30 Sept - I relaxed a bit yesterday. I finished tuning Ken Ford's GT1000 and took it for a spin. It's amazing what some tuning can do. The bike runs great and pulls hard. I'm stlll not so sure about the styling, and prefer the original GT in terms of looks, but that's a personal preferenace. The tuned bike yields a completely different feel compared to the bike I tested in CA. I saw a few people on Ducati.ms bashing the GT1000 vs Triumph Scrambler review I did for MCN. I stand behind the review. I anyone wants to ride each bike 500 miles and write a different summary feel free. I haven't gotten any angry emails from MCN subscribers, so it must be okay.
I hooked Reid Rushing's 02 ST4S up to the VDSTS yesterday. I was right -- a crank angle sensor. Throw in a barometric pressure sensor. I would have wasted hours troubleshooting that stuff. So once again I'll sit and wait on parts.
I'll be robbing parts from my own MTS to repair Mike Salyer's brake reservoir, and am taking his horn bracket to Brad's to get it rewelded tomorrow after our local ride. It would be nice to not have to mix business with pleasure. Oh well, I made my bed, so I'll toss and turn in it.
I worked a few hours last night completing my dry clutch article for MCN. I have to take a few pictures today to complete the rewrite, and off it goes. I also have to do a few product reviews this weekend. The grifter license plate storage box, custom cordura luggage by bikerworld, and an airbag deploying jacket.
Tomorrow I get to wheel out a bike for an early morning ride with the boys. I think it is Monster time.
Bayliss should rap it up tomorrow if he keeps it upright. It will be nice to see Ducati on top again in WSB. Next year will be a transition year for Ducati in WSB and I'm concerned about their competitiveness. The 1200 won't be ready for the track until 2008, and the racing end of it depends on the FIM agreeing to let 1200 twins compete with 1000 inline-4s. I'm already Jonesing for the Tri-Color S model 1098, and I haven't even seen it save for a few spy photos of a black duck-taped bike.
29 Sept - I'm worn out from yesterday. I got everything complete except for a countershaft sprocket change on Ken Ford's GT1000. I started up the bike for the first time with the new Termis... way too quiet. I then removed the baffles and it sounded much better. Of course, in order to remove the baffles I had to remove a screw... that was welded in. I don't know what I'd do without my dremel tool. After fiddling with the trim setting with my computer and my CO sniffer, the bike seems to be running fine. I'll take her for a test spin today to confirm it.
Throughout the day I also worked on the ST3. I hate removing all the fairings, and getting an ST prepped for service. It just takes too long. I drained all the fluids and have found a few problems that I'll have to fix. First, his horn was hanging by the wires. The bracked securing it to the horizontal head had sheared off. Time to break out the welder. Then, I sheared off the outer front reservoir cap screw. The bolt inside the reservoir was completely corroded. This is a design flaw my friends. For those of you with the newer flat reservoirs on post 2003 Ducatis including the Sport Classics, ST, and 749/999 models you need to check the bolts inside your reservoir. If the reservoir is over 1/2 full, fluid will get into the chamber where the bolt is, the bolt will corrode and the reservoir cap screw will rust to the bolt. Ducati doesn't sell the bolt seperately (big surprise here), so you have to order the entire reservoir replacement that costs @ $35. The solution is to lower the level of fluid in the reservoirs and coat the bolt in vaseline. Just an FYI. I've seen this occur on several customer bikes, so I know its a problem.
Today Suzi has the day off. I'll be spending some time with her, so no marathon shop sessions today. I'll putter around in the shop for a few hours and then run some errands with her.
Another bike showed up last night. An '02 ST4S that I've worked on before. The bike will turn over but won't start. Sounds like a job for the Technoresearch software again. I'm betting it's another crank angle sensor gone bad.
Time to get some breakfast. I was up till 11 last night watching "Dog the Bounty Hunter". Don't ask me why, but I enjoy the show.
I leave for more Army duty in 10 days, and will be closing down the business while I'm gone. I'm not putting Suzi through the shipment routine again. She doesn't deserve to work all day only to have to pack my stuff at night. No shipments from Oct 7-20th.
Oh yeah, one more tidbit for today. After installing a Speedymoto clutch cover on Gregg Kirby's ST4S, I have decided to switch vendors for clutch covers. Those covers are just too nice and the fit and finish is incredible. I have 2 Paulimoto clutch covers that I need to put up on my "spare stuff" page. I'll off them at my cost just to unload them. The Speedymoto covers are on my "clutch products" page already. Cheers...
28 Sept - We had our usual 3-bike turnout last night for our weekly Ducati get-together. It's a shame there aren't more Ducatis around, but then I guess that's part of the reason we own them.
Today is a pure shop day. I've got to get cranking and finish the GT1000 and start the service on the ST3. Here's hoping no gremlins come out of the woodworks.
