750S Brought back to Life

[q10115]

Thanks for establishing this centralized source of information for these unique machines. I brought mine back to functional use over the past week and would like to share with you all.

File upload function wasn't working right for me so I created a shareable link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/vaN9vDn7NHBAdFgP6

Enjoy!

I'll be poking around other parts of this website

Thanks,
Roger

[randtcastell]

Gorgeous. Resplendent. Excellent. Praises! Thank you.

[Tamburinifan]

Gorgeous, well done!

[Derek]

Nice. I see the bike has been fitted with USD forks and brakes from the later models. Should be a worthwhile improvement.

[Kmamac]

Very nice project. What forks did you use? I have got hold of some 17 inch wheels from a 600ss for my 750 sport. I may just go ahead with this mod initially. As posted elsewhere I think my only issue is machining a slice out of the original forks to get the speedo drive in. Again as previously posted the current 40mm marzzochis have had some internal work done by maxton. Not sure if this will just make them acceptable by modern standards and still some way off what the USD forks will offer or as good as the USD forks. Have you had a chance to gain an opinion on the USD forks
Best regards
Keith mm

[q10115]

Very nice project. What forks did you use? I have got hold of some 17 inch wheels from a 600ss for my 750 sport. I may just go ahead with this mod initially. As posted elsewhere I think my only issue is machining a slice out of the original forks to get the speedo drive in. Again as previously posted the current 40mm marzzochis have had some internal work done by maxton. Not sure if this will just make them acceptable by modern standards and still some way off what the USD forks will offer or as good as the USD forks. Have you had a chance to gain an opinion on the USD forks
Best regards
Keith mm

Keith,

The bike was a project by the PO that lost interest and wanted to get rid of it. Much of the cosmetics and mods were his. Lucky me?
The adjustable Showa forks came from a 900SS/M900 with the 40 mm caliper mounts. The matching triple tree was off an SS with 50/54 clamps. Wheels likely came from an SS with 120/60 front and 160/60 rear tires. I don't know which bike the swingarm came from but matches up to rear wheel, sprocket, and axle. The speedo drive internal gearing resulted in a higher speed shown than actual. I swapped internals from a spare working SS speedo with a cracked housing. Your M600 wheels may likely work with the 90's era Showas. Though using the Marzocchi would avoid searching for a triple tree. Once I set the sag and damping, the inverted Showas work very well. The modern suspension mod was the upgrade I appreciated the most because they are in high demand, especially among the SS community, making them tough to find. If you have trouble searching out a set, I would buy a pair of non-adjustable Showas (found on ebay for pretty cheap) and drop in an aftermarket cartridge kit.

The bike wasn't running when I got it and spent most of winter getting it to run right:
-Ignition had a weak spark due to a bad battery. I swapped the original coils and cables with the California Cycleworks type, along with a new battery to start fresh.
-Carburetors were running too lean and now set to where I think is good (or at least in the right direction).
-Charging system was tested to be bad (no change in voltage after 3,000 RPM). I put in an Electrosport regulator/rectifier.
-The front sprocket, while correct for a stock 750 Sport, was not correct for the SS rear sprocket. Also, the worn spline retainer didn't help. I had a spare front sprocket off a 996 with the same number of teeth and lined up straight with the rear sprocket. The retainer plate was also replaced

Getting all of the above sorted out and going out on an actual joy ride over the past few weeks has been immensely rewarding

I may not have a Paso, but a close cousin with some modern upgrades feels just as good!

-Roger

PS - A link to some pics I collected since Day 1

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dVciJTed54L1Rn447

[Kmamac]

Hi Roger,
Many thanks for your comprehensive reply. I think you have a very sweet bike there. All the benefits of a modern bike wrt suspension, brakes and rubber in a nice sounding package that will just beg to be thrashed. I must admit I have lost the joy of modern 150 bhp Ducati’s as I ultimately just love thrashing a bike to within an inch of its capabilities on a run on a sunny afternoon run. Something you just cannot do on a modern bike as before long you will be in a ditch or dead. Enjoy
Best regards
Keith mm
Ps I believe there is such a thing with aircraft called a flight envelope. I think something similar must exist for motorcycles. A spitfire (insert your own national treasure of a plane here) has a significantly smaller flight envelope than say a euro fighter (again insert your nations stupidly expensive airplane here). However, pilots wax lyrical about the utter joy of flying those old machines. I think the same is true with motorcycles. Good tyres brakes and suspension are clearly a great idea but you don’t have to stupidly high amounts of power to make an engaging machine. Rant over!

[O4PureH2o]

Magnificent. And I'm with you on thrashing these things. They are built for it and I love it.

[O4PureH2o]

Magnificent. And I'm with you on thrashing these things. They are built for it and I love it.

[q10115]

Keith, I agree as well. I find ripping up a "slow" or older bike more fun than a modern high powered machine. Other similar bikes are my 900SS and Moto Guzzi V7 Racer, both of which I love tearing through the rev range. Like the 750S, they both have adjustable suspension matched to my weight. Pure enjoyment.

[q10115]

I also think many riders on this forum have a bigger appreciation of the older stuff over modern machines, and happy such a place exists. I first saw the Paso in a black and white photo as part of modern Ducati history. That Paso, the 90's SS, and variants in between are what I see as classic Ducati.

[q10115]

Some pics I collected since Day 1

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dVciJTed54L1Rn447

[HIGHWAY89]

Yes mate that is one awesome bike you have, you've got what started life as a real contender and turned it into an absolute winner,inspiring others along your way ,thanks for sharing and inspiring

[Kmamac]

Better to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow!

[koko64]

Great job and excellent update interpretation of the style.

I note that it has Mikuni TM carbs. Are they TM36 or 38's and are you happy with them? What jetting did you have to run with pod filters?
I am thinking about putting a kit together for 750 and 900 desmos as an alternative to the very expensive Keihin FCRs.