31 May 2006 - On Monday night I watched a show on the History Channel titled "Washington - America's Warrior". While I realize that the media dramatizes things, it was still a good show. One of the reasons I watched the show is that I'm a student of military history. I've been so since I was out of diapers. What was interesting is how history makes us remember general things, but forget the details. One of the little known details from George Washington's life is that he lost more battles than he won - yet we only remember him as a successful military leader. In general, Washington was one hell of a man, and one I would be proud to be compared to, regardless of the implausability of the comparison. It would be nice for customers to still view me as a success in the midst of many failures.... ah, there's the sticking point. Washington focused on the war, rather than the battles. He knew that if he lived to fight another day the Colonial Army would persevere. With customers, I don't have such a luxury. If I botch a customer repair, bad things happen and my reputation suffers. Yet, I know that no man is perfect. Therein lies the difficulty in working on a motorcycle. I don't get to avoid battles in the name of the greater war. Every battle must be won.

Perhaps my metaphor is skewed, for comparing George Washington's struggle to my working on motorcycles is a bit of a stretch. After all, George rode a horse and I ride Italian V-Twins... and I wouldn't have been able to ride them back in George's day due to the lack of roads. I suppose a Multistrada with knobbies would have worked, but then where would I have gotten repair parts, or gas, or motorcycle accessories. Well, this discussion is going nowhere. My point was that I'm awestruck at George Washington's capabilities, even though he didn't ride a Ducati... or something like that.

30 May 2006 - There is a lot of speculation on other message boards about Ducati's expected redesign of their superbike for 2007 (at the earliest!). While most of you are looking forward to a redesign, I'm not. First, a redesigned bike means that I have to purchase another bike to tear apart... and I'm running out of room. Second, I don't find anything wrong with the 999. Unfortunately, there aren't enough people who liked the 749/999 platform, and resulting sales have withered. So, I'm guessing a 1200cc twin, side-by-side headlights, angular side fairings, a motogp syled tail and tank and a single sided swingarm. That package won't be anything as revolutionary as the 916, but it may satisfy Ducatisti. Quite frankly, the next generation will have to do a lot to beat the 999 in terms of functionality. It is the most comfortable superbike Ducati has produced, is the easiest to ride fast, and is the most robust design to date in terms of reliability of motor and electronics. I've got all 3 generations of superbikes, so I feel comfortable in offering that opinion. Will Ducati do the redesign for next year -- perhaps. They just received fresh financing, are having a great year (in the US at least) and appear ready to concede that the 999 isn't going to excite the market.. but the 851/888 platform was on the market for 8 years and the 916/998 platform for 9 years. If the 999 gets a facelift for '07, that wil mean a mere 4 years of production. Ducati is too small of a manufacturer to do facelifts on models that often. Many feel the 916 style wasn't broken, and Ducati shouldn't have changed it. Most people forget that in 2002 everyone was clammering for a change. The problem was that Tamburini's vision went to MV Agusta, and the next generation Ducati with it. I don't expect to be stunned by Ducati's next Superbike. So don't expect to be shocked the way you were when you saw the Supermotard concept. Expect something that is attractive to most Ducatisti -- something that will sell. And with a boost in displacement I'd expect a base superbike putting out 145 horses at the rear wheel. That should excite a lot of people, at least those that can afford it.

29 May 2006 - I enjoyed a great ride this morning on the 900SS. I had to hit the road by 6:30, but by doing so I was able to beat the heat. I've been travelling to the Blackwater Forest for over 10 years to attack the same roads, and it still hasn't lost its charm. I guess when the roads house the only twisties in the area, you learn to appreciate it.

This afternoon I worked on a customer's 996, replacing a countershaft sprocket and changing the oil. While doing do, I had to pull the clutch slave cylinder away from the motor. Lo and behold, the tell-tale liquid signal of blowby was visible around the piston and on the engine casing. I almost think that Ducati designed their slave cylinders to give the aftermarket something to sell. While I don't know of any of the post 2000 slaves leaking, I know of few-pre 2001 clutch slaves that don't leak. The good thing about these recurring defects is that I have fixes in inventory. I usually have at least a few clutch slaves sitting on the shelf, waiting for customer's to uncover leaks that they've finally noticed.

28 May 2006 - Congrats to Troy Bayliss for winning the 2006 WSB title - less than 1/2 way into the season. I'm not a believer in jinxs, so I'm going to award him the title. He's riding the hell out of the 999, and is clearly better than the rest. I hope he doesn't spoil Ducati's attempt to raise the displacement for twins to 1200cc in WSB. Yes, Bayliss is winning, but the state of tune of the 999 is more extreme than the inline 4s. Corser's bad weekend didn't help his title chances. He's having mechanical problems, which is good for Ducati.

Some of you might remember that Bayliss had a similar lead heading into Laguna Seca back in 2002, only to see Edwards storm back to win the title. I don't see a similar thing happening this year. I don't know why Lanzi isn't performing better, but I do know that I foresee a vacancy on the team next year. Personally, I think it was a mistake to let Toseland go. Lanzi has too many bad days. Of course, hindsight is 20/20.

Tomorrow I'm getting up early, firing up a 2-valve and heading to Blackwater forest for some twisty action. Hopefully, I'll have fewer mishaps than the WSB riders in the 1st race at Silverstone. Later on tomorrow, I'll work on a customer's 996 and then partake in some Memorial Day feasting. God Bless our men/women in harm's way. Being a veteran, they are always in my thoughts. Freedom isn't free, and those of us in uniform don't get to pick the wars -- we just serve.

