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help.........

Posted: Tue Nov 23, 2004 7:52 pm
by havoc
I have a 87 paso , it has sat for over eight years .it has, from what i can gather after market carbs , being flat sided mikunis and staintune exhausts .
i cannot find aircleaners , oilfilters , it is showing 15000 miles do i need to have the valve belt changed out ?
and what of tyres ? are my only options the m59x and a59x ?
i have owned norton commandos for years , this is my first duck .
any imput much appreciated . CSH

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 2:14 am
by bauhaus
I would repalce the belts first off. No telling the condition after 8 years. They may be dry and brittle ready to break. You don't want to do a valve job unless you need to. Trust me on this.

I have Mikunis on mine and use K&N filters. I clean and reuse them. I don't know the part number. Should be easy to find something that will work if you know the OD of the filter side of the carb. And you want them to have an offset. they will hit the other cylinder if there isn't a slight angle on the mounting flange.

If I remember correctly, it use the same size oil filter as my 750 Monster.

Since you spelled tyres with a Y you might try Stuart at Spareshack in the UK. He is more about Monsters, but has been able to get me parts easier and faster then Ducati USA. If that assumption is wrong, sorry.

Bill

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 2:44 pm
by pope
Hi your post sounded familiar. I also had Nortons and the Paso I bought 3 years ago was my first Duc. It was also a fixer upper.
Here's my advice:
1. Change the belts, check the valve clearance, change oil and filter. K&N makes a replacement filter part# KN-153. The valves are not much more difficult than a Commando, but you have to check the closing clearance go to http://www.ducatigarage.com for an explanation on how to do it or take it to a Ducati dealer. Coming from Brit bikes be ready for sticker shock on service costs.
2. Keep the Mikunis, they are FAR better than the original Weber. I converted mine to Mikuni and highly recommend it.
3. The Michelins are the only 16" tires that are readily available. Go with them for your first year or at least your first 3500 miles. There is a conversion to 17" wheels that can be done. It takes a bit of work and money to pull off. It depends on your riding style etc. My opinion on this is, if you really are concerned with the extra speed etc the 17s will give you, buy a new 999 and it will solve itself.
4. The electrics are the weak part of this bike, nowhere near as bad as an old Commando though. There are several upgrades I'd recommend: new coils, relay mod for the keyswitch and lights.
5. Parts become available on EBAY, you just need to watch it. Body work is expensive and hard to find especially LH mirrors. If yours is in good shape treat it like gold, it is worth about $250-300.

Finally, I like my Paso more than any of the Commandos that I had. I ride it more and it always turns heads. My only disappointment is that I notice that, unlike Nortons where a basketcase would be resurrected to make a good bike, I witness many good fully functional Pasos dismantled for parts. Generally, they are worth more in pieces than whole.

If you need any other help that I might be able to help with, send me a message. There are some other guys that are much more familiar with these bikes and Ducatis than I am, but since I thought our experience would be similar I thought I'd send you a reply, good luck. Are you in the States?

Doug