A few other items to finish today are the state of the industry article and the clutch maintenance articles for MCN. You guys probably aren't aware, but Ducati is having another off year in the USA. Unit sales have shrunk another 5% and Ducati now only holds a .5% market share, half of the share it held 5 years ago. If the situation isn't reversed, it is conceivable that Ducati will be in receivership within a few years. Some people think a new superbike is what they need, but remember that the Monster is almost 40% of their unit sales. I'd say a revamped Monster is more critical to the long-term success of Ducati. And, of course, a new superbike wouldn't hurt. Ducati is touting the next superbike and MTS will cut maintenance costs in 1/2. That will go a long way towards changing their image, but the image they now have has taken decades to build. It will take a few years of owners espousing how much cheaper their bikes are to maintain before the image will shift to the new paradigm. We'll see. I, for one, have no desire to see Ducati fail. I'm doing all I can to keep the brand alive, but there aren't enough weirdos like me... or you.
27 Sept - Yesterday was a blur, and today will be much of the same. I managed to roll out a few more products though. After a year of trying I was able to source chrome male-disconnects for 748-916-996-998 superbikes to replace those cheesy plastic ones. I've had them rupture on my 748 and on customer bikes, and the chrome ones I now carry should last the life of the bike. I also rolled out countershaft sprockets and a chain break/rivet tool.
Yesterday I didn't get everything done as planned. It took so long to pack shipments for customers that I didn't get to work on any bikes. Instead of stressing, I took a long lunch with my riding buddy Brad Gaines. I had a great lecture last night. I really enjoy teaching, and am lucky to have that gig.
Today is another full day of teaching. It's gorgeous outside, but I've got stuff to carry to school, so I'll be in the old convertible rather than on a Duck. That's okay, because we're in prime-time riding season. The heat has broken in FL and it's time to ride EVERY DAY.
26 Sept - There's too much to do and not enough time to do it. Last night I got a revised copy of my article on dry clutches from my editor. It will require more edits and pictures. I'll have to get to that later this week. I was up at 4:00 today and on the computer to fill orders from yesterday. I'll pack them all before 6:00, eat some breakfast and then mail them. Then it is onto the shop to prep the ST3 for service and work on the GT1000. I'll work in the shop untl 2:00 PM, then shower, head into the office and prepare to teach from 5:30-8:30 tonight. That's the day in a nutshell.
I did get to watch 3 quarters of the Saints game last night. It's nice to see the Saints competitive again. I've been a closet Saints fan since moving to Florida. They're the closest team to where I live. After living through years of being called the "aint's", this year New Orleans is for real.
I talked to my bud Chris Kelley last night as well. We discussed some joint projects and whined about things best discussed amongst fellow vendors. Chris is the only other vendor I know of that is also a die-hard Ducati enthusiast. He's a good guy, and an ethical vendor.
I want to thank those of you that participated in my polls. It looks like I was half right. My predictions were that 1 in 3 owners had multiple Ducatis and that the average age of owners was 40-49. Only 28.8% of owners own more than 1 Duck and fully 47% of owners are in the same age group as me. All hail middle age Ducati owners. I also see that there's one sorry soul like me that owns more than 4 Ducatis. As the saying goes, to know me you have to walk a mile in my shoes.
25 Sept - Today's DD isn't really about Ducatis, well, at least not directly. In 1987 I purchased my first Sport Tourer - The Kawi Concours. I loved the Concours, but had to sell it due to financial problems. The Concours was manufacturered in a relatively unchanged condition from 1986-2006. In short, it was a great sport-tourer. Well, Kawasaki just announced that they are sticking the ZX14 motor in an updated Concours. That will make for one heck of a Sports-Tourer, but not one I'm interested in. I have moved on so to speak, and the Connie forced too many sacrifices. My personal limit is 500 pounds wet for any tourer. I had to do some cutting and modifying to get my ST2 and Cagiva Gran Canyon down to that weight. I'm guessing the Concours 14 will miss that mark by about 50 pounds. Still, it will be about 100 pounds lighter than the old Concours. Kawi also is redoing the KLR650, another bike that has gone 2 decades without significant modifications. If I were looking for a tourer, the KLR would get my attention more than the Concours. If you've never toured on a true Adventure Tourer, you don't know what you're missing. Riding my Gran Canyon is significantly different than an ST. And what I lose in horsepower compared to a 3 or 4-valve ST, I gain in comfort and fun. An adventure tourer will blast through any road and weather condition without fanfare. I don't put the MTS in this category. The MTS is a cross-segment bike. It's not an adventure tourer, and it's not a sport bike. It leans much more towards a sportbike. If I put semi-knobbies on it, I would probably still decide that it wasn't a true Adventure Tourer. I'd take on the Klondike on my GC, but not on my MTS. Why? Probably because I know what the Gran Canyon can do, and I haven't toured on the MTS. I've got a few more year's worth of touring to do on the GC before I retire her. That day will be sad indeed. I'm collecting states stickers for every state I've been to on my GC. She's been to 17 states. I plan on knocking another 10 out next summer if the Army leaves me alone.
24 Sept - Yesterday was pretty busy, but everything went as planned. Bikes were coming and going all day until 2:00. I have Ken Ford's GT1000 and Mike Salyer's ST3 to service this week and Reid Rushing is dropping off his ST4S with electrical gremlins. After their complete, it will be time to pull a few more weeks of Army duty and gear up for mods to the property. Of course, if this heat continues, it may be Christmas before I break ground.
