Shopping for a Ducati - Page 4

Superman · 08-21-2008, 09:22 AM

It's pink, Jeff. Pink. Do you have some Barbie decals you could put on it?

Jeff Higgins · 08-21-2008, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superman

It's pink, Jeff. Pink. Do you have some Barbie decals you could put on it?

That's what sold me on it. I just fell in love with that pink. I've got a Mary Kay decal for the back of my helmet.

kiesan · 08-21-2008, 10:34 AM

It was the Negra Modelo wasn't it Jeff? Thats my special "close the deal" beer don't you know!

Jeff this Ducati found the right home. The bike and especially the former owner will be happy to know the fruits of his labor/enthusiasm will be enjoyed for years to come.

Special thanks to Britwrench (Mark at Gerber Motorsport) for alerting me to this thread. We owe this man a beer Jeff, or perhaps he would prefer a cup of tea and some nice crumpets.

HardDrive · 08-21-2008, 11:40 AM

Wow. Cool. Ain't PPOT great?

Jeff Higgins · 08-21-2008, 11:45 AM

Ah, the deal was closed long before that, Kie. And yes, we owe Mark a beer.

And yes, Josh, PPOT is wonderful. And there is still one damn fine '92 Super Sport out there waiting for some one...

Noah930 · Noah930's Garage

Congrats. Gorgeous bike. And like greg said, that CF bodywork is near unobtanium. It'll be advertised on a few internet shops' websites, but when you actually try to place an order for it, it's often NLA.

pavulon · 08-21-2008, 12:57 PM

[/QUOTE]

Who knew Pepto Bismol sponsored a racing team?

greglepore · 08-21-2008, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noah930

Congrats. Gorgeous bike. And like greg said, that CF bodywork is near unobtanium. It'll be advertised on a few internet shops' websites, but when you actually try to place an order for it, it's often NLA.

Yeah, its rare enough that I'd be tempted to stash it, but on the other hand,the bike is so cool... .

Certainly beats the trousers off a CR.

Britwrench · 07:14 PM

Actually, as comission, I'd like a blue and white Wes Cooley Suzuki or a red 998.

Even though I am a Brit, don't like or drink beer.

Noah930 · Noah930's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by greglepore

Yeah, its rare enough that I'd be tempted to stash it, but on the other hand,the bike is so cool... .

Certainly beats the trousers off a CR.

One option is to get a set of Sharkskinz or other aftermarket bodywork for the bike, and keep the CF stuff in storage. Certainly not as "cool" as running the CF fairings, but it'll be a lot less painful if the bike ever winds up shiny side down.

Heck, an SV650 beats the trousers off a CR.

Jeff Higgins · 08-23-2008, 06:32 AM

Well, I have had an adventerous first couple of days as a new Duc owner. You might say my ownership experience started out with a "bang"...

I took the scenic route on the way home from Kie's shop, planning on putting at least 100-150 miles on it just to get the feel of it. I almost made it home... before the battery died. When it did, the ignition started cutting out. Unfortunately, it also turned back on, right about the time the mufflers were chock full of unburnt fuel. Talk about the backfire from hell; I could see the flash in my rear view mirrors in the twilight. Pretty darn impressive, actually. Except for the fact that it exploded the left muffler, a now unobtanium Termi carbon fiber unit.

I was well and truly bummed. These just aren't made anymore. One day into ownership, and I was already trying to source NLA Ducati aftermarket stuff. So, having no idea where to look, I emailed Kie late that night. By morning he was all over it, tapping the resources he had to scare up something I could use. By late afternoon he had a pair of carbon fiber Termis waiting in his shop for me. Astounding. Amazing. Couldn't believe it.

Turns out they were slip-ons for a stock system, with smaller inlet pipes, a different end cap, and meant for a low mount in the stock location. But the cans were identical... So, in about an hour with a 3/16" drill and a pop rivit gun, I had successfully swapped the hardware (inlet pipe, perforated pipe, and end cap) from my shredded muffler to the can stripped from the new one.

Less than 24 hours from doom and gloom, woe is me, to back on the road. With a pretty rare piece of Italian hardware that is supposed to be "unobtanium". Wow. I just can't say enough about Kie, and just how far out of his way he went to make this happen. Thanks, Kie. And any of you Pacific Northwesterners that may be on the hunt for some special, unusual bike, you owe it to youself to get ahold of Kie at Red Label Moto.

MotoSook · 08-23-2008, 07:35 AM

Wow! Sorry to see that carbon can go like that. I've been looking for high mount carbon cans for some time, and they don't come around often....or in good shape

Glad you and Kie got it all sorted.

