This was a high anxiety event because it had been sitting for ten years, and I knew it had a little fuel in it, but not enough to protect the steel inside. It took a while to emotionally prepare myself for a tank full of rust and flakes and the real potential that I would not be able to use it or the fuel pump. Assuming I could find it, I would be looking for a roughly thousand-dollar replacement setup. What Ducati calls the “Classic Superbikes” are becoming very difficult to find parts for. At least parts that weren’t run ragged or held together by hundred mile an hour tape, and hope.

The fuel cap was jammed shut for unknown reasons. I had tried to open it several times but always stopped because it felt that I would break the key. It just wouldn’t turn. So I knew full well the flange around it was rusted inside, probably preventing the mechanism from turning. I removed the mounting screws, and frighteningly, it still wouldn’t come out. Pulling the fuel pump plate was my only choice to gain entry and maybe get the cap open from below. There are many unknowns here with a critical piece I need functional to get the thing running and eventually on the road. The Landcruiser has been my priority, and it’s within a few hours work of running again. BUT. 

I broke my hand, specifically the first metacarpal when I was horsing around with my daughter in the driveway last Wednesday. They didn’t cast it but told me I couldn’t lift more than 1/2 pound for a few weeks, etc. I found on my own that I have zero grip strength right now, so since everything on the cruiser weighs 25 lbs, I figured I could at least try to make some progress somewhere else.

Enter the 2000 Ducati 996. So I pulled the tank off, which took all of 45 seconds. Yeah, you go, Ducati. It’s a real race bike for the road stuff. I rigged up a padded cradle to hold it without destroying the paint and flipped her over. The fuel pump plate came right out with no issue, no drama, and…no rust.

No shit, I almost fainted when I saw the inside. It has already been coated. Either the previous owner did it, which is a real possibility; he was an airline pilot and very serious about maintenance, or, more likely, I have one of the several thousand Ducati coated from the factory. I have heard a hundred reasons why they did that, but none make sense in the Ducati way of doing things. Nick (the previous and original owner) sold it to me with 720 miles on it, so it seems unlikely to have been an issue, but since he traveled so much, he may have had it done in a preventative manner. So, who knows?

What I DO know is that I found a spotless tank. Since it had fuel, I checked for varnish and found nothing. The cap was jammed by an expanded rubber sealing ring that interfered with the latch. Once I popped a screwdriver between them, it came straight open. Since the tank was sealed up tighter than tight by that ring, it prevented moisture from migrating in, and the volatiles in the fuel never evaporated. It smells like gasoline, not paint thinner, as I expected.

So, I’m considering this an EPIC win, which I’m not planning to squander. The fuel pump spun right up when I gave it 12 volts, so new lines, a filter, and quick releases will go right back in. I do have a Bosch spare, as I imagine it won’t last forever, the factory ones, which this is, fail with some regularity, but I’m leaving it for now, as the Bosch doesn’t fit perfectly and requires some creativity to fit. Factory originals are ridiculously expensive, again, IF you can find them, and once sorted, the Bosch replacement outperforms them in every measurable way, especially price. You can find it for 40 to 90 dollars versus at least 250 for one with a Ducati stamp.

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