I acquired an 04 250 almost a year ago. PO says it sat outside for around 2 years. It was a good deal and I expected the carbs would need some tlc but wasn't all worried as I've cleaned carbs before (gs500e first bike, yzf600 thundercat, bandit400, cbr400rr, cbr125r). Man was I wrong lol. Long story short I did some research and discovered Ducatiman here. Thankgoodness I did.
The bike revs and idles nicely now.
I highly recommend him 1000%.
Other things I've done to the bike:
- Thoroughly cleaned and Caswell-coated the fuel tank. It didn't occur to me to inspect the fuel tank during the purchase. Found out it was badly rusted when I took it home.
- Replaced the questionable tires with Shinko SR740/741. Still breaking them in and have yet to take the bike in the twisties therefore can't provide any feedback.
- Replaced front brake hose with stainless-steel and put new EBC pads.
- ZeroGravity double-bubble screen which I really love.
- Aluminum race fuel cap. The oem deteriorated and fell apart.
- New oem fuel petcock
Things I'd like to try:
- Heavier fork oil
- Swap the rear shock. What inexpensive unit do you guys recommend?
- And a trackday. It's been ages since I've been to one.
BTW. Is it possible to raise the forks a few mm to get a better feel of the front?