I watched the MotoGP race today. Capirossi was untouchable today. A first and fourth for Ducati, and Nicky must be worried. With 2 races left, he has to find a way of getting closer to Rossi. What a different year it would have been if the Yamaha was dependable and Gibernau hadn't taken out Capirossi earlier in the season. I hope the last 2 races see nail-biter finishes.
It's a washout today in Pensacola. I spent 4 hours in the yard, cutting grass, running the weedwacker and the hedge trimmer. By the time that was over, I was so tired that I sat like a slug in my easy chair, watching football all afternoon as the rain came down.
I've been trying to help out Gregg Kirby's clutch for the past week. I installed a full monty for him, but his clutch has been slipping. The problem is that he's far from home, living out of a motel, and, of course, the clutch didn't slip during the test run. I sent him a thinner and thicker driven plate to allow him to increase the pack thickness .5mm. I've never had one of my clutches slip right out of the box, so I'm thinking that something else must be amiss. I also installed a STM pushrod bushing, so maybe that is preventing the pushrod from fully seating. I asked him to make sure the pressure plate bearing and the STM bushing were fully seated, Gregg said they were fully seated, so I instructed him to increase pack thickness by .5mm. I had to do the same thing last week on the slipper clutch on my MTS1000. Not only that, but I had to hand grind each friction plate to fit the basket. What should have taken 15 minutes, took a few hours. I had to do the same thing a few years ago on a STM clutch that I installed in my ST2.
23 Sept - Well, I couldn't do it. I had cleaned up the showroom and the workshop by early afternoon, so I began working on a GT1000. I thought I'd relax and install a new set of Termi slip-ons with the included ECU. The ECU install was a breeze. It's underneath the tail on the GT. Next I pulled off one slip on... no problem there. When I went to pull off the second slip on a problem arose. One of the bolts securing the slip on to the hanger was stripped from the factory. Sh^&.. I took the slip on off with the entire hanger and carefully used a dremel tool and cutting wheel to cut off the head of the bolt. That freed up the hanger. I then touched up the hanger in a few places where the dremel touched, used new stainless panhead bolts, and the project was complete. The slip ons are reverse cone polished aluminum. They look great, but I don't like installing them because they scratch too easily. It helps to leave them in the wrapper when mounting. I just cut holes where the hanger and inlet pipe are.
Today is going to be crazy. First, Keith Forehand is dropping by so that I can show him how to do a belt change on his M750Sie. That's the Senna that Suzi used to own. Then, Mike Cullen comes to pick up his 998. That's followed by Mike Salyer dropping off his ST3 for a service, Mark Dill coming to pick up a used clutch hub, and Perry Houck stopping by to pick a fairing clip I fashioned for him. Should be a busy Sat.
The heat and humidity blasted back yesterday. When it's 80 degrees with 80% humidity at 8 AM you know you're in for a long day.
I got an initial price from a different supplier to make a run of the ST4S axle cover plates. His first price was way too high, so he said he's put pencil to paper to see what he could do. I'm having 25 sets made. It will probably be the last run I ever do of the axle plates. There just isn't enough damand. My waiting list if 9 months old, and I only have 15 people. 25 sets should satisfy existing demand. Plus, Ducati doesn't make any more bikes with those swingarms.
So, Loris is on pole for Motegi, with Rossi and Melandri next to him. Looks like a great race. Set those Tivos...
22 Sept - Happy 45th to me. The day may be overcast and muggy in Pcola, but I'm pleased to have survived for 45 years. I'm going to run some errands and clean up around the shop, but I'm not doing any work on bikes today. That's my way to celebrate my birthday. That doesn't mean I can ignore orders, so a load of orders goes out today.
So, Nicky signed another 2 year deal with Honda. That's cool. I didn't see him on a Duck anyway. The only unanswered question for the factory team is the partner for Bayliss next year. I volunteered, but I haven't received any responses to my emails.
I replaced the crank angle sensor I borrowed from Suzi's bike. It's nice to have a ready parts bin sitting in the showroom, but prefer to have parts on the shelf. I'm fully stocked on most items in the inventory. I'm rolling out the Powercards today. You can click on "modifications" to see the description and Q&A. I also made my order of sprockets and chain tools to join my chains in the "maintenance section". Perhaps next week I can get them up on the website.
That's about it. I wish I had some pithy comments today to be worthy of your stares, but I feel the boring person I truly am.
Don't forget, MotoGP this weekend in Jap-land. Rain is expected, so I'm looking forward to more slipping and sliding.
21 Sept - Desmo Times is located in the middle of a dead end street, at the bottom of a hill. My workshop is a small metal building that does little to muffle the sound of a thundering Desmo. I sometimes wonder what my neighbors think when I fire off a customer bike and take it for a wide open run down our street/my test track. Hearing a desmo at full song is a beautiful thing. At least I think so. You'll have to ask my neighbors if they agree. Today I got to do another test blast down the street with Mike Cullen's 998, this time with one of my clutches installed. The clutch rattle is gone, left only by the roar of his Termis. At the end of the street is a tight sweeping 90 degree left. 100 yards later the street ends into grass. Many a neighborhood kid has sat with mouth open as I blast into the corner, leaning off like some wanna-be GP racer. If a bike passes my drag test, it then goes on a longer 10 mile test route where I put it through the paces. If a bike passes this additional test I'm fairly confident that it won't break when the customer rides it.
