139639?page=1 I won't worry about the crank oil plug unless I come across filings in the oil. The only other mods I have done is a case saver and Omron clutch slave cylinder.
You hear of these but I have not had any of these problems myself. Most studs should have been done by now, as stated. They are easy to differentiate by sight. It was the earlier silver studs which snapped. I do know someone who bought a decent low mile SS about 4 years back and the engine was a non runner due to these studs failing. He got it fixed up and it's a good bike he's keeping as an investment. I have had other issues which I have come across/created from modifying my SS. I once forgot to earth the rectifier. Battery ran flat leaving me stranded till AA turned up. I did manage to fix it roadside. I also once put diesel in it, creating a dieselsedici....
'95 900SS/SP 34,000 miles on...the only significant failure...a broken shift shaft return spring...cost $8 and me a 1/2 day labor fitting
although my ss is a 750 it has had a myriad of faults mainly caused by previous owners modifications and neglect though the biggest failure I admit is the rider
it was the smoke that worried me, a friendly householder let me have a bottle of water. I didn't touch it again on rest of journey. passed MOT and brake behaved ever after.
Wow, I think I would have wanted to at least try and work out what was wrong. A brake seizing could kill you very easily.
Had headstuds go on a 94 900SS. Current 93 SS has had studs done in its history Have 900FE that I am restoring, had engine stripped for clean and health check, found galley plug was half way out (See Jan Practical Sportbikes Magazine)
Worst failure on my 750 was the chain letting go and trashing the crankcase on the way to Cadwell Park. Second worst was the twat who failed to give way to me on a roundabout on the A27. Aside from that, all good.
I'm sure you are correct had I been a youngster who'd just passed his test but I don't think it takes long to develop a sixth sense through the necessity of survival after constant riding, we pretty much all have it on here - on pulling away or coasting down to a junction you get that 'wait a minute?' niggle that something isn't right. First thing I do If I think there is brake/chain/low tyre pressure etc 'bindage' occurring is to pop it into neutral and see how the bike coasts along.
