Laid Up 900SS and new member!

discussion about the 750 Sport and '89/'90 900SS, which share many mechanicals with the Paso series
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HighRevs
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2017 1:39 pm
model: 900 SS
year: 1989
Location: Australia

Laid Up 900SS and new member!

Post by HighRevs »

Greetings all!

Long time reader, first time poster. The wealth of knowledge on here has already helped me bring my barely running '89 900SS to the state that I can take it out and enjoy it. But there are a few bugs I still need to sort out.

I guess I'll start with how I got my bike. A family friend had it as part of his collection which he originally got for his son to tidy up/work on but as so often the case with old bikes they both lost interest and it ended up becoming an aesthetic piece. I had expressed some interest in getting hold of a cheap older sports bike that I could tinker with. Fast forward past a few pictures sent to me and a bit of back and forth on what was wrong/price/etc and I was heading down to his farm to check it out. Even among the company it kept in that massive shed it still stood out and without ever turning it over (dead battery) or kicking a leg over we had negotiated on a price and it was mine.

A new battery with the largest CCA we could find got it running, but it clearly didn't like being started. Starting was a 5-7 minute ordeal with me questioning why on earth I decided to leave the safe reliable world of modern Japanese supersports and buy an old Duke. I eventually learnt her secrets and was able to get her started somewhat reliably in a bizarre sequence that also caused the rains to come.

Enough back story, cue me finding this site and the following fixes/mods!
Motolectric starter upgrade wiring - fixed my starting worries big time, not quite 'japanese' quick but I no longer feared that anything less than a freshly charged battery meant I wouldn't ride that day, would still have to do a rain dance with the choke and throttle if it was cold out though. Also cleaning and re-grounding fixed my battery drain issue.
Dynatek DC10-1 coils, Magnecor KV85 wires, new NGK plugs - I did these all at once and had a aluminum bracket made up to fit the dynatek coils, WOW! What a difference, first time starting and I swear before my thumb had reached the bottom it had started and was idling smoothly.
The other little things are - New fork tubes and rebuilt front forks, new indicators, good used indicator switchblock to replace my broken one, brand new rear caliper, rebuilt rear master cylinder, new sprockets and chain, new tyres, and assorted fluids and filters replaced.

I now am comfortable taking it out on rides but there are still a few things my googling, this amazing forum and assorted factory manuals haven't been able to help me diagnose/fix.

Problem 1: At a little lower than half a tank she coughs and splutters whenever you give her a bit of 'go' with the low fuel warning light flicking on and off. At normal steady throttle shes fine, but soon as you pull back on the throttle it's just like I'm running out of gas. First time this happened I figured "I need to get to a fuel station quick!" and thought nothing of it. Only after about 3-4 tanks of this I've realised I'm only putting about 10-11 litres of petrol in. I believe I might have something in the fuel line but thought I'd throw it out here to see if anyone has any ideas. She does run perfect with a full tank of gas, it's only once it drops to about 6-8 litres left that it acts like its running out of fuel.

Problem 2: Sporadic "clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk" when coming to a stop. This sound exactly like the chain is misaligned, but it does it only so often, not related to front or rear brake, and as far as I can measure, my rear wheel and chain geometry is goods. Alignment marks are even left to right, and my socket and wooden ruler didn't show a noticeable misalignment of the chain. Could be too loose? I measure it at around 2.5cm-2.8cm for slack.

In case it's somehow related my clutch slave is well on its way (squeak, squeak, squeak) and a replacement has been ordered and I should get it fitted next week sometime.

Thanks for reading and hopefully someone can help me diagnose the problems I've got so I can enjoy her more fully!

Hopefully I didn't bore you with a wall of text so I've attached some pictures.
Attachments
Coils on bracket with spade connector fitting I made up to keep original harness.
Coils on bracket with spade connector fitting I made up to keep original harness.
Coils.jpg (70.65 KiB) Viewed 10552 times
Single seat cowl fitted and useless mirrors removed.
Single seat cowl fitted and useless mirrors removed.
As of right now.jpg (74.09 KiB) Viewed 10552 times
When I first got her home.
When I first got her home.
Arrived Home.jpg (93.72 KiB) Viewed 10552 times
Mc tool
paso grand pooh-bah
Posts: 1875
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:35 am
model: 906 Paso
year: 1990
Location: Newzealand

Re: Laid Up 900SS and new member!

