ducatipaso.org

Hi,
I am new to the forum. I bought a 1990 907ie this weekend. Been riding Ducati's since '88, but this is my first "paso". I love the styling and it probably has the best seating position (for me) of all Ducati's. (bit of back trouble)
Anyway, I was happy with the bike, but I could not do a good test drive because it was unregistered and uninsured. It had been standing a long time (years) but appeared to be running OK.
On my first real ride (about 10km) two things happened; discovered that throttle response anywhere over 1/4 throttle was nil, and that got worse until I could barely keep it it running. Feels like it is not getting fuel. (plugs look dry, sparks look OK) Prev owner did mention he had replaced or repaired the fuel pomp, so I got a place to start the search for a cure.

The other thing has me worried more, oil level was ok when I left, but afterwards, oil in the sight glass had gone to butter, initially I thought condensation, but after a few hrs it was still butter, no level movement at all in the sight glass. Poked around with a rod in the filler and it came back with butter on it. Also the level in the coolant tank had gone down about 1 cm (I checked and marked it before the ride). I don't dare thinking, but is it possible that coolant is leaking into the engine via the pump shaft or cylinder base? Has anyone seen that happen? Have not had time, but I will drain the oil tonight and check what comes out.
Sorry for the long first post, any info on water in oil appreciated.
cheers J

That doesn`t sound like a good first Paso experience. Condensation would be one possibility if the oil in the sightglass became milky. Another one could be too much oil in the engine in which case the crankshaft would hit the oil and stir it.
While it is a possibility that you have a coolant leak there should be some other signs like smoke from the exhaust and you should also see an oily film if looking into the coolant tank.
If it is a coolant leak let`s hope the engine wasn`t run too long with it.
The coolant level can go down a bit if there`s air in the system. That`s not necessarily meaning it`s leaking anywhere.

You say it was standing still for years. Did you just get on it an go for a ride? Hopefully not. Belts, filters etc would need to be changed first.

Sorry for the long first post

Long posts are good. The better the description the less guessing there will be.

Congratulations on your 907ie purchase.
The poor throttle response is most likely a fuel problem. Fuel pump or more likely fuel filter. I'm not sure about the 907ie but on some Ducati models if the hoses from the tank are reversed the fuel pressure is too low and it won't run right. Although, since the bike has stood a long time it may be due to some other cause.
If there is a leak I'm fairly sure that it's not possible for water to leak from the cylinder base, there are no water passages down there. I'd say the water pump shaft is the most likely cause of coolant leaking into the crankcase.
It may be an idea to change oil & filter first and see how it goes from there and, as Paso750 says, it will certainly need new belts.

Drained the oil, cleaned strainer and replaced the filter. The oil was in a bad state, but no free water. So i am hoping that the emulsion was just from condensation. Plan to run the engine until hot and then replace oil and filter again. I wil also modify the breather,to include a free water separator, i think all ducatis need that to prevent gunge forming. In the stock system water from the breather runs strait back down in the engine. In the mean time i discovered a ruptured hose in the tank. Probably they didnt use in tank quality hoses between pump and filter, they have gone soft. So i am a bit more optimistic i will have a running 907 this weekend.
Btw, the rubbers that hold the side pannels on the tank, are they available for sale?
Cheers J

Hi All,
After replacing the in tank hoses the bike runs OK. Idles OK, throttle response and running under load is good. Only issue is and part throttle (around town) it runs a bit rough. Misfires and rumbles in the pipes.
Not sure where to start, plugs? coils? any good idea's?
Cheers J