Hello from the Canary Islands -advice on buying used SD990?

bic_bicknell

bic_bicknell

Hello everyone.

I have found a Superduke 990 within my budget, it is a 2006 model so I am aware it doesn't benefit from the improvements of the 2nd generation 990 in regard to the fueling.

It has 35,000 kilometres on the clock (roughly equates to 22,000 miles)

http://www.milanuncios.com/motos-de-car ... 396190.htm


I've looked it over and no sign of crash damage, leaks etc, has newish tyres, pads, recent oil change and full service history. Chatted with mechanic at garage who looks after it for the guy and says it needs nothing until next service.

Only modifications are Leo Vince slip on exhaust, orange anodised brake fluid caps & levers.

I have read about the water pump being a potential problem but doesn't seem any way of identifying this (it showed no leaks when running)

Chain and sprocket are in good condition and looking at tyre condition doesn't look like previous mature owner has thrashed it or been into wheelies.

Any other advice on issues to look for would be very welcome.

cheers
No. 47

No. 47

Hi Evojack.

The '06 bike is a great bike, many think it is still the best SD produced. There are few performance differences on the later '07 model anyway, most notably the radial front brakes and larger capacity tank. 22K miles is not a lot for these bikes and if it's been looked after then there shouldn't be any problems. If it's got pipes then it really should have a new map to suit. This could be the Akra map that dealers could install on the ecu in which case it will run pretty rich or it may have a Power Commander which means maybe it has had a custom map installed. Check whether it has the original airbox and SAS system or whether this has also been removed. In either case it may be prudent to put it on a dyno and get all the fuel/air mix right because this is the thing that can make an SD great to ride or a jerky pain in the arse.

It would be worth stripping the front callipers and giving them a good clean and make sure the pistons slide smoothly because they have been known to seize (although I think that it may be the later callipers that were prone to this).

Take the belly pan off and give all the electrics a good clean round the front down pipe and battery as this is a notorious place for corrosion and problems. The rectifier/regulator is a weak point and if the battery seems less than good it may be worth replacing if the battery seems unable to crank the engine even when charged up.

Other places to look for issues is the mounting points that hold on the tank side spoilers as the brackets are prone to snapping off. It's not the end of the world if they do. Also check around the single bolt that holds down the front of the tank as there is a big problem with tanks expanding (because of ethanol in fuel) and they can be notoriously hard to get the bolt back in and some tanks get damaged by careless use of force in this area. The fuel issue also effects some of the paint on SD tanks and it's not uncommon to see small bubbles and blisters in the paint. Thos is almost normal for Superdukes of this age.

Check the speedo instrument console as they are prone to either cracking or leaking and sometimes show signs of condensation under the perspex. Many were changed under warranty early on but many haven't been. (Again, I think this may be an '07 onwards problem an not applicable to the '06 model).

Check the rear shock for rust and paint peeling off due to corrosion. It may look shiny from the side but check round the front where it's hard to see and hard to keep clean. Doesn't effect performance but it all helps to negotiate a better price. You don't say how much they are asking for it but it shouldn't be much more than £4,000 max.

Good luck, post up pictures if you get it.