Finally bought a Monster!

[Andy B]

Hi Guys!

Finally posting as a Ducati owner! well. technically, it's the girlfriends bike (i bought myself a30 year old Moto Guzzi a couple months back) and i'm getting it ready for her for when the weather gets a little more forgiving!

I signed up back in september last year when I first started looking for a monster... took me a while (i ended up buying the Guzzi first) but i've finally gone and bought one!

It's a bit on the tatty side, but I wanted to do a bit of tinkering with one anyway, so seemed the perfect one to go with! plus it was pretty local and too good a bargain to pass up!

1997 M900 with 6000 on the clock - the insurance cover note says its a M900 S ?? it has a few different bits to some of the others i'd been looking at so don't know whether someones added bits or its got a different spec.? but i'll be picking everyones brains on those bits in the right sections when I get all the photos uploaded ;)

pretty chuffed with it at the moment! all i've done so far is take off the headers and cleaned em up.. just need to get some stainless studs back on and might leave the tarting up for next winter.. (the guzzi's still in bits so don't want to go mad and rip both to pieces :mand: )

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r240/lowdowndirtyzook/Annabels%20Monster/20150201_123614_resized%201_zps5nyqf4uq.jpg

Looking forward to picking the forums brains and finding out a bit more about her...

Andy

[slob]

nice... you've got a set of cast iron floating discs (check 'em for cracks and accept they go orange at any hint of moisture) my absolute favourite for feel and power.

welcome to the madhouse

[Yorkie]

Nice looking Monster. And welcome to the club.

Yorkie

[Darren69]

The 900 S was also a return of the more powerful 900ss efi engine in the monster but with carbs instead of efi of the ss as slob says top spec cast iron brakes it should also have a fully floating rear caliper too, carbon front and rear mudguards, side panels, exhaust heatshields and a lower carbon rear guard too! Not I wouldn't say rare but not so many around as normal monsters! Nice bike!

[Darren69]

Arrgh has it been tail chopped? oh well

[Dirty]

Arrgh has it been tail chopped? oh well

Hurrah! :mand:

[Dirty]

And welcome to the machine :)

[Mr Gazza]

Welcome To the club.

Interesting machine you have there. I noticed the Iron discs and also a disc carrier pattern that I have not seen before.

Someone told me that my 2000 "S" should have had floating iron discs, but it came with stainless ones as far as I know. Maybe he got the idea from earlier S models?

The calipers appear to be early, pre Goldline ones but it has the later master with remote resevoirs on brake and clutch...Didn't think they were available until later than '97...Retro fitted maybe?

Forks appear to be fully adjustable but couldn't say if Showa or other.


Rear caliper does not seem to be fully floating version as on my later "S"...That may just be a year 2000 thing? Also the extra carbon might have just been a millenium special.

Looks a crackin' bike though..Wouldn't mind a set of iron discs...Nothing like iron for feel.

Edit... Speedo tacho housing looks different too. I thought tachos came along with the ie's.?

[Nickj]

Wasn't there an almost one-off face lift series just before the IE's with speedo and tacho??


Nice toy, it's the GF's you say?? You really should have thought about that a little bit more LOL

[J.P]

Welcome to the club Andy B.
Good luck with the tinkering and if you need any help just let us know.

Have a look through the forum, and if you wanted to, make sure you register with Ducati.Com
http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/showthread.php?t=51190

[jdp683]

Welcome :biggrin:

[J_Dub]

I think I know that bike.

[Andy B]

Ahh, the iron discs would explain the rusty side walls and orangy brown front cylinder head :biggrin:

Cheers for the ID of some of the bits and pieces, i've had a good look over it to try and suss out all the bits, but doesn't help when i dont know whats meant to be there...? looks like the front mudguards been changed at some point... never mind...but it does have the carbon side panels and exhaust covers

the front forks are Showa.. thats about all i do know... :biggrin:

i have tried to find any markings on the rear shock but can't for the life of me find any...Any ideas what type it is? i dont suppose i'm smarmy enough for it to be an ohlins unit... ;)

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r240/lowdowndirtyzook/Annabels%20Monster/20150201_123642_resized%201_zpsay2a0qx6.jpg

probably not the best pic looking back at it...

will try get a photo of the dash later...

And yes... i did wonder about letting the girlfriend have it... but i did want her to have a nice bike, and i like the dry clutch rattle so that put her on a 900... (almost settled for a 600) and it was the only bike she liked more than a yamaha mt-03 which she saw a while back in j&s.... now i just get taunted by her since she's got a bigger bike than mine hah! at least i'll get to ride it now and again.

J_dub, i got it from a guy in st helens, don't think he'd had it long, before that had a lady owner... thats about all i know about it from what he told me..

[J_Dub]

I'm going off the dash and tail chop with the grab rail sprayed black and the bracket holding the licence plate. Oh and the very gold wheels. Are the clocks grey faced?

[Andy B]

ah right...yeah i did think it a bit strange how the frame has been painted black from halfway up from the seat to the rear....?

dash clocks... yep - grey faces. red surround...

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r240/lowdowndirtyzook/Annabels%20Monster/20150202_172557_zpszvv3akbp.jpg

Have to say i was a little thrown riding it back with what i thought was hazard warning light tell tale... first bike i've ridden with one of them flashing when you're a little slow with the gear lever ;)

[Mr Gazza]

I think the rear shock might be a Sachs.
Ohlins don't usually miss an opportunity to label thier products very clearly.

My "S" came with Ohlins at the rear, complete with remote resevior but that doesn't mean that your shock is wrong as there are clearly some spec differences on the S models over the years.

You seem to have an ally swinging arm. which not all 900s have.

The red dash is after market as you've probably guessed,so it would be interesting to know if the tacho was original fitment or added at the same time as the dash...Nice clean clocks though.

Compare your bike to this other '97 bike with a similar front end, possibly an S but definatly making your bike bike look like a much better proposition..!!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2518319360...089%26_rdc%3D1

[J_Dub]

Yep Sachs shock, I replaced the original shock (it was leaking oil) in about April '10 with one I sourced from Ducati John. The replacement shock came out of a bike that hadn't done many miles.

[J_Dub]

In a previous life:

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/J-Doubleyou/My%20bike/MYBIKE-1.jpg (http://s633.photobucket.com/user/J-Doubleyou/media/My%20bike/MYBIKE-1.jpg.html)

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/J-Doubleyou/2009%2009%2014%20Tail%20Chop%20progress_zpstsgtgrk 8.jpg (http://s633.photobucket.com/user/J-Doubleyou/media/2009%2009%2014%20Tail%20Chop%20progress_zpstsgtgrk 8.jpg.html)

http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu54/J-Doubleyou/Tail%20chop/20090914TailChop015.jpg (http://s633.photobucket.com/user/J-Doubleyou/media/Tail%20chop/20090914TailChop015.jpg.html)

[Andy B]

awesome! i love seeing those kind of photos of bikes/cars when you've just bought em... sadly, it's a little tattier now... need to get a hold of some non-cracked belt covers, and tidy up a few other bits...i take it you must have owner the bike a fair while ago... the v5 stated 11 previous owners when i signed it into my name... (same number of po's my 30 year old guzzi has!)

i saw that really tatty monster on ebay and wow! what a mess! yep - glad i found this one when i did :)

we've agreed not to do that much to it just yet - need to finish rebuilding the Guzzi -but the tank has a line of paint missing on the left side which i'll temporarily tidy up for now, then come next winter big strip down and get it back to former glory with fresh paint and powder coat... roll on the nicer weather!