need help troubleshooting my 907ie

[beekeeper]

I bought a 907 that had been sitting. I went thru the entire thing except the inners.
Finally I got all the old varnished gas out of the fuel system.
fired right up & ran strong on the stand. when I rode it up the street, if died when I let off the throttle. after another cleaning it ran good! up & down the street GREAT!
the next morning I took it for a lil ride. 1/4 mile out 7 on the way home I stoped for a 12 pack. I started it & drove off(kickstand was down) It popped & lurched a bit. I stopped @ the road to wait for traffic,it died, I kicked up the stand & tried to start it again. it popped & vaporized gas puffed out of the intake/airbox. It also made a sound like(on a car)the flywheel or starter gear teeth had broken off. it catches for a split second then spins out with a CLUNK!
I removed the starter & tested it, good!
checked the teeth, clean. so I replaced it & the cover.
since it was open I checked the valves, all good except the hrozontal cyl exhaust has NO play @ all!
I pulled the plugs & shifted it into 6th gear, so I could turn the engine easily. now, it won't shift all the way down to 1st & it seems to be in neutral between shifts(wheel lock), the neutral light don't come on now either.

Anyone have any ideas?

I pulled the clutch cover & the spring loaded pressure plate, its rod has 2 rubber rings that are flat...???? wondering if they have anything to do with it, clanking.... ??? while accessing the starter, I noticed that the kickstand sensor wire was broken... I soldered it back on...??? cut off switch???
Wondering if when I spun the starter gear round to access the bolt holes , if I some how threw off the gearing...? or shifter?

I'm not a novice to motorcycle repair, I worked @ a Ducati dealership as a mechanic & have had several other bikes I worked on myself. With that said, I relied on the owner to diagnose symptoms I could not or direct me to the section of the repair "bible".
He retired & I can't find a dealership who will take a look @ it, saying they don't repair anything before 1998... (WHAT?)
My manual is like 150 pages with 1 paragraph of English on each page, USELESS! Is there a "Chilton" manual for the 907?
I've been working on "my baby" for a year now, buying & replacing parts as I found them. She sure purred nice, until I went on that ride, now all she says is CLUNK...whizzzzzz, clunk & won't shift.
I just want to ride her... ONCE!(well, ride her alot...)

Anyone have any ideas? Know of someone who WILL work on her here in So California? Much more of this & I will ride/push(i wish ride)
her off a cliff or use her for target practice!

@ my whits end

Regards,
Jay
socalbeekeeper@yahoo.com

[Jaffa]

Hi there,

This sounds like a stater sprag problem to me, not uncommon just a pain in the butt.

There a number of posts in this forum that will help you. I had exactly the same problem about 8 months ago. Found it easier to have it changed by someone that knew a lot more about it and had access to a far greater range of tools than I did.

You have come to the right place to ask though as this is the best 907/Paso forum on the net.

Just one of lifes little frustrations.

[93IE]

Wow, this is like a bad dream. I had the exact same thing happen to me last month. The exhaust valve tightened up on the vert. cylinder. I presume there was carbon under it that must have come out, not sure, but any way the engine died. When I tried to restart, it backfired through the air box, and there went the starter. It actually destroyed the starter sprag. I adjusted the valve, ( others were ok ), found a sprag on ebay that was for a 916, and bought it. Everything is alright now, and the bike runs fine. Maybe you'll be lucky and it will only be the spring on the sprag.

Let us know what you find. Actually the sprag is not difficult to replace, just a little time consuming. About 2 or 3 hours start to finish.

Preston

[davo]

I`m going to ask a stupid question everyone, what`s a `sprag`?

I`ve herd the term used before and wondered.

[higgy]

Sprag is a type of bearing acts like a one way clutch, spins free in one direction and engages in the other
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprag

[paso750]

http://www.mad-ducati.com/Technical/Sta ... lutch.html

G.

[93IE]

Jay,
Don't give up yet. The bike I purchased was probably in worse shape than yours mechanically. I had to replace most of the fuel system, and have the injectors rebuilt. Then had charging problems and replaced the regulator and had the stator rewound. Next were starter problems with the sprag. I replaced that, did the valve adjustment, checked the electrical from one end to the other. Finished it all 2 weeks ago, and decided to take a ride this morning. With cell phone in hand, I took a leap of faith and rode a little over 300 miles today. No problems.

It's a great bike, and not Ducatis fault that some previous owner chose to let it go sh_t. I just wish parts were easier to find for it. I had a 750 Commando that I recently sold and parts were more readily available for it than for the Duc. I guess it's not just a ride, it's a hobby. Ya gotta love it.

Let me know if I can help.

