m900

[al@sktc]

so after spending more than i thought on my 1999 m750 i decided to look for a 900 motor. any tips on what to look for, specific years ect. would be appreciated. thanks.

[truckinduc]

V2 heads. Its stamped in them.  The earlier motors were more powerful I believe. Head and cam specs.

Please correct me if im wrong.

[junior varsity]

Yes, the V heads (marked V2/V3 as an example) have larger valves than the W heads.

99 was the last year of the carburettor. it was also the first year of the bigger alternator.

You want to get one with aluminum swingarm (pretty typical - has spools which is a good way to check, that or a magnet) and you also want one with 3 way adjustible showa forks (if not fancier forks than that).

boge-sucks shock sucks. but really, only because the upgrades are reasonable and worthwhile.

If it comes with a tachometer, that's a bonus. Analog tachometer that is. I know there was a LED style DP tachometer, but it blows in comparison to the DP analog setup. If the gauge housing with analog tach is billet alu instead of cf, its a roadracing (now defunct) set up, and its a hot-ticket item.

Check for oil leaks around the crankcase breather, and for hydraulic fluid leaks around the clutch slave cylinder. The slave is frequently upgraded for this reason, that and aftermarket ones look trick and reduce lever effort.

I haven't updated my blog in a month of sundays. but you might want to browse it, quickly, to see what if any issues i've had. my experience with my M900 has been very positive.

Pre-2000 900's have a different style sidestand than 2000+ models. That appears to be the only different in regards to rearsets. I'll be able to verify this within two weeks. You can change to a new style (a la 2000+ bikes, including 695) sidestand by simply ordering one and buying an extra bolt at your local bolt store. May or may not work with stock rearsets because I don't have them anymore.

[al@sktc]

thanks for the detailed reply! that really helps out.

[junior varsity]

If you can get a carb'd 900 motor, you won't have any problems changing things over regarding your fuel system.

For maximum wow, put on 41mm Keihin FCR carbs.

I mentioned the sidestand because it bolts to the case, just like on your 750.

[junior varsity]

I almost forgot: DynaCoils. Its made a big difference. This needs to be on the list when you are putting your bike together.

[truckinduc]

I run dynacoils, good wires, I lightened my flywheel, airbox mods, pipe and a tune and it feels like a completely different motor. Hopefully I can grab some FCR's at some point to further increase the awesomeness.

[junior varsity]

I've done the lightened flywheel and lightweight clutch (basket/hub/plates/pressure plate, etc) as well. Really helps the feel of the motor, because it runs up and down so quickly - like a smaller engine, yet makes more power.

[al@sktc]

i am going to look at a 99 m900 that is being sold for parts tonight. i was told "slight" front end damage. i will let you know.

[junior varsity]

99's a great year (i'm partial to it at least, its what my bike is).

So for the motor, you want to look at the side of the heads, opposite the belts - where you the cam end cover is. It'll have a slight engraving that either says V or W, it should be V, but the Monster was a parts bin special back in the day. You want V.

Check for leaks around alternator side case cover. Not the little puller thing, that's just an o-ring keeping oil in, and is a cheap fix. But check down around the oil sump where there's all the M6 bolts. Look for crash/rash damage to that cover, as well as acid drips from battery on that side, and clutch fluid leak from clutch slave. Its a busy side, if you ask me, because its the side where the sidestand attaches, and lots of fluids can leak out onto (gas, battery acid, oil, hydraulic fluid).

The right side is less adventurous. If its on a crashed bike, you might do well to take a set of allens with you, so you can pull of the clutch cover (4 bolts. there's 6, but two don't actually hold the stock clutch cover on) and generally inspect the clutch. Without more work, you won't really be able to investigate the life left in the clutch, but how much dust is in there might give you 'some' clues. (hint: a lot of dust isn't abnormal. its a dry clutch with nowhere for the dust to go).  Again, look for crash damage to the actual case, but you can replace that side cover for really cheap. Crazy cheap. You can send it off to be "corse-style" slotted if you desire. You can replace it with the new SpeedyMoto billet piece. Etcetera.

Check out the battery box / airbox area and look at the coils. Little black ones were standard issue. You want big honkin' green ones (DynaCoils).

Examine the voodoo that is the carburettor but know that realistically for your application, its going to end up needing to be rejetted, or will be chucked for an FCR setup etc anyhow.

There are some parts on that bike that you might want to frankenstein and save for yours anyways. Like perhaps a tank that's in better condition or perhaps has a fixable ding that could be sent off for repair / repaint and not keep you from riding with your current. Or a 'track-day' tank, etc.

Compare its brake rotors / calipers to yours. I think they are the same, but don't recall whether the 750's had dual or single. With front end damage, likely the front wheel, forks and frame are make the beast with two backsed, even if only 'slightly' damaged. But the brake discs and calipers and the bolts that hold them to wheel and forks are probably scratch free. Maybe with free dirt clods, but no damage.

If there's no damage to the rear of the bike, take a gander at its swingarm, and compare it to yours and make sure everything looks the same. If yours is steel and his is aluminum (with spools) its a nice upgrade. But again, you'll want to make sure the wheels and whatnot are going to be ok. No sense upgrading a part only to find that you'll need a crazy bunch of extra stuff. I think it may be a direct swap. There's a whole lot of overlap in the two models. Especially with Older Ducatis. The new ones change up lots of bits for SSS vs. DSS and all that. Not so on the older bikes.