Post by Mc tool »

I would check that the fuel pump is working , like check for pressurised fuel leaving the pump ... don't just listen to hear it working ( if its electric ) and if its a vacuum diaphragm pump ( ah la monster ) check vacuum hose . Sounds like its relying on gravity to get fuel to flow and when tank is 1/2 empty fuel level in tank drops below fuel level in carb .
Does the clunk clunk happen in all gears ?.........chain not hitting on the centre stand ? or top of swing arm ? all chain rubbing blocks/ guides all present ? Probly pay to check that the rear sprocket is tight and the carrier bearing is OK
There is a clutch slave mod in the FAQ's using a later model slave piston assy , if your in the area its probly a good move
Bike looks good.
I wish I was young again............Id be heaps smarter than last time
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paso750
paso grand pooh-bah
Posts: 5558
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2004 12:00 am
model: 750 Paso
year: 1987
Location: southern Germany

Re: Laid Up 900SS and new member!

Post by paso750 »

Welcome to the forum. That's a clean looking 900SS. I like the bracket for the coils, too.
I assume you replaced the belts before starting the bike although that isn't mentioned. As for the ignition upgrades; as mentioned so often on this forum do still check the voltage at the coils. If there's (still) a voltage drop your upgardes won't be working at their full potential yet.

Your fuel problems sound like gravity feed to me as well but that can`t really be as the fuel pump is electric and inside the tank pumping the fuel upwards. (Unless the connection between pump and filter or filter and in-tank tubes are interrupted). Do check if it works and produces fuel pressure properly after draining half the tank. Check the fuel pumps' mesh filter and replace the fuel filter. Then check the fuel hoses for leaks and tight fit and that they are the correct ones for "in tank" use. If the bike was laid up for a longer while did you empty, flush and inspect the inside of the tank?
Are the hoses for tank breather and fuel return connected correctly or swapped?

Regarding the noise. Is the sprocket carrier sitting tight, are all sprocket carrier bolts and the sprocket nuts tight and is the conical spacer there and installed correctly with it`s wider side towards the swingarm?

The wsm mentions a chain slack of 15-20mm with a rider in the saddle.
If you ever remove the rear shock you can try. Lift the rear wheel until the wheel axle, swingarm pivot and drive shaft are in one straight line. In this position the drive shaft and wheel axle are the farthest apart. Adjust the chain so there is no slack (but there shouldn`t be tension either). If you then reinstall the shock you can measure the chain tension and will get the correct value. You can also measure the values with the bike on the center stand or someone sitting on it as future reference. Doing all this is unnecessary tho (unless you do modifications or a swingarm swap) as it will only confirm the factory values.
HIGHWAY89
paso grand pooh-bah
Posts: 637
Joined: Sat Jul 16, 2016 6:35 am
model: 900 SS
year: 1989
Location: Australia

Re: Laid Up 900SS and new member!

Post by HIGHWAY89 »

Hi mate i have the 89 900 as well, with magnetti ignition and interested in the dynatech coils, looking on ebay and they seem reasonably priced are all the DC10-1 COILS the same as some are advertised for certain models of bike , also do your coils bolt in the original bracket holes, sweet bike mate ,enjoy
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paso750
paso grand pooh-bah
Posts: 5558
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2004 12:00 am
model: 750 Paso
year: 1987
Location: southern Germany

Re: Laid Up 900SS and new member!

Post by paso750 »

are all the DC10-1 COILS the same
yes they are.
HIGHWAY89
paso grand pooh-bah
Posts: 637
Joined: Sat Jul 16, 2016 6:35 am
model: 900 SS
year: 1989
Location: Australia

Re: Laid Up 900SS and new member!

Post by HIGHWAY89 »

Thanks for that, i'd hate to purchase wrong ones and have the hasle of sending back and all
that, the dyna coils seem to get some good feedback
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ducinthebay
paso grand pooh-bah
Posts: 1323
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2005 12:00 am
model: 750 Sport
year: 1990
Location: SF Bay Area

Re: Laid Up 900SS and new member!

