I am new to this forum, and fairly new to the Ducati world. Last summer I purchased a '02 900 that has about 4500 miles on it (I love that bike). I have ridden and raced motocross and harescrambles for many years. During that time I have always done all my own maintenance and repairs. I am mechanically sound, and no stranger to on and off-road bikes.
That being said, I have a rear brake lock-up issue which I can not resolve. I have ridden the bike thus far using front brake only. I have researched the forums and read everything I can find about rear brake issues, but none address my problem.
The first thing that I checked when I got the bike was pedal adjustment and freeplay. The calipers, pistons and pads are smooth clean and move freely. The will bleed properly all the way back to the master cylinder. The master cylinder is clean, orifices open, seals good, and seems to be assembled correctly. It will not, however, let fluid pressure bleed back after pressure is applied. When assembled the c-clip that holds the plunger in will not allow it to back out enough for the seal to clear the opening from the reservoir. [bang]
Any help and/or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
replace it. they are dirt cheap in the land of ducati parts. there are but a few items to look out for:
Piston Size:
OEM is 11mm, there's a Brembo 13mm version that's really no more money if you want "more" rear braking ability.
Banjo Fitting Location:
The Monster 900's I have had the bleed on the "end" of the master, opposite the plunger. There are also versions that have it next to the bleeder, on the side of the master with respect to the plunger. If you pick up the version unlike yours, you may have difficulty getting your brake line to cooperate and could require getting a new brake line with different fitting... SO get the right one the first time out.
Color:
They come in black, gold, and silver. If you are using the OEM M900 rearsets, you only see a little bit of it, but there's really no price difference, so get what makes you happy and has the two above features you desire.
Sources: Motowheels, Yoyodyne, QTM Inc., or any Ducati Dealer.
Yup, master is cooked.
Thanks so much for your input.
You are right about the cost of the master cylinder. Parts can be so expensive that it never really occurred to me to just replace it. New master to be ordered tonight.