Pre-'97 Monster shared parts (750/900)

[fasterdammit]

I'm curious if anyone has any resources for parts listings on 1997 and older m750s and m900s?  That'd be ideal, because then I can do all my own research, without having to a million questions.   I know Ducati Omaha has online parts lookup - but not for anything that old. 

In a nutshell, I have a '97 m750 w/ ~55k on it, and I think I've just lost the clutch slave.  I have the opportunity to pick up a running m900 (unsure of year, but it's Cagiva-era/pre-98, judging by the logos) motor & transmission which only needs a new head, and a starter.  I'm guessing it's the same starter on both bikes, but would like to confirm.  Also, one of the heads doesn't hold compression on the m900, so I wonder if I can't swap heads off my m750 as well.  I'm pretty sure the mounting points are the same, but that's easy enough to measure up to confirm.

For cheap money, this would "fix" my clutch issue on my m750, give me a ~150cc displacement bump, another gear in the transmission and a dry clutch. It just depends if the parts are going to play nicely ...

Can anybody point me in the right direction for answers?

[Speeddog]

99.9% sure the starter will fit.

The head will not.

900 exhaust header is longer, and 900 carbs are slightly different.
Not sure if the carb thing is a big deal or not.
Intake manifolds on 900 are shorter, so you'll need those.

[fasterdammit]

I should've figured the manifolds would be different.  grumble  I'm sure I can source intakes off ebay easily enough; my exhaust is going to be a trick though.  I've got a pair of Sil Moto cans on there now, but they were custom cut & welded to fit a certain way.  Unfortunately, the guy who did it welded the whole system up, manifold to cans.  (On the other hand, that's a fine time for an Unplanned Upgrade Opportunity ) I figured the starter would be compatible.

I guess the head is going to be the only real concern, although I do see them on ebay cheaper than new. I was toying with the idea of a big bore kit (944? 966?) but maybe I'll just opt for hicomp pistons "while I'm in there"; perhaps not the same performance as a 944 kit, but better bang for the buck?

Anything else I'm not thinking of?

[Speeddog]

Hi-comps get you a lot more bang for the buck than 944.

There are good and not so good 900 engines, the principle difference is heads and cams.
"V" heads are good, "W" heads not so much.
More here on that specifically, but check out the other reports:
http://bikeboy.org/900equal.html

[brad black]

you can force the headers to fit, or get a slip joint put into the horizontal pipe under the engine.  the slip joint on the rear header will allow for the change.