27 May 2006 - Things perked up at the shop this week, thanks to some repeat customers. It is usually feast or famine at the shop. That's okay, because I needed a break from working on bikes. The nice thing about repeat customers is that I don't have to worry about mis-matched fasteners and shoddy workmanship. You'd be amazed at the things I find when I work on a bike that has already been worked on at other shops. One of my favorite customer sayings is "the bike had a recent service performed at such-and-such dealership". I'm not the trusting sort, so I verify the valve lash when I get such bikes in the shop. It is easy to measure the valve lash on one intake/exhaust port to verify settings. Typically, if the valves are optimal (a rare occurence) then the rest of the bike will be ship-shape. I'm not trying to demean other technicians, but it takes a seasoned/caring hand to work on a Duck. I have the advantage of not being in a hurry, and working on bikes one at a time. Plus there's a direct link between my workmanship and my reputation. Rarely does a technician own the business. Any mistake can usually be ignored because technicians know that owners aren't going to spot-check their work. That task is left for a follow-on technican, who may not see the bike until several years have passed.

26 May 2006 - I had the house to myself last night. Suzi was at the party hosted by fans of American Idol contestant Taylor Hicks. I promised her that I would watch American Idol, but after watching 10 minutes of it I had to turn the channel. There are a lot of things I want to do whilst relaxing, but watching American Idol isn't one of them. While I'm proud of the winner Taylor Hicks, I instead watched a PBS show on the life and times of a talk show host from the 1950s and early 1960s - Jack Paar. I knew of Jack Paar, but was born too late to see any of his shows. The sheer magnitude of important people he interviewed was staggering -- From Fidel Castro, to Robert Kennedy to the then Cassius Clay, Senator Nixon, the Beatles, and on and on. The Jack Paar show stands as the finest talk show ever. In the 40 years since the show, nobody has matched him -- not Johnny Carson, and not any of the present lineup of late night talk show hosts.

On the Desmo Times front, I've been having some trouble with part inventories. I order parts as soon as any item reaches predetermined safety stock levels. Unfortunately, some suppliers are better than others at filling orders. Please know that if I am out of stock of some items, it isn't because I ran out of money or didn't order more. I'm just waiting on parts, which is the same thing I used to do when I was a customer like you. Sometimes it takes weeks to get resupplied, and sometimes vendors make me wait months. An yes, suppliers lie to me just like they lie to customers.

Today I signed on the dotted line to change the direction of Desmo Times -- at least the visibility it gets. I won't say more except to say that I plan on keeping this enterprise small, personal and passionate. The day I no longer enjoy talking and working on Ducatis is the day I shut this business/hobby down. I've got a bunch of things in store to address Ducati design issues. Two are in prototype and another will come out in the next month. I continue to find bettery ways to build the mousetrap we call a Ducati. I'll let the bigtime tuners work on their porting, and polishing and the pursuit of horsepower. I'd rather fix flaws than chase ponies. I suppose each of us niche Ducati businesses has a different focus. That's good for customers.

25 May 2006 - Because I'm rather analytical, I measure all kinds of things. One thing I track is the number of unique hits to my webpage. My daily web hits have increased from 30 to 80 a day over the first 4.5 months of 2006. That may not sound like a lot, but considering that I don't advertise or do any form of advertising it isn't too shabby. I'm not sure how many folks sign on to read the Daily Desmo, but obviously I'm not concerned enough to create a separate counter for this page. I suppose most of my ramblings are to exorcise my own demons. If anybody else out there reads the stuff, that's an added bonus.

For the past 2 weeks I've been commuting to work on my trusty '92 900ss. I know, how can I ride the oldest desmo I own instead of bikes that may consider far nicer? Well, I go back a long way with my SS. I've put 25K on her, have ridden her up the Blue Ridge parkway both ways twice, and have had my hands over every single nut and bolt on the bike. She isn't the most comfortable Ducati, but my creation is truly unique....plus my SS pulls harder at low revs than any other Duck I own, including my 999s. Still, riding my SS isn't about speed. I drove to Nebraska in the middle of winter to purchase it. That trip, the trips I've taken on the bike, and my endless array of modifications have created a bond between us that will be hard to break. Now that the summer heat is here, the SS, M900 and Gran Canyon are the only bikes I'll ride until fall. Those water-cooled Desmos are fine in the winter, but are for pain mongers in the summer. Better news still for me is the fact that all my air/oil cooled Desmos are up and running. In fact, all 11 of my Ducks are roadworthy. A few service items still exist, but all are rideable. Now keeping a bunch of bikes running may not sound like a big deal, but consider that the first thing I do when I get a Duck is tear it apart and customize it to eliminate design quirks and make the bike fit my tastes. None of the bikes is what I call "finished". There are always mods that I want to do and time that I want to spend working on them. However, of late I'd rather just ride them and enjoy all the tinkering that I've done on each bike. Still, keeping multiple Ducks running is a veritable chore. Just today I noticed that the rear brake master cylinder on my SS is weeping and I don't have any seal kits. Oh well, who needs to use a rear brake on a Ducati anyway.

24 May 2006 - I've always thought that I was a lucky person. While I consider myself self-made, the love and support of my family (and a little luck) has been instrumental to both my personal and professional success. Last night I watched a show on Discovery Science that reinforced my belief in how lucky I am. The story was about a set of twins in England who were born with a rare skin disorder that requires them to bath for 4 hours a day to scrub off excess skin that grows at 10x the rate of normal person's skin. After they scrub, they apply a thick softening paste to their skin to prevent infection and cracking. Needless to say, the lives of the now teenagers is less than optimal. However, their attitude is inspirational. The never complain, and try to live life as normal as we absentmindedly take for granted.