I talked to my good friend Greg Calhoun today. Greg is one of my touring buddies, but he's missed the last three years. Two years ago his Ducati ST2 broke down outside of Birmingham AL. Last year it broke down in the middle of Kansas. This year, he was all set for our trip, this time on a Honda Blackbird. Unfortunately, his wife was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer the same week he was to leave on the trip. He spent time with his wife while I rode cross-country. Since then, he's been hunkered down with her fighting the cancer. I keep tabs with him, and he helps me keep things in perspective. Compared to your and your loved one's health, little else matters. I appreciate the genes I have every day, and pray that they'll see me through till I'm a lot older and grayer. God bless Greg and Bekay Calhoun.
20 Sept - I finished Mike Cullen's 998 yesterday. Man, that thing pulls like a freight train. I still insist that the 998/999 platform give out more heat and doesn't run as smoothly as previous desmoquattros. I don't know if its primary or secondary imbalance, the bore/stroke/rod combination or what. It's just harder to tune out stuff on testastrettas. I've been selling clutches like hot-cakes. It must be clutch-upgrade time of the year for Ducati owners. Once again, I've stocked out of the STM clutch pushrod bushings. Wish I could get my hands on more. Grrrrrrrrr....
Yesterday was a crazy day, and today will be the same. Work in the shop a few hours, head off to the university for 7 hours, and then some writing tonight. Burning the candle at both ends is getting old. I either need a bigger candle or a thinner wick. I guess I'd better get a bigger candle...my wick is already thin enough.
I need to put my Powercards up on the website. The powercard is similar to a dynojet power commander, but you tune it right on the box. No need to upload maps. Each box comes configured to owner specs, and the maps are as good as Dynojet's, which means for most bikes they are plug and play. The advantage of the powercard is that it is 1/4 the size of the power commander making easier to hide, plus it is $100 cheaper. I've installed a few of them just to make sure they passed my test. I've got no complaints. You really need a dyno to set up f/i boxes, but an owner can dial out most flat spots themselves.
I'm looking forward to MotoGP this weekend. It will be crucial weekend, and Nicky can go a long way towards securing the championship with a podium finish. It will be sad to see the race season over, but that means cool weather for us Floridians.
19 Sept - Today's DD is about conflicts of interest. As a staff writer for MCN, I have to be fair and impartial with regards to product reviews. It also means that I can't plug my side business - DT. Still, it was tough to write a 4 page story on how to properly setup and modify a dry clutch without mentioning that I sell the products I was recommending. Instead, I pointed readers to Motowheels, DR Desmo and others. The only plug I put in for DT was a reference link at the end of the article. The link will appear in with the other references. It's also tough to be fair an impartial with answering owner questions on the message board. I sell products to fix most customer problems, but I try to give them options -- pointing out Calif Cycleworks, Motowheels, etc. None of the vendors I recommmend or that I link to reciprocates. And if you go to Speedzilla, or Ducati.ms, you won't see any other vendor recommend customers go to me. I don't advertise, I'm not a gold-sponsor commercial advertiser of Speedzilla or Ducati.ms, and I don't plan on doing so. Why? Well, I plan on continuing on writing my Ducati books. And if the perception is that I only write about products that I sell, I lose some credibility. But the formula has changed. I used to buy a lot of different products from vendors, and plug their products in my books. Now, there is little money left over after stocking my inventory. That means that I may hear about a lot of different products, but I don't necessarily have the means to buy them for review. That's okay though, because the odds are that if I like the product, I carry it... and if I carry it, it's fully tested.
18 Sept - I put a few polls up on the message board. The first on the age of Ducati riders and the second on how many Ducks owners have. I'm predicting that the average of owners is between 40-49 and that about one in three owners has multiple Ducatis. We'll see.
I took the sabbath off, watching football and doing some yardwork. It was nice not to work on bikes. That doesn't mean I relaxed the entire day. I had to organize some inventory items and do some admin stuff. The worst part of having a small business is the paperwork --- monthly state tax filings, quarterly federal filings, and mailings to vendors who don't take credit cards.
I watched the Green Bay game yesterday. I've long been a Brett Favre fan. I love his spirit, and his drive to win. It is just sad that he doesn't have the weapons to win. The Packer's problems aren't Brett. He just can't do it alone. I hope he retires at the end of the year to ease his pain. The Packers don't deserve him.
