ducatipaso.org

Iam looking at buying a paso at a local bike shop 750,what should i look for ?? its a low mileage one, has rattling clutch [normal?] and seems to blow some smoke from right hand cylinder ! i havent ridden it yet .I was looking for a 907ie ,but this one came along ,should i wait for a 907ie ?if they were a better machine ?any advice would be welcome thanks ! need to sneak something into the garage before the fiancee takes up permanent residence .Its the only bike i ever heard my mother comment on, when they first came out in the late 80s

hi desmoid ha ha i like your post let me be honest with you this bike is like a kinder suprise when it comes to certain things mainly flimsy bodywork the dash is held by two flimsy little rubber mounts mine broke and proceeded to ground all the time blowing fuses, the electrics are infamous as you can find out on this forum, so to the clutch mine ive just broke my control disc mushroom[pin.] wich is one part dont let them mix you up on this! or youll be so confused youll want to listen to james blunt records.Now to your humourous part either listen to mother or forget the bike and welcome your girlfriend in im sure her bodywork cant be as bad as the paso's. desmodave

Hi Desmoid,
I also have liked your thread.
In past I have had a 906 and now I have a 907 i.e.
So, I can tell the 907 is very very very better than the first Pasos.
The electrics of the 907 is a little bit better (always unreliable), but the fueling is very, very better.
The Weber carburetor of 750/906 is awful and many people has replaced it with the Dell'Orto or Mikuni units.
Besides, you have to think that the Paso 750/906 has 16" wheels (the tires are very difficult to find) and old rotors and calipers.
The 907 has 17" wheels (that you can find easily) and the same rotors and calipers that you can find on the most modern Ducks.
The engine parts will not be a problem because are quite the same of SS and Monster.
Some part is not more available and you will need buy used, but you are buying a 15/20 years old bike.
I would wait to find a 907 if it will be your only bike.
Wish.

Hey Desmoid,

Listen to the comments above but do not let them rule your decision. Yes the 907 should be a better bike than the 750 but don't be scared off by the Weber carb, they are sweet when you ride the bike on the roads it was made for. The 16 inch rims are limiting in tyre choice but there are alternatives with minor mods to guard clearance etc. I have never had trouble gettting the Michelins here in OZ. Not sure where you are though. Just remember it is a bike that is close to 20 years old. Don't expect it to be a new bike & just give her the love she needs. Your Girlfriend should love the Pillion (if you want her there).

Take the 750 for a ride & see if your heart overrules your head, everything else can be sorted with money & patience. Like you said, the most important thing is to have it in the shed when the Fiancee moves in.
I am a bit curious though, what were your mothers comments?

Desmoid,
I bought my 88 750 knowing that the Weber was crap going in. I had the Mikunis, Intake Manifolds an K&N filters the same day I bought the bike. Pulled the Weber and haven't looked back. I've had the bike 3 years and other than replacing the ignition coils have not had any problems. I feel that you must be a guy that can work on his own bike though to own a Paso. Not a full time mechanic, but if you don't think you are up to some of the things necessary to update these models you should probably look for a newer Ducati. Are you comfortable changing out the carbs with good instructions? Could you add the relay modifications for better starting? The instructions are posted here. Could you work on the clutch yourself if necessary? If these are not in your capabilities then you need a newer Duck. If you had to pay a Ducati dealer to perform the necessary mods then again, buy a newer Ducati. You could buy a 750 that has all of these mods completed, then of course the price goes up!
Doug

It depends on the price, mileage and condition. First of all I will tell you that once sorted properly, it's a bulletproof ride. I have toured on my 750 and plan on doing a SS1000 this year on it.

This is a 20 year old bike so it will be a labor of love. When a part fails it can be a real trial due to scarcity of parts. We have a great resource in this list and lots of parts show up on ebay.

Read thu the Tech FAQ at the top of this forum as it lists the top issues that we Paso owners have encountered.