Its hard for us to remind ourselves each day about how lucky we truly are. While I don't have statistics to back it up, I would hazard a guess that Ducati owners are in the top quartile of wage earners in this country. I know of few Ducati owners who worry about where the next meal is coming from. If Ducati owners are in the top quartile, I must be a very limited subset of this 25%. Owning 11 Ducks isn't something I need, or something I planned for. I just started buying them and voila, the garage is full. When I see people in need or having a tough time of it. I feel guilty for my opulence. Other than my military duty, I give very little back to the community. Heck, running 3 careers doesn't give me much time. But I've decided that its time to give something back... don't get excited... I'm not giving away any Ducatis or parts. What I am planning to do is something I've wanted to do for a long time -- community service at a nearby hospital in the burn ward. About 5 years ago I got 2nd degree burns on 20% of my body after a battle with a pile of brush - the brush pile won. Fortunately, I didn't receive any any scars from the incident, but the pain and suffering of those burns makes me particularly empathetic towards those with skin disorders. While I'm proud of my Ducatis, and the fact that I'm building a legacy of helping fellow Ducatisti, I'd rather not be known as a guy who just collects Ducatis, instructs college students, or defends the faith of his country... so add community servant to the list.

23 May 2006 - For the past 10 days, my 999s has sat up on Lift #1 in the shop, awaiting its first service. Unfortunately, I've been a busy bee working on my property - building retention walls, moving truckloads of dirt, and trying to continue to process of taming my terrain. Sadly, after 6 years of efforts my piddly 2 acres of real estate continues to kick my butt. I'm sure that there is a ray of sunshine at the end of my pursuits, but I think that if and when I move I will look for a flat piece of land, devoid of trees. Until then I'll continue to use the spring and early summer each year to renovate things. I keep telling myself that I'm adding sweat equity to my property --- a lot of sweat, and a little equity.

My big summer ride this year is drawing near. During the July I'll be travelling with 3 others (me on my Gran Canyon and the others on Hondas) on a journey from FL to CA, via Arkansas, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. I'm looking forward to the trip. Even though I technically get a bunch of time off, I rarely get away other than for military duty - and that doesn't count as a vacation. The only bad part of my leaving is that I know as soon as I leave I'll get emails and orders that will plague my wife - the one who has to run Desmo Times in my absence. Fortunately, she is no slouch when it comes to knowing about Ducks, and is probably better suited to run my business than I am. Between now and then I'm guessing my sales will take the usual Summer dip, as most of the country enters its riding season. During summer, people ride instead of wrench. That's good for them, but bad for my inventory. Oh well, if I could predict sales, I'd be a genius, instead of an unpaid laborer working daily at my house.

22 May 2006 - Today I ask the question - what is an "expert". If one guages reputation, I am supposedly a Ducati expert. My personal opinion of that is hogwash. While I claim to be a student of Ducati maintenance and modification, I am hardly an expert. I get stuck just like my customers do. The only difference is that I can draw on a few tricks I've learned over the years, and have worked on a wide array of Ducatis. Who are the experts. Well, any good technician that has at least a few years worth of experience working on a wide range of Ducatis would qualify. There are a handful of these in the country. That's right -- a handful. Not hundreds, not thousands... a handful. Why aren't there more? Well, the first problem is that until the past 7 years or so, Ducati dealerships were few and far between. Second, it takes years to cultivate a good technician. I will add that it is impossible for somebody like me to match wits with a good tuner. He/she has access to all the Ducati tools, Ducati service reps, service manuals for every Ducati model and year, the backing of his/her dealership, and gets to work on the latest/greatest models years ahead of me. I'm a little guy working out of my shop. So how do I compete with them -- well they don't write, and they don't have the proper perspective of what an average Ducati owner goes through. So, I write books on how to maintain and modify Ducatis from a layman's perspective because that's what I am. Sure, I have a Ducati technician's certification, but that and a box of tools can get you into a lot of trouble. Here's what you need to work on your own Ducati... patience, the willingness to purchase the service manual and other maintenance manuals, access to the internet, patience, determination, patience, the proper tools and a love of Ducatis. I own Ducatis because I love the bikes and am determined to repair and modify them myself. I don't care how much time and $$ it costs me, I'm going to be successful. Do I mess up? You bet. Occasionally I botch a repair, learn from it, tell others about the botch and move onto the next repair. But to call me an expert is a disservice to those I consider true experts. Who are they? --- the people I tend to use as my technical advisors. Of course, they will probably tell you that they don't consider themselves to be experts either. Humility lends itself to success. As soon as I get cocky, I'm sure to botch something or give bad advice, events that transpire even though I consider myself humble. So don't call me an expert. I'm just a Ducati owner like you. The only difference is that I've been working on them for 10 years, have a bunch of them, and have fought my way through most areas of the bikes. For expert advice I still go to select folks that work on them every single day.... and every once in awhile they even call me.

