Ducati 900SS - Valve Maintenance (Part 1)

Checking the valve clearances, changing the cam belts and valve guide seals on my '96 900 Super Sport

[donjohnson]

A couple (well, 3 things) of things I do to make the whole task easier and more accurate:
(1) I like to lay the opener and closer shims out on a piece of paper and take good notes that are marked RIGHT THERE by the parts so I can keep everything straight....especially nice info to have if anyone comes in and interrupts you!.
(2) If anyone comes into the shop and interrupts me while I am in the middle of all this, I RUN THEM OFF so I have NO distractions., as I KNOW how easily I can get this all mixed up!
(3) I don't care WHAT the shims are marked as or what the package (if any) says...i ALWAYS measure them all with a MIC to be ABSOLUTELY SURE that I'm attempting to use the right have found that often the marking bears no resemblance to reality!! (and DON'T even ASK me how I found THAT out!! LOL!!)

[peteyoung]

"Well it looks straightforward but I guarantee it wont be". There, ladies and gentlemen, is the entire philosophy of working on old Ducatis encapsulated in less than 80 characters. Priceless.

[davefish]

Awesome, thank you Andy. Have just bought a very straight and original 1995 900SS with 16, 500 miles. Love her much already : ) after a break of 25 years without a bike. Your explanations and experience are gold. I won't be doing this depth of maintentance work on her, will leave it to a local expert, but it's great to have an appreciation of what's involved. Thank you, Dave

[roonstar]

I've been watching as many of these Ducati videos as I can find as I'll be tackling valve checks over winter on mine. This is by far the best Ducati Desmodue valve work video I've seen so far in both quality and instruction. Looking forward to part 2.

[hdrk]

I'll admit I was sceptical about visiting this site for the first time ...as I do watch Del Boy as well but have to admit I'm truly impressed . Well done and I'm a new subscriber now.

[LS-ohkv]

Very helpful. Doesn't look easy, but doesn't look hard. Just bought a Ducati 900 monster from 95, (naked bike version of your bike) and people kept telling me I'll be spending thousands for a simple bit of maintenance. I call bologna! I can do this myself. Thanks for the helpful videos!

[konny]

What a great trick for turning the crank! Will try and do the same once i have my project here!

[jennylloyd]

Much appreciated, learning a lot from you. You are a talented engineer Sir.

[pacman]

Andy, I like the wooden device you made to jack up the engine.  Nice!!!

[mikeskidmore]

I have not worked much on motorcycles for years .. but I am going to save my car jacks for sure never thought about using them

[Nowherenotime]

Plastic tools are a plus, buy and or make . Metal screw driver or pick will cut a seal . I used valve stem seals from Felpro Gaskets . Stem Dia. - seal seat dia.on head - hight of seal , give them a call and their tech dept will be glad to help .
Long lasting and able to withstand high temps.

[harriedeboer]

Hallo Andy, good stuff for mij SS900 1993.I'm not ready with you yet.Thank you for the time being.Unill later.. ! I'll tell you

[nigelren]

To turn the crank.
Remove the spark plugs, put it in 2nd gear, and turn the back wheel.

[cheezwiz]

Great video, I wish this was around when I did the first valve job on mine

[tylerleavitt]

My condolences mate…
T. 2005 800SS Owner

[custardslastcake]

to stop the valve dropping to far into the cylinder insert a piece of old ht lead into spark plug hole

[leeengelsman]

To stop the valve from dropping into the cylinder you could fill the cylinder with air from a compressors and keep it at constant pressure.

[Nowherenotime]

Buy a Light mate .
Feel your struggle, engineers care more about production issue rather than maintenance .
FYI Sir
Don't forget to do a visual inspection on your clutch and clutch basket (known wear area, steel plates rattling on a aluminum basket)

[redtobertshateshandles]

My big bros mates had airheads. They were bevels but they always discussed shimming.

[roythearcher]

And I thought my Triumph was a pain to get to the plugs and shims,
you need the seat and rear fairing off to get the Tank off, then dismantle the airbox but at least I don't have to dismantle the rear suspension or remove the battery+box to do it!
And, what were they thinking when they came up with that valve design?? far too much metalwork there, It's no wonder they go wrong!