ducatipaso.org

Hello there!
Name is Tony, i'm in Northants UK, a couple of years ago I bought a complete but non working 906, the history of the bike is that it was used as a summer toy for 5 years, garaged and pampered, then a friend of mine bought it but his wife didnt allow him to ride it, so it sat in garage for a further few years, unpampered, he tried to start it by jump leads from his car and fried the ECU/Marelli unit. He sold the bike to me and it has sat in my dining room for 2 years while i finished other projects. It only has 20,000 on the clock so barely run in, I have bought 2 replacement marelli units as they became available on the yahoo 'lists' from a prominent member so I hope theyre ok.

anyway, now its time to resurrect the machine as my winter project, it really is in ace cosmetic condition with no scratches other than minor ones on the mirrors, bike is complete though has had its centre stand removed to accommodate different exhaust system.

I've bought a factory manual. However I have some questions.

Is it likely the reg/rec got fried at same time as the marelli unit? if so would i destroy the new units by trying to start it with faulty reg/rec?

The brakes are seized, and the discs are a lovely shade of rust!! are they easy to work on yourself, i've worked on other bikes and have no trouble replacing seals etc, but never had completely seized units! Is the only place to get spares from Ducati dealers?

I was told the bike was well looked after and had new belts not long before being laid up, however they must be 10 years old by now, how much are they to replace and is it a job easilly done?

I've just noticed the last tax disc on the bike is 1996, so bearing in mind that it hasnt run since then or 95, what else would you recommend I do before attempting to start?

I apologise for such a long first post, but i think the bike warrants correct treatment and though i've worked on many bikes, nothing as desirable as this! I'd like to avoid as many pitfalls as possible.

Looking through the posts here I see you are a knowledgeable bunch, helpful as well, hopefully you can help me get another paso back where it needs to be .... on the road!

Tony

Welcome in this forum
The advices I can give you are quite the same concerning all bikes.
The only good advice is to change immediately the timing belts.
There need to be changed every 2 years or 12.000 miles (20.000 km).
It's quite easy to change it, but you need a special tool to rotate the crankshaft, even if you also could try rotating the rear wheel.
I'm not an electrics expert but I don't think you can burn the regulator. Really, I have sometimes started the bike jumping with my car, but I have never had any problem.
Good luck.

also clean out the carburator/s as the fuel will have dried up and caused blockages ,and it is a good idea to remove the spark plugs and squirt some redex or similar penetrating oil down the cyclinders and turn the motor over (without the ignition on) after leaving it in there for a few days to lubricate the bore ,then change the oil after that to free up the pistons and rings.
good luck

Rodney

If bike have been "stored" sooo long time without turning engine, U have plenty of work to do:

1. Change all filters(fuel, oil, air)
2. Change all oils(engine and front suspension)
3. Change belts
4. Change tires
5. Check Valve clearances
6. Change spark plugs
7. Check all connectors and erthing points
8. Buy new battery
9. Clean carburetor
10. etc....

If You lost your regulator, You can lost also battery and also ECU(if regulator gives too much voltage to ECU!!!), surely charging system alternator(inside left cover) can "blow out", if Your regulator have problems....Btw, that alternator coast double to regulator...

I dont want to make harm to You by saying these things, but anyway Your bike needs TOTALLY big maintain to get all ok. I would be very carefull to start such bike after long time. Remember, if You lost belts, when engine is running, You have very expensive valve job then....

Hello again.
Many thanks for the replies, apologies for taking so long to acknowledge them, one more question, do you buy the belts from a Ducati dealer (I think the nearest to me is at the Silverstone circuit) or are they available online? if so what is a reasonable price? ... thanks again ... Tony

The belts are usually cheaper online here in the USA. But buying from a dealer isn't such a bad thing if you will need to buy a lot of parts over time.

I think you r regulator is probably OK but it can be changed once you get it running and have the opportunity to test it.