I had an interesting order last night. As many of you know, I have a $30 minimum order. I've elaborated on the reasoning for that. Well, an international customer makes a $22 purchase, sees the minimum order charge (another $8 was automatically applied), and then complains in the customer comment section of the order form that he doesn't like the minimum order charge and my international shipping charges. So, being the nice person that I am, I figure if he is a disgruntled customer BEFORE he even gets the product, I'll head off problems from the start. I simply issued him a full refund. I think customers aren't used to that kind of behavior. The nice part of having my business is that I get to choose who I'll do business with. I could have replied that if he added an oil filter to his order that would have bumped it up to $30 and then you wouldn't have had a surcharge, but I didn't feel like it. I could have also defended my policy, and how his $22 order wasn't worth the effort of pulling the product from the bin, packing it, typing out the sales receipt and the shipping label and then writing up the customs form. I didn't. After I refunded him, he later made an identical order and typed "you win" in the comment section. I may have won, but he could have won too if he would have figured out that by adding another product to the shopping cart he wouldn't have had the min order charge applied. I mean, I sell over 100 products. Many of them are consumables, like oil filters, fuel filters, etc. If a $22 case saver is the only thing I sell that appeal to you, you need to broaden your horizons. :-) I guess I won't win any "kiss the consumer's ass" awards.
17 Sept - I had some time yesterday to button up the 998 and start tuning it. The clutch on the bike is so loud that I had to wear earplugs in the garage. She definitely needs some tweaking. The F/I isn't set up properly.
Well, interesting results in Philip Island. Great race. Third-Fifth separated by a tenth of a second. Wow. Where did Melandri come from? Where did Vermuelen come from? How disappointing for Hopkins to see his teammate score higher than he ever has. I was disappointed to see Rossi only get third. He missed a prime opportunity to make up points. He still made up a few on Nicky, and is now in second, but 20 points is too much to make up in 3 races. Nicky would have to DNF a race, and that is doubtful. Pedrosa is out of it. He did better when he was freshly hurt than after a week of healing.
The mornings are a bit cooler in Pensacola now. Starting next weekend, I'll start doing local rides again. Some of my bikes haven't been exercised in 4 months. And I still have a bunch of stuff to do to them .. a full service on the 999, replace clutch springs on Suzi's S2R, fit the new exhaust for the 888 (that I've had for 2 years), change the oil in the Gran Canyon, and increase the clutch pack thickness in the 916. That alone would take me a full week of free time if I didn't have anything else to do. I've got another customer bike to work on though -- Ken Ford's '07 GT1000 -- install Termi slip-ons and ecu, new rear sprocket and chain, and a bunch of other piddly little things. Looks like another busy week.
16 Sept - If given the choice between being lucky or skilled, I'll take both. I've been battling an '02 998 for several weeks. The customer's bike would turn over, but had no spark and injector pulses on only the horizontal cylinder. My diagnostic software wouldn't even make a connection with the bike. So, I did the only thing you can do when looking for gremlins... I started replacing parts. The most likely culprit was the ECU. There were a few mods to the wiring harness from the previous owner, so I suspected that a spark had trashed the ECU. It only takes a spark to toast the new ECUs. $250 and 2 weeks later, a new ECU was installed. This time, my diagnostic software made the connection, I had injector pulses on both cylinders, but still no spark. Upon checking the error codes stored in the ECU every time you crank it over, the telltale error message showed up -- crank angle sensor. I've had them go bad before too. So, I robbed the crank angle sensor off of Suzi's still-new S2R and voila --- one 998 that now runs. I've never had two electrical components fail at once, but with Ducatis anything is possible. I'll button up the 998 this week, tune the F/I and take her for a spin. She should be out of her next weekend.
I see that Nicky is on pole in Philip Island. Good for him. The real question is what the heck happened to the Ducatis? 12th and 13th isn't going to cut it. The Ducks ran great in the practice sessions, but that and $250 will get you a new ECU. Looks like a Nicky and Rossi duel in the making. I'd be surprised to see Nakano on podium. Americans 1, 4 & 5 on the starting grid. Nice!!
15 Sept - I fired up the MTS1000 for the first time since tearing her apart. The bike is running great. I put up the MTS as my bike of the quarter for Fall 2006, so you can see what it looks like. Still a few tidbits to do, but that's how I'll run her for awhile. I've been experimenting with coming out with my own quiet clutch. Unfortunately, the prototype I had made was designed for the old steel OEM clutch basket, and doesn't work with the newer aluminum baskets, so it's back to the drawing board. Making things worse is the fact that none of my machinist friends are located in Pensacola. I'm sure there are machinists here, but none I'm networked with. It's a shame I can't get this project off the ground, as it would virtually eliminate the rattle of worn clutches. At least the rattle caused by the plates banging in and out. It doesn't reduce the banging from plate tang/basket finger gap.
I just got off the treadmill for the day's run. I got the old legs up to 12 mph this morning. I can only do it for a tenth of a mile before my heart rate gets over 165, but it's a new best for me. At our local Ducati club meeting the other night (me and 2 others = the Pensacola Ducati Club), we were discussing personal fitness. While I stay in shape for the Army, I also stay in shape to ride Ducks. If you've never straddled an 888, you don't know what discomfort is. I plan on riding my sportbikes well into my retirement years, and the only way that is going to happen is to 1 - avoid IEDs and snipers overseas and 2 - keep up my strength and flexibility training.
While running on the treadmill, I watched another episode of American Chopper. I see that OCC is now building their own frames and is going to mass-produce their choppers. While I enjoy the entertainment value of the show, I cringe at their engineering. I laughed when they were discussing how much better a chopper rides with sprung suspension. Wow, that's certainly a revolutionary concept.