Post by ducinthebay »

Yes, certainly check the fuel pump function. One of those spigots on the tank is the return, one is the vent, and one is the tap from the pump. If the pump is not connected, or the hose is rotted away, you will only get about half a tank of mileage. You can not run that bike without a pump. If you haven't yet, replace those fuel lines in the tank. Mine were pretty ugly. The old hoses weren't meant for the additives that are in modern fuels. And use clamps intended for fuel injection hose, as they clamp more securely.

As far as that clunking noise when slowing down or a crawling speed, my 750 does the same thing. Never figured it out. Its something in the transmission, and has done it for years. I think one of the dogs is trying to engage, and just floating around.

Cheers, Phil
Duc in the Bay
1990 750 Sport x2-Rosso Blanko (900ss copy) & Nuovo Nudo (Scrambler project)
1991 907 -mostly stock
2002 ST4s - Lots of mods.
deswoodau
Posts: 53
Joined: Fri May 02, 2014 10:08 pm
model: 750 Sport
year: 1988
Location: Australia

Re: Laid Up 900SS and new member!

Post by deswoodau »

paso750 wrote:
are all the DC10-1 COILS the same
yes they are.
On ebay you also find DSK6-2. DSK6-2 is a whole ignition kit for Harleys consisting of two DC10-1 coils and some other bits. Some sellers offer the coils of this kit seperately for around USD28 ea. Although not correct they name them DSK6-2 coils.
Hi,

Would these coils be compliant for a 750 Sport too? Checked their compatibility lookup and they said no.

Brand: Stoltz
Part: DSK6-2 / DQG229A

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MotorKing-Ig ... SwcUBYJBZO

Thanks
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paso750
paso grand pooh-bah
Posts: 5558
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2004 12:00 am
model: 750 Paso
year: 1987
Location: southern Germany

Re: Laid Up 900SS and new member!

Post by paso750 »

If you have a Kokusan ignition (2 blackboxes) they will work. It doesn`t matter what bike the coils are for or from as long as they have 3-5 ohms primary resistance .
HighRevs
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2017 1:39 pm
model: 900 SS
year: 1989
Location: Australia

Re: Laid Up 900SS and new member!

Post by HighRevs »

Thanks for the tips and kind words everyone!

HIGHWAYMAN89 -
do your coils bolt in the original bracket holes
No they don't, in the picture of the coils you can see the bracket I had made up to fit them. The coils themselves are much longer. Mine cost me a case of beers through a fabricator I know at work. Any fabrication/machinist shop will have no trouble making a bracket though.

The coil kit ca cycleworks has will bolt to the original mounting brackets I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

Phil -
As far as that clunking noise when slowing down or a crawling speed, my 750 does the same thing. Never figured it out. Its something in the transmission, and has done it for years. I think one of the dogs is trying to engage, and just floating around.
Glad to know it's not just mine. You're right it definitely seems to be coming from the trans area somewhere. I have managed to starve it off (fingers crossed, only one ride since). When I did the clutch slave piston I screwed the lever adjustment much further than normal, just before the point I have no freeplay. No idea if it's this but I went for a long group ride the other Sunday and it didn't do it once. Also found it a lot easier to get it into neutral now.

The fuels level's still giving me grief. I do need to run a solution threw the tank to clean it up inside, was just hoping a new fuel filter, a few tanks of good fuel and a good flogging would clean it up but no dice. For the fuel outlet/return/breather I think I have it the right way :wacko: As you're sitting on the bike the rear with the petcock going into a Y hose, the other part of the Y hose goes on to the far right hand side outlet and the breather hose (which I have to replace, mines split) is on the more middle outlet.

I'll rip out the entire fuel pump system and check out the mesh filter on the fuel pump itself (the main filter has been replaced),replace fuel hoses/clean inside of tank and hope that fixes it.

And paso750 regarding the belts, the first ride few rides I had not replaced them! Luckily no bang! At the time I wasn't aware how dangerous/expensive it could have been, I was just enjoying it running and listening/feeling/watching for anything else I needed to fix. They have been replaced since (after I read the 750 FAQ's).
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