21 May 2006 - This weekend I taught a compressed MBA course. I was suprised to find that one of my students was a Ducati owner. It is rare to find another Ducati owner where I live, and rarer still to find one that owns a MH900e. My student is typical of most Ducati owners - he enjoy the bike, but doesn't really care about the minutiae of how the bike works. He just wants it to run and to enjoy his purchase. During a break in class, he asked me what I would charge to look over the bike from stem to stern for problems. I told him that I don't have a stem-to-stern rate, but it would probably take me a few hours to do a full inspection for electrical, clutch, and common maintenance items. I also told him that if he purchased a service manual for the bike and one of my manuals, he could do it himself. He didn't seem too keen on the idea of working on the bike himself, but was did strike me as your average Ducati owner - he was upwardly mobile, had discriminating taste, and had taken the effort of researching modifications and fixes for his Duke. His MHe was bone stock except for slip-ons and a vented clutch cover - two areas I recommend for any Ducati. But he did have some misconceptions. There is often the misconception that purchasing a Ducati gets you the best components. While this is true of some R variants, it is not true of most Ducatis. Take the MHe for instance - a beautiful trellis frame and swingarm, creative bodywork, and rather comfortable ergonomics. But, there are some issues -- the typical tall gearing ruins take-offs and around town riding (and is tough on the clutch), the double-sealed battery setup and electrical system is prone to instrument glitches, the front suspension and bar levers are non-adjustable, the license plate x bracket support is prone to cracking, and the mirrors are truly a POS. In other words, the MHe is a typical Ducati.

Unlike other brands of bikes that I have owned (kawasaki, suzuki, yamaha, honda, aprilia), I find that buying a Ducati is just the beginning. Yes, you can enjoy a stock Ducati. But if you want to experience the full capabilities of your Duck, you need to throw more money at it... and I don't mean carbon fiber bits. Clutch mods, lighter wheels, tires that make the bike handle better, wider clip-ons, sprocket size and bike geometry changes and other sensible tidbits not only make Ducatis easier to ride, but easier to ride fast. In general such modifications bring out the best in Ducatis. I find a lot of owners can afford the price of admission, but deny themselves the "deluxe" seats by either throwing money at the wrong areas or by not being willing to spend any money beyond oil changes and wax. Your Ducati is a blank canvas. Yes, it is an exotic, and yes it is cool just owning one... but getting to know your Ducati and addressing design issues is a time honored tradition for those of us who enjoy both owning them and making them better.

20 May 2006 - I have to work this weekend, so I'm posting ahead. I know, how can you post two days before the actual day, but it's my damn webpage, so I'll do as I please.

I was taking a break at the office today and picked up a copy of Roadracing World. One of the blurbs in the beginning of the magazine gave an update on what's going on at the Fischer Motorcycle Company. For those of you that never heard of Fischer, he's an entrepreneur trying to make an American Sport Bike a reality (other than Buell of course). I've longed for a true American sport bike (different than Buell), but by this stage of my career in bikes, I must admit that I'm buried in Ducati. While I get to ride other bikes, and test a few for MCN, I decided a long time ago to specialize. That means that Ducati is it for me...at least insofar as they stay in business. Given Ducati's checkered financial past, the future is not guaranteed. Still, I have to believe the Ducati has a better chance of survival than the Fischer Motorcycle Company. The recent past of the motorcycle industry is littered with failed or failing startups (remember the wraith), botched returning marques (Indian, Excelcior-Henderson) and struggling exotic manufacturers (MV, Bimota). Because of the difficulty in breaking into the market, I'm always skeptical when I see a concept drawing of some new bike design from an unknown designer (even a well known name like Glynn Kerr doesn't mean the design will see the light of day). I guess I'm a pragmatist. When I see such drawings, I try to imagine what it would take to make such bikes marketable. It is, after all, cash flow that drives the creations I ride more than the actual design. Customers might like it, but if the company can't achieve economies of scale sufficient enough to make money, the venture is doomed to failure.

19 May 2006 - The nice part about running my own business is that I don't have to put up with more than I'm willing. While it is certainly true that a small percentage of merchants are unscrupulous, the same holds for customers. A very small percentage of my customers are screwy, as in certifiable nutballs. The problem is that when they place and order I don't have a checkbox for them to let me know that they are nutballs. I only find out such information after they receive their products. Only later when they start expecting weird things (like products to fit on bikes that have a tweaked frame) do I know that they are nutballs. The good news is that such nutballs only materialize every year or so, so for every nutball I get at least hundred customers happy to receive parts on time and that fulfill the desciption I give. I've looked high and low on the customization options on my shopping cart and there is no "nutball" option. So its up to me to determine whether a customer is a nutball. And just like customers get to choose to not do business with merchants they don't like, I get to exclude customers that I think are nutballs. Life is too short to put up with unethical merchants....and nutball customers.

18 May 2006 - It looks like my case saver insert is a success. I've sold enough to continue to carry it, so when I run out I'll probably get another run of them made. That isn't the case with a few other products. I'm eliminating the Axle Plates from my lineup outside of preorders. The axle plates cost too much to have made, and they sit on the shelf too long to justify stocking them. I'll probably also be killing the vented cam belt covers, Superbike Triple Trees, SS Carriers/sprockets, '98 ST Voltage Regulator Plates, and reservoir cover plates - so when they're gone, they're gone. I'd rather use my funds for the stuff that folks want - like periodic maintenance items.

17 May 2006 - I no longer post on other message boards. If you've been on my own message board, you've read why - I can't put up with those that have a neverending desire for more information. However, every week or so I check out Ducati.ms, Ducatimonster.org and Speedzilla to see what folks are saying about my books. Most of the comments about my books are good. About 1 in 50 are complaints that the manual doesn't have the info they are looking for. I figure I have a pretty good batting average with my books, so I continue down the path I've already set. There are a few misconceptions about my books however. First, I'm not an expert. I'm just the only enthusiast that has chosen to write their own books on Ducati maintenance. I have no "ins" with the Ducati factory and Ducatis are as rare around my neck of the woods as girls with a full set of teeth. Second, it takes years after a model comes out before problems and tricks to maintenance are identified. A good case in point is setting belt tension on the Dualspark motors. Ducati specifies that the new Harmonic tensioner device be used in conjunction with the Mathesis tester to set tension. That works great for shops, but not so good for DIY-types. So, before I came out with my latest 2V book I asked my gurus what they proposed for DIY-types with regards to belt tension on the DS motor. One said he used a twist method. If you can twist the belt in the middle of the longest run 45 degrees the belt has proper tension. In the absence of any other method for this new type of motor, it sounded reasonable, so I put that in my book. One person on Ducati.ms complained that I didn't have a picture of the process. I had to fight back the urge to post and flame him, but discretion got the better of me... fortunately. I wanted to say that if he needed a picture of how to twist a belt, he probably needed to let someone else do it. What I can guarantee is that I will eventually get to work on a DS motor and will figure out my own technique to setting belt tension. By then the process will be well researched and understood, and the process will be commonplace. Still, I can remember when the first flaking rockers began showing up and nobody knew the cause. Now its just another part of owning a Ducati. Time tends to cure all desires for information.

