Sometimes you find out the hard way..

[Diver]

I moved to France four years ago from the UK and took my 1999 Minster 900 across with me.

When I tried to get Ducati to certify it as being compliant they refused as at some time in it's history the frame was chopped to raise the number plate therefore, it is not standard.

Okay, my options were now to get a new frame (too much work), wait until it became 30 years old when I could import it as a classic vehicle or sell it.

Someone on a forum was interested in it so I opted to go down that route.

When they came to see it they were pretty thorough - more than I had ever been even though it has sat here for 5 years doing next to nothing apart from 4 monthly starts and a quick run up our private road.

I had already told them of the faults below:-

There is a crack in the lower lhs yoke but I have a replacement - just not fitted it. This came about as when I took it to the Ducati dealer in a van, I tightened the bike down too hard on the forks. It certainly was not there when I had the last inspection in the UK.

The oil pressure switch is intermittent.

The neutral light switch is also intermittent.

The morning of the sale I had a play with the oil pressure switch cable and it broke in my hand...

They arrived, thoroughly checked the frame for cracks, wheel bearings for play, had a good look at the forks and rear suspension. They then went for a test ride and returned to tell me that the bike pulled hard to the lhs. They thought it was a problem with the frame. It could also be a problem with the cracked yoke.

We looked in more detail at the frame bolts to find that the nut had sheared off the rear bolt - the annoying thing is that the nut is not there. This means that a previous owner knew about this and sold the bike on. It also has never been discovered in the annual inspection of road worthyness (MOT in the UK).

They didn't buy the bike even though the price was 1500€ - 30,000km / 22,000 miles.

I ordered a replacement bolt for the frame (10mm) - hope it fits - for 13€, a replacement oil sensor for 50$ and will check the neutral switch for corrosion on the cable. It may be a simple fix by sanding the connections.

I will also replace the bottom part of the yoke.

All seems quite simple when I write it down but I guess these jobs are a bit more complicated than that.

Anyone else had similar issues with the 900 monster (1999)?

Nick

[koko64]

On some models the rear engine to frame bolt is a long bolt and not a stud with nuts at each end like the forward bolt. The rear bolt threads flush into the frame. Seen it many times on 90's models. So some studs have a nut each end and some have an Allen head at one end and thread at the other. I've seen a different combination on different years.

Wow, I have never heard of a cracked triple clamp from over tightening a tie down strap. Possible over torque of triple bolts or previous crash damage.
A cracked triple could be felt

[DuciD03]

Sometimes its good to go to a dealership; so a competent mechanic can have a once over and certify that its mechanically sound and roadworthy (then there responsible and libel too; I think?). Given what you've described.

A cracked triple and missing frame bolts are major safety issues; good that the guys went over it thoroughly; probably scared the poo out of em once they realised the defects . Just sayin.

Perhaps someone is being  unscrupulous, vandalizing your bike? stealing parts? ...would be hard to pinpoint ...

[Duck-Stew]

We looked in more detail at the frame bolts to find that the nut had sheared off the rear bolt - the annoying thing is that the nut is not there. This means that a previous owner knew about this and sold the bike on. It also has never been discovered in the annual inspection of road worthyness (MOT in the UK).

No.  On the 1999 M900’s, the rear bolt threads into a drilled and tapped portion of the frame on the clutch side.  There is no motor mount nut for the rear on that bike as new.

Fun fact (joking: super annoying):  The thread pitch of the rear bolt is different than the front.  So, if one is NOT careful & tries to thread the front bolt into the rear mount, well, things can get bad quite quick.  Nichols engine mount studs.

[koko64]