Click on the MTS to see my work in progress
14 Sept - My machined stuff came back from Alex yesterday, so today I cleaned and painted the clutch housing cover for the MTS. Tomorrow I'll fire her up and begin tuning the F/I. I'm still awaiting Mike Cullen's ECU. I hate that my supplier is 1500 miles away. Damn!!! I did a bunch of coordinating yesterday. I'm in need of more Ducati training, so I talked to some folks about making that happen. For those of you that periodically ask me how to get trained, the answer is that you have to be a dealer. No if, ands, or buts. If you're not a dealer, they won't train you. The fact that I write Ducati maintenance manuals and have poured hundred of thousands of Euros in the mouth of Bologna's cake hole helps me.
I'm flattered by the feedback to my poll on the message board about the DD. I honestly thought there were about 5 of you that read my garbage. 19 isn't too shabby. A few more and I can start my own cult, move you all to Montana on a compound and begin running around with multiple wives. No, I think that's already been done. How about a Church to appease the Ducati Gods? No, I already did that too. It's called my showroom. I'll have to think more about the cult thing.
I've been trying to work out the technical details of coming out with my own quiet clutch. The task is daunting. The tolerances on clutch pack thickness leave little margin for error, plus different brand baskets have different dimensions. It looks like the project is on hold until I can figure out a workable solution. Dr. Desmo sells a setup, but his quiet clutch is an entire pack replacement. What I want is to allow owners to add my kit to their existing clutch. I'll keep working on it. Heck, now that Ducati is switching all their bikes over to wet clutches, I may not need to. I think it's sad that the ST3, GT1000, and the new MTS1100 have wet clutches. For owners, it makes perfect sense. Wet clutches are less finicky and prone to slipping. And, it doesn't take an expensive setup to make a wet clutch perform. Still, there's something sterile about not being able to hear and see the Ducati clutch. Call me old-fashioned (even though the old bevel drives used wet clutches. I expect the new Monster 1100 will have a wet clutch as well. The reason for the conversion on Ducati's part isn't what you think -- it's noise. A closed cover wet clutch is quieter, and DOT requirements are getting more stringent on total sound decibels that bikes put out. I can already see aftermarket kits being sold to convert wet clutches over to dry. I'm hopeful that the new superbike is a dry clutch. If not, I'll be highly disappointed.
I took out my ST2 to the weekly Ducati get together in Pcola last night. It has been about 4 months since I've ridden the ST. The bike ran great and I enjoyed stretching its legs. What a great bike. Only a few more weeks and cool weather should be heading our way. By the end of Sept, the daytime highs should only be in the low to mid 80s. So while most of you are getting ready to put away your bikes for the winter, I'll be just pulling mine out of mothballs.
The latest copy of MCN hit my mailbox yesterday. I hope those of you that subscribe filled out the survey in last month's issue. My editor and I would love to switch to color, and the survey may be able to convince the editor for it to happen. I'm skeptical, because the publisher is a cheap bastard, but it may happen. I haven't gotten any flack over my GT1000 vs Triumph Scrambler review. I'm sure it pissed off some GT owners, but I stand behind the review.
You can take the online MCN survey HERE. I had some difficulty with the font while viewing online.
13 Sept - Well, I didn't get to do as much as I had planned yesterday. I completed two articles for MCN -- one on how to install frame sliders, and the other on a basic description of the functioning and setup of dry clutches. Hopefully, next week I'l be able to clear my backlog of "must write" articles.
I'm adding offset wrenches to my product lineup. You need offset 24mm and 26mm to service the pre-testa and testa heads on 4-valvers. I have a good source for them, and the price is very reasonable.
I had a chance to watch the rerun of the MotoGP race yesterday. It seems like Rossi is back in form again. It's so nice to see somebody enjoy racing. I was very impressed to see Pedrosa finish 3rd. He's a great racer, but a boring person. He's the Bjorn Borg of the racetrack.
It's rained the past 3 days in Pensacola. That's no big deal, as it's still too freakin' hot to ride. When working on customer bikes, I have to wait until sunrise or sunset times, otherwise I just sweat all over everything. I talked to a customer last night in California. When he found out that I live in Florida, he asked how the heck I could stand to live here. I told him the Hurricanes are exciting, and you don't have to worry about parts dry-rotting.
Another day of teaching is ahead. This week I'm discussing corporate and personal finances, trying to espouse the virtues of being fiscally responsible. It's a tough sell on my students because they know about all the toys I have in the garage. My pitch is that if you avoid debt, you can afford a lot more. Other than my mortgage, I have no debt. I pay cash for all vehicles, and merely pay myself an amount each month for the next vehicle purchase. I consider it a bill, but it goes into a separate account. When it is time to purchase another vehicle, I empty out the account and start over. The process works for me. I also talk to them about the evils of credit cards. My take on it is that if you don't have the money, you probably shouldn't be purchasing it. The only thing I use a credit card for is my business purchases. I get credit towards the purchase of a new vehicle with every dollar spent, and I pay in full each month. What a concept --- paying as you go. Wouldn't it be nice if our government did that.