There are obvious deficiencies with every book I write. As of yet, I have not worked on a wet clutch Ducati, thus I don't have any pictures of the process. Likewise, the new TPS units require a software calibration as opposed to setting via a manual process by loosening the bolts. Things change, bikes get new components, and it takes years for me to get to work on them. Still I'm trying, which is all I can do. I correct errors as I find them, and I plan on continuing to write to inform others. If every other arm of my business falls apart, the books will remain as an interest that I have. An interest to perform my own maintenance, and to inform others how to do it themselves. While my books are a good companion to performing maintenance, they are NOT a replacement for the OEM manual. They never have been, and they never will be. Amen..

16 May 2006 - Yesterday I got an email from a person who purchased a slipper clutch from another vendor. The customer couldn't figure out how to fit the clutch, the directions were non-existent and the vendor also didn't know how it fit. I tried to help the person out because I've installed a grand total of one slipper clutch. My point of bringing up this email is that I have a problem with selling stuff that I haven't either designed or tested. I am confident that I can field any question that could possibly arise about the clutch setup I sell. Likewise, all the rest of my lineup is currently installed on at least one of my bikes. This allows me to sleep well at night. I don't worry about the stuff I sell, and I don't get embarrassed selling stuff that I don't know how to install. I suppose if I was a bigger vendor I would have a tough time installing and using every product I sold. I guess that's why I'll never be the "Wal-Mart" of Ducati vendors. That doesn't mean that I won't continue to add products, but it does mean that I won't sell anything that I don't personally use.

15 May 2006 - I came across a document on the Ducati website that alluded to a restructuring of their strategy away from market share and toward per unit profits. The document was pretty interesting, but was for external consumption. The document hinted that the 999 will be redesigned for 07 - no surprise there, as only 10% of revenues come from Superbikes right now. I think its a shame that the 749/999 style didn't catch on. I hated the styling at first, but really enjoy my 999s and think it looks great. Of course, I've thrown a lot of $$$ at it to get it look the way I want.

A lot of criticism has been thrown at Pierre Terblanche over the past decade. I have to admit that I myself have thrown a few stones at his direction. However, I now find that a large percentage of my bikes have his mark on them. -- The Gran Canyon, the ST2, the 888, the Mh900e -- All bikes I hated at first, and later grew to love. I think his styling is an acquired taste. The fact that a lot of people don't like this or that Ducati because he designed it is fine with me. I buy bikes because I like them, not because other people like them. Unfortunately, some great bikes still don't sell because of the way they are positioned, or the price point or the timing. The 999 was ahead of its time. The reason it didn't catch on is because, to be honest, it followed the 916... and everyone longed for something to look more like the MV Agusta. I expect the next iteration to be more of a throwback to the 916, but with some angular likes of the 999.. with a little bit of motoGP bike in there too.

As far as the Monster goes, Ducati has been brilliant to reinvent the bike. How much further they can push the platform is unknown, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a larger displacement 2v motor, and a 4x4v superbike motor in a Monster. Hey, if the Desmosedici is coming to the street in a superbike, why not use it in other bikes?.. the answer to that is probably the maintenance involved.

I was curious to see that Ducati is bumping up the valve adjust interval to 7500 for the new 685 motor. Some applaud that as a marvel of engineering. To be honest, I don't check the valves for 10K after setting them optimally, and often don't change a shim for 20K. That fact that Ducati is using better valves and seats only tells me that my current 10K interval on my own bikes will be bumped even higher. I love technology, especially when it saves me time.

14 May 2006 - Wow, I just looked at the results of the Chinese MotoGP race. It looks like the Rossi domination is over. The front end problems that Yamaha is having must be getting to Rossi... but then why did Edwards finish so well? Hmmm. I've got to hand it to Nicky. He is learning what it takes to win a championship - consistency. It would be awesome to see an American win it again. And how about Hopper? You can't complain about a 4th, given Suzuki's problems the last 5 years. I don't know what Ducatis problems are, but something is amiss. 8th and 9th won't cut it for Ducati SPa. I guess WSB will be in in terms of placing hopes for Ducati to win a championship.

Today, Mother's Day, is my last day off for a week. I start teaching again tomorrow, and will do so for a solid week. I hate teaching in the summer, but I've got to pay the bills. Desmo Times is a long way from ever providing any real income. That's okay though. At least it is generating enough of a cash flow to keep the inventory flowing and customers satisfied.

13 May 2006 - Yesterday I took Suzi's S2R for a blast through the twisties in the Blackwater Forest. It has been awhile since I've been in those twisties, so I was hoping to have some fun. As it turned out, I really didn't have that great of a time. First, riding alone didn't suit me yesterday. Second, I find that there aren't enough twisties to keep me busy, and the ones that are there have to be taken at 80+ MPH in order to be interesting. I suppose I'm jaded by the track and riding in the mountains. At least the 3 hours away from the house kept me from working, a break that I desperately needed.

