Not another build thread......

[Flip]

...but after eighteen years (sixteen in my care) my '97 900 is starting to need a little bit of TLC.

In all that time 'she' has been there, a constant no matter what was along side her in the garage over the years whether it be an off roader for some dirty weekend fun or something sporty in the latest sexy bodywork.

My wife has always described her as 'my girlfriend' so if that is the case then my little race bike, 'Bella' is definitely my Mistress- at fifty this year definitely the older lady but still beautiful and able to turn heads and of course the one where presents are lavished upon her and she is taken away for weekends as often as I can.

Then my little P200 Vespa ....a (Roman) holiday romance, classically Italian and simply fun to be with in the sun.

But back to my Monster, picked up and put down but never really complained other than the toll of time. Still too good to need a complete restoration and to be honest I wouldn't want to lose all the originality and so a bit of a refresh is in order.

First of all, after Maxton having done such an excellent job on the suspension of my Mach 1 it seemed logical for them to have the forks of my Monster and so a few weeks and a chunk of cash later they were back and looking better than ever on the outside and all Maxton magic on the inside. Along with the forks my Nitron Sport rear shock deserved a service after ten years and so that is currently back with them for a refurb and as soon as it is back and I have some more to update I will post up further instalments of the refresh.

So we quite quickly went from this:



To this:



And got these along the way:

[Dirty]

Nice one, looking forward to this.

I've just realised what my garage is obviously missing. Surely no garage is complete without a hookah pipe

[Flip]

Originally Posted by Dirty

I've just realised what my garage is obviously missing. Surely no garage is complete without a hookah pipe

Well yes probably but you also need a Glitter Ball and some music to work by-

[Flip]

Got a few bits done yesterday,
Replaced a lot of the original corroded fixings that had not already been changed for stainless for fresh new ones and then got a nice new pair of Michelin Pilot 3's fitted onto my wheels which I had previously stripped and gave a proper clean up to along with the discs including painting the rear disc to match the fronts and remounting them using lovely Ti fixings which are cheaper than buying the originals from Ducati anyway-



New Afam sprocket +2 teeth fitted as well-



Lots more to follow this week as the parts mount up waiting to be fitted once my refurbished rear shock arrives back from Nitron

[Dirty]

Where did you get the Ti fixings and can you remember what size is needed?

[Flip]

Yes I dealt with a chap by the name of Derrick at DurhamDucs who gave a bit of a discount for a full set front and rear (18 bolts) after mentioning UKMOC.
Worth bearing in mind is that they are of the later Torx type dome heads rather than the original Allen low profile cap head should that be an issue for anyone but still in the correct M8x20mm size for most Monsters

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-DUCATI...item27c1e376b9

I plan to give a list at the end of this thread of all the people that I have used during this refresh who, in my opinion are worth dealing with and ordering from so that others doing similar work can at least contact for quotes and then make their own minds up etc.

[Dirty]

Thanks Flip

[Mr Gazza]

Oh goody another build thread.

Very nice and worthwhile work so far Flip, but ha ha you're busted.

Originally Posted by Dirty

Surely no garage is complete without a hookah pipe

[Flip]

My shock arrived back from Nitron today after having a full rebuild and service along with the damaged top section having been replaced free of charge due to the design having changed to correct the problem of it coming into contact of the top pivot. I have also gone up a weight on the spring as that was easier than me losing some so it is now Nitron's trademark Turquoise instead of the black I had previously.

In addition to this I have decided to pay homage to the 888 that was the original donor of the Monster frame and have painted the suspension hoop accordingly and fitted nice new rod end bearings from McGill Motorsport.

I think it will be a busy night in the garage tonight!!

[Darren69]

Wot no jack up kit?

[Flip]

Well yes I do, a couple of months back Rich (Louigi Moto) sent me a pair of his jack up spacers to try but with so many other changes going on with the bike during this refresh I think it best to stick with how I had the geometry set (for around the last fourteen years) until I have tried it properly.
To use the spacers would mean my new rod ends would need to be cut down as they only have room for 20mm of thread but raise the hoop to rod eye centre by a considerable amount more than the 32mm I was previously running it with. In addition to that I also have 20mm (four lines showing) of my forks pulled through the yoke and with those now fitted with Maxton internals I expect things to feel rather different to the choppy Marzocchi units they once were and as previously mentioned I have had a stiffer spring fitted to my freshly serviced rear shock as well.

Then there are new tyres (Pilot 3's) that I haven't used before, which in an ideal world I would have waited before fitting but because the old Pirellis had had it I didn't really have a choice with a MoT needed when I'm finished.





The main thing I know I can draw on despite these changes all at once is that after owning the bike for so long I know it pretty well plus I know how I want it to ride (which is a personal thing to all of us) along with my changes over the years being written down so I can re-trace my adjustments or even refit the original hoop with the old rods ends still in place if need be.

[utopia]

All sounds very sensible, Flip. I'd do the same.

I'm very interested to hear how you find the new Maxton fork set-up.
I've gradually become pretty convinced to go down the same route with my 750.
Its just a matter of time (time being money, that is).

Sounds like you have a very similar relationship with your Monster as I do with mine.
Except that yours has been over almost twice the number of years.

[Flip]

Originally Posted by utopia

Sounds like you have a very similar relationship with your Monster as I do with mine.
Except that yours has been over almost twice the number of years.

Yes I would say so- it is quite simply the most fun I have had on a motorcycle since I started riding thirty odd years ago. It was bought new at the end of 1997 by a mate I met in September '98 when we started our C&G courses at Merton college.

I was riding a GSX-R750WT back then but had loved the look of the Monster since they had come out but sports bikes were all the thing back then- I had tried a 996 around that time but didn't get on with compared with the Gix. However, when my mate said he was selling up to move abroad it was a fairly easy decision to buy it from him and it has just escalated from there really.

I did buy an S4 (another story there) with the idea of riding them back to back for a number of weeks to decide which to keep as on paper the S4 was much faster with more modern suspension, better build quality etc. etc. but there was just something about the old air cooled motor that captivated me and has done ever since.

The Monster has always shared garage space with a number of other bikes over the years but now it is an all Italian affair with my little racer, a P200E Vespa (which is work in progress) along with my little Ducati outboard boat motor.

[Flip]

Anyway back on track and a good couple of days playing with my spanners mean the brakes are clean with the corroded joining bolts have been replaced with the correct low profile cap head bolts in stainless steel and the fluid changed and bled. The forks are back on the bike and the front wheel is back in.



Next was to fit some Renthal Ultra Low handlebars in black to replace the original (well, factory recalled) silver alloy ones. A pair of individual clamps replace the original single one and a some gold DP bar ends complete the look.



Then onto some more shiny things- my new header pipes and freshly fully serviced Nitron shock.



Tonights' mission is to fit the suspension hoop, get the rear wheel in place and fit my new chain so it's off to the garage now......

[spacemonkey]

Can the bolts that join the caliper halves be changed without breaking any seals..?