Preston

[jcslocum]

It really sounds like your srpag is shot. There is a buch of info in the 750 forum FAQ at the top of the page. All of the bikes use the same sprag so the info there will help you.

All you have to do is yank the left cover and pull the flywheel. Inspect the "roller" for flat spots and if it's worn you need a new (used) one. If the roolers look good with no float spots or scoring, you can try to shorten the spring to make it clamp better.

[beekeeper]

I haven't given up, just frustrated. I have gone thru it with a fine tooth comb, several times.
I'm kicking my self in the abacus, as some guy was parting out one on e-bay, CHEAP!
I knew that it was a project bike when I bought it for $2000.
The 907ie has been my dream bike since I was in high school.
I have looked @ buying a different model, but none satisfy me.. well mabe the 916...lol
Whats the Gratefull Dead song???? "More a b-tch than a machine" is the line.
Some days she loves me, others I If it was a real woman, she would have been sent on the toenail express long ago. LOL

I'm wondering if the sprag is causing the shifting problem? Or did I miss the position of the shifter on the spindle? I keep mentally masterbaiting myself, trying to figure that one out as well. where can I find the tank sticker? It has bubbled in one spot. Think the kids were in my shop &.... I wondered why the lawn was cut, car washed & bedrooms cleaned, but no one knows anything... LOL kids
I went out to the bike today & moved it out onto the driveway. Disconnected the battery, pulled the tank & so on. I came back out after lunch & herd funky sounds coming from the ECU. The box was hot as it had sat in the sun for an hour. Is there some kind of resistor or thermal thingi in it? With the battery disconnected, making sounds?

I was up to 3am the other night reading the ZILLION posts
OMG it went on forever... lol

Thankx for the direct help, I'm tearing it down in the morning

Regards!

[93IE]

If you see something is not right don't just fix that, but everything associated with it. I learned that on mine, and am now trouble free for the time being. I'll bet the strainer at the base of the fuel pump is either full of crap or coming apart as mine was, if your bike came with old gas in it.

http://www.euromotoelectrics.com/produc ... %20kit.htm

You can buy the fuel pump from Napa, but the strainer and mount is available here. I replaced the entire fuel system and had the injectors rebuilt. Stripped the inside of the tank and coated with POR15. if that strainer is bad, the next thing that will go is the fuel pump.

Good luck,
Preston

[Laddie907]

I'd like to get a strainer...
Mine was damaged when I last replaced the pump; the new pump didn't come with a filter.
I used a cotton sock as a pre-filter but worry that it will eventually stretch and get sucked into the pump intake...

can you let me know the place that sells the filter/strainers so I can get one...???
the de-gassator hose also connects to this...mine is not currently doing anything,,,

[beekeeper]

For the record.

The fuel pump can be replaced with one from a chevy caviler $60.
fits the basket & rubber fastener prefectly! the intake is a lil different tho

[93IE]

I bought mine here. It was identical as to the one that came out.

http://www.euromotoelectrics.com/produc ... %20kit.htm

Preston

[samandkimberly]

the next morning I took it for a lil ride. 1/4 mile out 7 on the way home I stoped for a 12 pack

Clearly this is your first problem. Either you're drinking too much, or you're drinking cheap beer before you ride. If you're gonna stop for a drink, make it a few quality beers, like Moretti, or better yet, a bottle of good Barolo.

since it was open I checked the valves, all good except the hrozontal cyl exhaust has NO play @ all!

Probably you're exhaust valve is leaking, causing backfiring on startup, which helped cause the normally weak starter sprag clutch to fail. This, incidentally is exactly what was wrong with the 907 I bought last year, and I've heard this story before that.

I pulled the plugs & shifted it into 6th gear, so I could turn the engine easily. now, it won't shift all the way down to 1st & it seems to be in neutral between shifts(wheel lock), the neutral light don't come on now either

Bikes don't generally shift very well when the engine isn't running. if the bike shifter OK when you rode it I'd ignore these issues until you have the bike running again.


I think someone else already posted the link to the trick about shortening the little spring in the sprag clutch; I'll bet that works fine for you. What I'd be more concerned about is the exhaust valve. You need to check to see if the valve has any side play - you can feel this by wiggling the valve stem around with the opening collet removed. Unfortunately, the Ducatis of this era are known to have problems with prematurely wearing valve guides, and this might be your problem. If it is, you have an expensive job in front of you.

Don't be too daunted - this is worst case; perhaps your valves just need adjusting. And even if you have worn guides - the bike is worth the trouble to fix. :-)



Sam

[93IE]

Like Sam said, check the valve guide, adjust the valve, replace the spring on the sprag or the sprag itself, and go for a ride. I've put 430 miles on mine in the past 2 days with out an issue. It's just to damn hot to ride during the day right now.
Preston