12 Sept - I spent yesterday teaching, and doing some business in between classes. I spoke to a few vendors -- speedymoto, motowheels, procutting, and my shopping cart vendor. My hat is off to my clutch manufacturer. Between moving from Vegas to Missouri Charlie Smith makes sure I'm stocked up with stuff. Tomorrow I mail a set of my axle plates off to a new fabricator to see if he can duplicate them. If so, I'll contract immediately for 20 sets. It has been almost a year since I had any made. Unfortunately, after 8 months of a waiting list, I only have 3 people waiting on my ST2/ST/ST4 axle plates (steel swingarmed ST models) As a result, I'm cancelling that product. I'll support the ST4S axle plate, but that's it.
My care package didn't arrive today from Alex Ortner, so no work yet on the MTS. I'm still awaiting Mike Cullen's ECU too, so no work there either. Instead, I'll spend a few hours tomorrow ordering stuff and working on website updates.
In one of my discussions with a vendor today, I again heard the rumor that the next superbike will be 1098cc and will have a significantly different engine architecture. Man, I can't keep up. If the new motor is way different than the existing one, there will be a lot of catch up for technicians. That probably also means a different shim kit, more needed tools and, of course, different belts that will be even more pricey than the current testastretta belts. I often wish for the old days, when models would go at least 5 years before significant revisions. I guess that means I'm getting old. I'm realizing that too. I turn 45 in a few weeks. If I lived a few hundred years ago it would be time to talk into the wilderness and die. Sometimes I think about that when a customer bike frustrates me. But then I come to my senses. If I did, there are so many that would miss my income generation -- my mortgage company, my vendors, my business credit card holder and my wife. Reaching 45 will clearly place me in the realm of Jethro Tull's 70s hit "Too old to rock and roll, Too young to die". I don't rock, I don't roll, but I do wrench. Dying doesn't cross my mind much, but I am aware of where I am in life. I'm having a blast, and it's a shame that I can't do so forever. By the time we know who we are and what we want to do, too many years pass.
11 Sept - Another bike left yesterday, and another one rolled in. Gregg Kirby picked up his ST4S and Ken Ford dropped off his '07 GT1000 for a few things. I should have the current wave of bikes out of here by the end of Sept, just in time for me to perform some needed services on my own fleet.
So, what do you think about my earlier prediction that Rossi would come back to win it? I don't sound so crazy now, doI? Well, it's still a longshot, but he has a chance. Yesterday's race was great. You can see the respect between Rossi and Capirossi. Pedrosa should befriend Gibernau, because they both have the personality of a cucumber. As far as Nicky, I think he's well aware of the points gaps. All he has to do is stay close to Pedrosa and Rossi and he'll still win it. He needs to return to his podium ways if he wants to cement it.
I have a full day of teaching. In with a quiz that I'll give my students is a simple question... What were you doing on 9/11/2001? I was at Ft Knox in uniform, participating in a simulated tactical exercise. The exercise was a preparation for armored conflict against a Russian-tank-equipped enemy. When I saw the 2nd plane run into the World Trade Center, I knew that fighting old enemies was an exercise in history. Within 3 months I had transferred out of the Armor, the specialty I thought I'd spend my career in. After being in special ops for 5 years, I've already made more of an impact than I did after 10 years in Armor. Civil Affairs is a strange speciaty, but I like it. After 5 years, the moment I heard about the first plane hitting is seared in my brain. I can tell you the exact layout of the room I was in, and what I was thinking. I'm sure you can remember where you were too.
Here's my list of things to accomplish this week -- finish Mike Cullen's 998, finish Ken Ford's GT1000, finish my MTS1000, order the male brass quick-disconnects as a new product. Order single-sided swingarm stands from Pitbull (another product), 24x26mm box end wrenches (another product), and a few other tidbit products.
On another note, I spoke to a customer who has some inside contacts in Ducati. From what he's heard, Ducati is having some financial difficulty, has cancelled several events in Europe and has had a minor shakeup of personnel at the top. I hope it isn't time for another bout of insolvency from Ducati. They haven't done that in about 15 years. If that happens, everything will be affected, from parts to bike availability. I hope my customer's info was off the mark.
9 Sept - A long day of teaching awaits. Yesterday was a mixed bag. First, I test rode Greg's ST4S to breakfast. On the way there I noticed the speedo wasn't working and the computer malfunction light was ablaze on the instrument cluster. Well, that ruined breakfast. I rode the bike back home and did some writing for MCN (My holiday product picks). Then grabbed a workout on the treadmill. All the while I was pondering what was up with ST. I had to walk past the ST on my way to the mailbox. When I did, it hit me.... One of the last things I did was replace Gregg's rear brake rotor bolts with stainless ones. The only problem with this mod is that the rear wheel speed sensor is triggered by the stock steel bolts. My day instantly went from bad to good.