Good luck, we are here to help.

hello everyone thanks for your replies ,iam from Australia and i have had a couple of guzzis and a gts900 ,so i am used to working on bikes .I liked the idea of a single carb ,pity the weber doesnt work ugghhh ! My mother was suprised !!!!!!!! when she saw the paso in a positive way ! so they must have some effect on women !! Its a wonder these bikes never caught on ??? maybe like the Vincent Black prince or knight which were enclosed too ,and which production stopped after 225 bikes were made ! But how much is one worth now ?will let you know what happens with the machine in question

I now have a 907 and a 750 and they are both different rides (although I haven't ridden the 750 for some time)
What I can say is that both bikes have an effect on me like no other has done. The comfort for me is similar to my old CBR1000 but with less back pain. The pegs are very high if you are tall but not uncomfortable. ALso the tank range is a revelation compared to a lot of modern bikes
Tyres seem to be relatively easy to get hold of for the 750 in the UK and they are more than capable for most riding. If you're into hard cornering then the 907ie with its more modern rubber choices may be better but the Michelins are ok to scrape the pegs (and the fairing if you really must.

How much they are worth varies from market to market in the UK 750's never sold well when new and that hasn't changed for secondhand bikes. They are available on ebay from £700 for a 750 and about £1000 for a 907 when they do come up.
If you have a degree of mechinical sympathy then these bikes are fine, they handle well enough and they both stop very well.
Spares can be an issue but Modern Ducati's have not really evolved very far and so there is a high degree of interchangeability.
Body parts can be hard to get but many breakers in the uk have bits of Paso on shelves and will let them go. I would guess this may be the same in Oz
(For what its worth to anyone reading this DK spares in Newcastle Under Lyme UK) have a few Paos bits on the shelf still.
The many and various quirks just add to the charm of the bike !

About the conditions of the paso you found, it's hard to make a diagnosis by e-mail, but I can say that my dukess 750 has no rattles in the clutch, while the 900s ralttels mutch more... it dependes of the project of the clutch, that is different... The smoke you saw is from the muffler or it's from the head of the cylinder? the exaust line is a 2 in 2 (like modern monster ) so it's hard to say witch cylinder is smoking, but I don't think this sould be such a big damage... If the smoke comes from the engine, it might be a oil leak falling in the eaxust pipes and blistering.
About the weber, i'm getting ready mi solutions to set it up... the engine is very powerful with a good setted weber than with a pair of mikunis or a pair of dellorto 36... Lucky people has dellorto 40 and a couple of good muffler, this makes the engine... :funny: and riding...

I second Jon and Pope's comments! You need to be willing to learn to work on a 750 Paso if want to buy one; most Ducati shops have no idea what they're doing with 'em. I have had several shops try to sell me parts for a 907 because they were too lazy to pull out the old style microfiche for the 750. And no, the parts were not interchangeable! (But the 907 parts fiche is so convenient, it's right there on the computer!)

A rattling clutch is normal, if the vented cover was installed. That was a common mod.

You should definitely find a good mechanic to look at the bike, and not the shop selling it! Unless you really trust 'em.

''Duca paso'' it smokes from the right hand exhaust ,i read on the net that they had soft valve guides, true ? i believe it has a rear ohlins shock ,and it is a foreign import, the speedo is in kilometres so i presume it is not an American import ,it has new tyres and has 20,000 klms on the odometer .the bike shop wants $4842.00us or 2581english pounds for it, or 6400 aus $ for it .its overall in good condition ..that price is on the road with 12 months road registration .still thinking about it, thanks for the help cheers !

you should need to ceck spark plugs: if one or both are dirty for burnst oil, you can be sure about oil loss, otherwise... maybe the exaust valve is spraying oil out of the giude, but this needs to uninstall the exaust line to see where the oil comes from.
If you find the tool, ceck the compression pressure and refer to the workshop manual

Now I know a little more of the Paso, I think at first I really look closely at the bodywork. Choose the bike with the best bodywork.
Because IF you could find a part to replace it will be the very expensive. All other "mechanical" parts are easier to find and with a little help of EBay cheaper.

If you or a friend of yours is handy. The mechanical part should not be a big problem. On this board you find much stuff to help you in this department.