This week has been a good week for my little business. My Case Savers are proving successful. My next product will have as much utility, and make you scratch you head and say "gee, why didn't I think of that". I expect to announce the new product the beginning of June.

11 May 2006 - I spent the afternoon putting the black oxide and sealer on the first batch of Case Saver Inserts I had made. They turned out well. I'll be wrapping them in shrink-wrap tomorrow and will begin shipping them. I opened up ordering on the website for folks that want them. I already had them on my own bikes, so I won't be dipping into the trough.

An unexpected cool spell in FL means that I'm grabbing a bike and my jacket and helmet and I'm going riding tomorrow. By this time of the year, its usually too hot to ride without sweating, but I plan on taking advantage of the reprieve... and there's no sign of rain in the forecast. :-)

10 May 2006 - The Gods have conspired against me. Typical spring weather has hit the Gulf Coast, and there is a wall of water between me and my destination today. The mission is scrubbed. Instead, I'll be holding a chainsaw in my hand all day, cutting up debris left from a bad thunderstorm two nights ago. The only upside of the cancelled trip is that I may actually get to put my 999s up on the lift and start working on it... maybe. I'd much rather be in the mountains, but oh well.

I've got plans to spend a bunch on my business this year, but, unfortunately, it doesn't involve adding a bike to the collection. My inventory has outgrown the office at the house, so I am in need of an outbuilding next to the workshop... an outbuilding with two stories, a full bathroom and big enough to store all my inventory and house an office. Now if I was a bonafide gambler, I'd just get a home equity loan and have my new building. Unfortunately, I'm risk adverse, which means the building will have to be prepaid or I won't do it. So, I've been shaving and saving and hope to erect my new building over the next few months.

9 May 2006 - We had one hell of a storm last night. It woke me up around midnight to perform my standard routine... turn off the Air Conditioning, disconnect the television, computer and cable modem. I have to say that the weather we get in Florida is something else. Between the lightning storms, torrential downpours, hurricanes and blistering heat it isn't really the paradise many people make it out to be.

I booked my reservations at the Suches airstrip for a few nights and will spend today loading up and checking out the ST for the 1500 miles I'll put on her over the next 4 days. I hope the rain stays away. While I don't enjoy riding in the rain and I hate electrical gremlins borne of water even more.

I got word that my new case saver inserts will get here later today. I've been waiting for two months for them to be manufactured, so I'm anxious to apply the black oxide and get them out the door. I only had a small batch manufactured, so if you want one, I'll be taking orders beginning 15 May.

7 May 2006 - I've been spending A LOT of time working on the compound doing various spring projects. Next on the list is rebuild a bridge across the stream separating my side property from the main house property. After that the shop driveway gets widened and a new office building goes in. Sad to say, but the property has been taking all of my time, so ... I'm getting away for a few days. On Wed I'm mounting up on the ST2 and heading up to the Georgia mountains. It is the last chance I'll have to do so until the fall, so I'm not going to miss the chance. I could stay here and do some writing, or do the long awaited service on my 999 or work on the yard... but I'm going riding. Don't worry, Suzi can fill any orders while I'm gone. I can wait to breathe the mountain air.... The only thing that can stop me is the weather, and so far the end of the week in Suches GA looks good. Its been 10 months since I've done a long out of town trip on a bike. The ST2 deserves to have its legs stretched.

I was delighted to see that Troy B again ruled the races in WSB today. I hope he runs away with the title. He deserves it. I've given up on AMA Superbike. It looks like Ben Spies will be the heir apparant at Suzuki, and they will continue to dominate the series for years to come. Oh well.

6 May 2006 - Every once in awhile I catch wind of somebody finding a discrepency in one of my maintenance manuals. I never get personal emails to the effect, just mentions from friends who see postings on various listservs. There is a mistaken presumption that my manuals are the end-all, be-all of Ducati maintenance manuals. Let me set the record straight -- my maintenance manuals are NOT a substitute for the factory manuals (which cost over $150), nor are they a substitute for the now-dated Haynes manuals. What my manuals provide is a description in laymans terms of how to maintain and modify a Ducati. The possibility that there are inaccurracies amid the 200+ pages doesn't surprise me. There are errors in the factory manuals and the Haynes manuals too, so I don't feel so bad. If you want torque specs for your particular model, buy the service manual for your bike. Torque specs, air gap on pickup coils, MV on TPS and other specs vary from model to model and year to year. There is no way I can provide all such data. If I purchased every service manual for every bike for every year, I'd have to invest thousands of dollars every year. Second, Ducati continually changes designs, and they don't feel inclined to tell me when said changes are made. Usually it takes AT LEAST THREE years before I get to see a particular model in my shop. That is because most Ducatis aren't ridden more than a few thousand miles per year (3 years = 6K = first service). So when new owners are disappointed that my manual doesn't cover a bike that nobody has torn apart to work on, I don't feel bad. A case in point is the 2005+ ST3. The new ST3 has a wet clutch. I'd love to work on one, but none have showed up at the shop, and I'm not inclined to purchase one just so that I can tear apart the wet clutch. But when owners of the 2005 purchase my manual and see that my 15 page clutch section doesn't address their clutch, they probably are disappointed. All I can say is that I'm doing the best I can. I'm a tiny tiny independent part-time ducati shop. It is a colossal feat to write my manuals, and the fact that they don't satisfy everyone doesn't hurt my feelings. I'm confident that they are at least the 80% solution, a figure that is more than acceptable in most realms of life. If you want perfection, follow Jesus... oh wait, he was perfect and was tied to a cross.