Hey Kie! I need the tank latch at the front of the tank.....got one or a line on one for my bike? I over stressed the one on my tank yesterday shaking fuel and rust out of it....went to latch the tank down last night and snap!

Wickd89 · 08-23-2008, 01:25 PM

Buddy bought a new 1098 with the full race package for $30K two weeks ago.

Tiny kick stand did not hold up, and the bike dropped. It did $1200 damage.

Expensive machine....

Wickd89 · 08-23-2008, 01:37 PM

This is what he got.

http://www.ducati.com/en/bikes/my2007/ModelPage.jhtml?family=Superbike&model=SBK1098STRICOLORE-07

Noah930 · Noah930's Garage

If you're going to be installing a new battery, one option is to go with a Yuasa YTZ7S. Much lighter than OEM. It's tiny, but if you follow proper battery maintenance, it'll work just fine. And you lose something like 7 lbs in the process.

KTM makes a battery box that fits this smaller battery perfectly. Battery box part # is 59011055000, and the two rubber straps are part # 50303018000. Total parts cost is about $15. If your local dealer can't get these parts for you, you can contact Chip Munn Racing down in Texas for them. You'll have to drill a hole or two in the plastic battery box, or make a small shim/bracket to hold it in place, but it's something even I, with my non-existant shop skills/equipment/materials, pulled off in an hour. There're also a couple Odyssey batteries (PC680 & PC310) that a lot of Duc guys use, but because the batteries are wider than the OEM Yuasa, you'll have to check to see if it'll fit within the confines of your fairing.

Finally, I'd recommend a voltmeter off to hardwire into your bike's electrical system. LT Snyder's shop, DesmoTimes, sells a kit for about $55 or so. It'll give you a constant readout of your electrical system, so you know if things aren't healthy (before the way-too-late-to-be-useful idiot light comes on the dash).

Beautiful Tricolore, Luis. That's a $25K bike, apparently with $5 worth of upgrades. Well, make that $6200 of added parts.

speeder · speeder's Garage

If he paid $30k for an "S", he got mugged. Are you sure it wasn't the 1098R?

Yes, the kickstands suck. Kind of a drag if he doesn't know the bikes and no one at the dealer cautioned him about using the stand only on level, (or preferably), slightly up-sloping ground. There is a reason why people use proper roll-around stands at home for the bikes. Sorry to hear.

Noah930 · Noah930's Garage

Jeff, does your bike still have the suicidal kickstand? Goes up by itself when you lift the bike off of it. Many Ducs have been dropped from forgetting that part. Someone sits on the bike, sidestand retracts by itself, and then said rider/sitter puts the bike back down, not realizing that the stand is no longer deployed. Bike winds up on its side. There's a reason why Ducatis no longer have that feature.

(Hey, look, my previous post was at 8:51, a very historic Ducati number.)

Britwrench · 08-23-2008, 04:06 PM

Mine still has that stand, there is a kit to make it more sensible, but it's been fine. As I park my bike at work, whenever possible I use the rear support stand.

We sell Interstate batteries and they make one to fit the 900SS/SP..you can kind of see where that is leading..........

Mark

jwasbury · 08-23-2008, 06:41 PM

1990's 900 Ducs are the shizzle. I bought my Monster new in 1995. Its been all over the country, terrorized the backroads of Vermont for many years, and I road-raced it two seasons at New Hampshire Int'l Speedway. I've kept the engine stock, of course ditched the stock exhaust (after the 1st 5 miles) and its been totally reliable. That is, until it finally popped a headstud at the track last summer (which isn't bad considering I've been revving the crap out of it for 12 years.) The 900SS of that era is one of my favorite two-wheelers of all time. They really got the look right on that bike IMHO. It just looks so damn classy, but flashy italian at the same time. I think they ruined the SS after that.

Anyway, enjoy that machine, and get yourself to the track to shred up your tires.

Wickd89 · 08-23-2008, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speeder

If he paid $30k for an "S", he got mugged. Are you sure it wasn't the 1098R?

Yes, the kickstands suck. Kind of a drag if he doesn't know the bikes and no one at the dealer cautioned him about using the stand only on level, (or preferably), slightly up-sloping ground. There is a reason why people use proper roll-around stands at home for the bikes. Sorry to hear.

Actually the retail was $35K, and he got it for 5K off.
I do not know but it had all the good bits. Looks nothing like a regular 1098, it has
tons of great parts!
He knows what he is doing. He has a few world class race bikes in storage back in England, and he use to race Damon Hill back in the early years.

He also has one of those enduro looking Ducatis as well' both new. Cool stuff but serious cash and I can only enjoy from a distance....;-)