If you find a mistake in one of my manuals, how about doing me a favor and pointing it out to me. I correct every mistake I come across and do runs of 150 books at a time so that I can modify it between prints. Posting the mistake on another message board doesn't do me or my customers any good. And if you are working on your Ducati, why don't you do what I do and gather every possible resource before tackling the service. Owners who gladly spend a few hundred bucks on a carbon fiber piece, yet quibble about spending money on maintenance manuals need to get their priorities straight... or let somebody else handle their maintenance... like me :-)

5 May 2006 - Yesterday, one of my friends sent me an email. I met Gregg Kirby as a customer several years ago. Since then he has been a loyal customer, and, more importantly, my friend. He's stayed at my house, we've ridden together and we've spent hours on the phone together. Sometimes when I question the wisdom of my Ducati career, I have to remind myself of the people I never would have met. Gregg Kirby, Greg Ames, Bryan Jones, and others are all customers of mine. More importantly, I have them on speed-dial on my phone. If I had to choose between their friendship and their business, I'd take the friendship. I think if you treat customers as potential friends, the business follows as a matter of course.

4 May 2006 - I've had a few hours to myself so I decided to modernize the website. While doing so, I had a chance to look at a version of my website from four years ago. Wow have things changed. DT now has over 73 items for sale. Four years ago I had 2. The goal isn't to boost up inventory. Actually, inventory is a major PITA. I used to have $$$ for my bikes, now it seems like all I do is order things for other people's bikes. I enjoy helping owners out, but the goal of the business was to have some money for my own bikes. Hmmm, somewhere the plan seems to gone awry.

It hit 86 today here in Pensacola. It's almost time to park the bikes for 5 months. While most of you guys are enjoying your summer, Floridians just trying to keep from melting. The only thing worse than riding a Desmo on a straight flat road is when the heat index is 90+ degrees. I think I'll get a wah-burger and some French-cries for dinner tonight, because somewhere I seemed to have turned into a whining sissy. My pussy hurts.....

3 May 2006 - I had the opportunity to ride my '92 900ss for the past two days. I'm pleased to report that I loved every minute of it. My SS is a true hotrod. Sure, many Duck owners claim their bikes are rocketships, but my SS is a rocketship. A lightweight flywheel, high compression lightweight pistons, a lightened/balanced/polished crankshaft, lightweight clutch setup, FCR Race Carbs, a one-off hand built shotgun exhaust system, Marvic wheels, lightweight bodywork and hundreds of other tidbits... all in a 360 pound package that puts out 90 HP to the rear wheel. That's a hotrod. What's so fun about the SS is the simplicity of it. No fuel injection, heads that are easy to service, and a truly reliable ride. Unfortunately, its such a rocketship that I have to be in the right mood to ride it. It wants to run 100 mph wherever I go, and most of my commuting is more appropriate for my slower-paced M900. Whenever I go a few months without riding the SS, I ponder parting it out.. that is until I ride it. Whenever I get to test the raw power of the bike and remember that my hand has been over every single part of it I dismiss the idea of parting it out. For while there are faster bikes and more modern bikes, my '92 SS is a classic.. at least it is to me.

2 May 2006 - I finally had some time the past few nights to catch up on some writing for MCN. I'm friends with Dave Searle, the editor of MCN. If it wasn't for this friendship I probably would stop my motojournalism career. There just aren't enough hours in the day to add that chore to the mix. Last night I wrote up reviews of motorcycle covers, a Wilbers steering damper, and a Nelson-Rigg tail pack. I still have a bunch of products to review, but they will have to wait until next week. The tough part about writing for MCN is that I can't plug my business... Conflict of Interest you know. So, while I can review products that I use, I can't review products that I sell or design. This is a bummer because some products, like the Pro-Cutting Clutch pack are the best on the market. Still, I'm aware that a very small percentage of MCN readers are Ducati owners, so products that have widespread appeal are more desirable for the magazine.

1 May 2006 - I wish that I was better at predicting demand for Ducati parts. As it is, sales go up and down based on the whims of cycles of spending. I don't mind so much because I don't count on selling Ducati parts to feed my family. Still, it makes it difficult to set inventory levels. I'm aware that Desmo Times is an oddity amongst other Ducati parts resellers. For such a niche, the market for Ducati parts is flooded with vendors. Motowheels is the Wallmart of vendors, followed by California Cycleworks, Motostrano, and others. All of these vendors stock parts for Ducatis and other brands. I plan on sticking Ducati pure. The reason for this is simple. First, I love Ducatis. Second, I like the fact that I can repair any Ducati and that most of the parts are interchangeable across model years. Third, I'm so buried in the hobby that the thought of changing brands causes me hypertension.

Occasionally, people ask me why I don't advertise my site. This is a justifiable inquiry, because advertising is the primary outlet to spread awareness of a business. Unfortunately, I have limits to how far I can grow this business. I have no intent on making the business larger than I can service. I never want to do it full time, finding another person who has at least as much Ducati knowledge as me is difficult where I live, and I never want to lose touch with individual customers. This means Desmo Times will continue as it has, a small player in the aftermarket, known only to a small percentage of Ducati owners. This may make me small, but it also means that I can run my business the way I want, and to keep its mission and focus - on DIY Ducati owners who value customer service and quality.

29 April 2006 - I read in the paper today that the Hispanic community is promoting a nationwide boycott of spending in protest of proposed illegal immigration policies. I suppose that includes Ducati resellers. Let me make the politically incorrect assertion that those people that are supporters of illegal immigrants can go screw themselves. And if any illegal immigrant wants to boycott Desmo Times this week they can feel free. You can buy your Ducati parts elsewhere.

On the flip-side, I love Latin America. One of my specialties in Special Operations is the Latin American region. I'm aware of the problems in particular countries and the historical underpinnings of such problems... yet I'm still against illegal immigration. Unfortunately we don't have the collective will to stop it. Bush is on track with his assertion that if we can't stop the flow we should just give amnesty. What's the point of bitching about something if you aren't willing to correct the problem? Just think of all the potential Ducati owners if we removed the illegal immigrant branding. More importantly, let them pay taxes and maybe I'll see a dime of my Social Security expenditures.

28 April 2006 - I was supposed to be in the mountains today, blissfully carving up the best that the Georgia mountains have to offer. Instead I'm sweating it out in my back yard, building a retention wall around a stream that runs through my property. The bad part about living in the Panhandle of Florida is that it takes hours to get to good riding locations. It is 7 hours to the Georgia mountains. That's 400 miles each way... 800 miles round trip, at 17 MPG in my truck with a bike in the back.. at $3.00 a gallon... You get the picture. I lost the motivation when I figured what it would cost to go to the mountain. Instead I'm building equity at the house... sweat equity. Lots of sweat, little equity. If I had it to do all over again, I would have moved to the mountains. As it is, I have it too good in Pcola to move, and delude myself that some day the house will be paid off and we can build our dream house in the mountains... Dream on LT.

27 April 2006 - I'm learning the hard way the pitfalls of inventory. As I've expanded the Desmo Times product array, it has become difficult to stock everything that I want to. The problem isn't in deciding what to carry and what levels to stock items, but rather in getting the things I want. For instance, I've carried Vee-Two brand clutch hubs for the past 2 years. They are quality-built clutch hubs and I use them on my own Ducks. The problem is that I've been trying for the past month to order more. First I'm told "they will be ready next week". That week comes and goes and still no hubs. Then I'm told "They'll ship tomorrow", but they fail to ship them the following day. I then try for the next week to get an email returned to let me know the status of the hubs. Nothing... And this for a vendor to vendor interaction. The next time you see an "out of stock" message on my website, know that the problem isn't that I haven't ordered more, but rather that I have to wait on the manufacturer to send them to me... and vendors string me along just like they do to end-consumers.

26 April 2006 - This week my Intro to Business students presented their marketing plans. This semester, I had them prepare a marketing plan for the S2R1000. I was impressed with the presentations. Unfortunately, none of my students were motorcyclists. I laughed when one team identified the Triumph W650 as a competitor for the Monster. I guess I'm so close to motorcycling and Ducatis that I think everyone should already know about them. I am sadly mistaken in this assumption. The neat thing was that my students came up with ideas that Ducati could easily implement. If I was an inside Ducati man, I'd slip them the ideas. As it is, I am blissful in my obscurity. I figure I'm doing enough to keep the company afloat.

24 April 2006 - It hit 85 yesterday. I must be getting old, because I don't seem to have the patience for the heat the way I used to. Once it hits 85 degrees F, I put the bikes up until winter. This may sound strange if you are from a different climate, but from May-Sept the heat index is always above 90 degrees in Florida. The high humidity sucks the life out of you and makes one long for air-conditioning. I used to get up early and ride before the heat would hit, but the last few years nightfall in summer has done nothing but take the edge off the heat. There is no respite. I endure one long summer trip on my bike and head for the mountains for a few weekends. Other than that, my Ducks cower in their insulated garage, waiting for the cool temps of autumn. I've got 6 months of heat before that welcome season. The upside is that I get to ride all winter. That's right, I ride most days from Oct-May. My rule of thumb is that if its above 30 degrees, it is warm enough to fire up a desmoquattro, don the electric vest and hit the cold tarmac. Ah, cold tarmac.... not good for traction, but it beats the heat blisters on my ass during the summertime.

23 April 2006 - It continues to puzzle me as to why Ducati can excel at the world level of racing, but continue to struggle in AMA Superbike. To be honest, the success of Suzuki has ruined the series for me. I hate to be defeatest, but until other factories can get competitive in AMA Superbike, I will continue to spurn the series. I don't even set up my DVR to tape the events. However, I am quite excited by Ducati's success in WSB and MotoGP. Bayliss continued to shine today in WSB, sweeping both races, and Lanzi is back on form. Nothing better than seeing both Ducati's on the podium. So answer me this. If Ducati is beating the best that Suzuki has to off in WSB, why is Ducati contemplating a 1200cc superbike? The answer is longevity of the platform... more on that some other day.

I spent last evening working on the MHe. I installed a corse clutch casing cover that I had milled out and installed heat proofing beneath the CF tail. I'm amazed at how much longer things always take than I budget. I expected to complete the job in a few hours. It took over four hours, and I even know what I'm doing. The nice part was that I got to work on one of my own bikes. Of late, that is a rarity.

22 April 2006 - Welcome to the Daily Desmo. I've been thinking about adding this editorial ever since beginning my message board. The message board hasn't turned out as planned. I intended the message board for both comaraderie and tech questions. In the end it has provided neither. It doesn't generate enough posts to offer any comaraderie and people still send me direct emails instead of posting to the board. In the end it is a flawed experiment, but I will continue to host it.

About a year ago I started to write monthly editorials, but they received little interest so I discontinued them. With the Daily Desmo my aim is to highlight things in my Ducati business. Sometimes it will relate to products I am developing, products I carry or noteworthy customers I have come across. Other times it will be ramblings about Ducati racing or design.

I hope you find the daily desmo to be both entertaining and informative.

Desmo Times

555 Childers St

Pensacola, FL. 32534

www.desmotimes.com