I then had lunch with some buddies from my old Army unit, as I am contemplating a move in the next few months. I then prepped to teach for 4 hours last night, and got another bit of good news. Perry's MTS1000 was serviced by our local dealer under warranty for the noise coming from the horizontal cylinder. The dealer said the bike was ready to ride, but that they couldn't find the cause of the sound. I'm no rocket scientist, but I've found that noises don't get better with age. I hope the issue doesn't affect the running of the bike. I didn't bother to tune Perry's MTS after installing the Powercard for fear of reprisal from Ducati -- I didn't want to violate his warranty. The good news is that D&D told Perry that the pipe and powercard mod I did won't violate the warranty and that he's still got his 2 years of coverage. The best news is that he can ride again. Nothing eats away at me more than customers waiting to get their bikes serviced. Which brings up Mike Cullen's 998 still sitting on my lift. The replacement computer is on its way to me. I hope to have his bike ready to pickup next weekend. That will leave me free to so some needed services on my own bike. I'm way backlogged on stories for MCN, and many require tearing into my bikes for pictures and procedures. The first is a pager on dry clutch maintenance, then a story on how to field a collection of bikes, how to install frame sliders... Others are in the back of my head...somewhere. And there are the product reviews. Man, I'm way backlogged on promised product review for MCN. I wish I didn't have to sleep. I hate spending 1/3 of my life horizontal. I thought death was for that.
I had no time this week to roll out some planned products - powercards (cheaper, smaller, more user friendly version of the Power Commander, brass quick disconnect, and some nice speedymoto stuff. Perhaps this week I'll get to it. Losing 12 hours to teaching this weekend doesn't help the cause. Oh well, that's the price of burning the candles at both ends.
I have still to watch WSB from last weekend, and I'm taping WSB and MotoGP from this weekend. Go Troy and Loris, and I hope Dani's injured knee bleeds like a stuck pig. Oh, that's a bit politically incorrect. Hey, I'm an American with Italian blood. So sue me.
Gregg Kirby's New Clutch,
compliments of DT. Drool, Drool.
8 Sept - I'm absolutely destroyed. I spent the morning finishing the service on Gregg's ST4S. I hate lubing steering head bearings. Good thing I did though. When I removed the steering stem nut and hoised the front end, a few ounces of water came out of the steering head. I removed the old lube and applied a good coat of synthetic grease. ST's are notorious for letting water into the steering head.
This afternoon I finished the handlebars and throttlemeister install on my MTS1000. The stock bars sucked, so it now has renthal bars. I also installed the full Zard system. Mixed reviews on the system. Fit and finish is good, but the "full" system didn't include the up-pipe connecting the header to the canisters. Also, the instructions blow, and I had so many left over fasteners I was wondering what I left out. It turns out that Zard doesn't really make a different fastener package between the MTS and 749/999. I'd give the look and A, the fit a B, the instructions an F and an overall grade of a B-. The carbon top shroud fits fine on the top, but on the side it has a mounting hole hanging out in space. Again, I think the shroud is the same one they use on the 749/999, and isn't custom fit for the Ducati. I'm going to make my own carbon side panels to make the fit look factory. I'm guessing most owner won't go to this end. The side part of the carbon shroud wouldn't even show if you had the side bags mounted, but I don't plan on mounting mine anytime soon. I then spent a few hours replacing the crap sidestand and raising the rear ride height. In all, I spent 12 hours in the garage today. I'm still waiting on my machined clutch housing, so I can't start up the bike and tune it for the exhaust. Bummer.
Tomorrow morning I'll pull a few more hours in the garage, show up at a few committee meetings, and then teach Fr night and all day Saturday. I also have a looming deadline for a few MCN articles, so you'll forgive me if I step away from the DD for a few days.
I appreciate the legions of fans that voted on my DD poll on the main message board. I guess there are about a dozen of you reading this. That's probably more of an audience than I currently reach in the classroom. I have 100 students, but between the disillusioned and disaffected there are probably a fair chunk that view me as a roadblock in their goal to secure a degree.
I'm outta here. There's a shower with my name on it.
7 Sept - Every time a new Ducati model comes out, there is a small group of Ducatisti that rushes out to place a reservation on the bike. The latest craze is over the supposed new 1098cc Superbike. While I love new things, and particularly new Ducatis, I'll be damned if I'm going to rush out to place an advance order for anything, especially something I haven't seen. Now, if reserving one early allowed me access to limited production run AND if it would appreciate in value, I'd be glad to speculate. I'm fairly confident that production to the new superbike will meet demand. If not, Ducati will make more. Regardless, I'm confident that in a few years I can purchase one used like I have been doing. I don't have to have the latest and greatest poser Ducati to compensate for having a small weenie. The fact that the capabilities of the current 999 superbike is far above the skillsets of most riders is a logic escaping rabid fans. That's good for Ducati, and good for the growth in motorcycle sales. It probably isn't the best thing for owners who can't keep their wallet in check.
A supplier buddy of mine has a friend who buys and sells his Ducatis in a vain search for the "perfect Ducati". He'll spend mucho dinero on the blingo, after which he'll sell the bike for a pittance to finance his next purchase. He is leveraged to the hilt, makes his family suffer to fuel his need for new Ducati stuff, and is about as dysfunctional a Ducatisti as I've ever seen. Unfortunately, I see aspects of his persona in a lot of Ducatisti. Having a Ducati is a privilege, not a right. You don't HAVE to have a Duck and having one doesn't make your weenie bigger or make you more popular. Having a newer Duck doesn't add anything to the equation other than the satisfaction in owning something new. Call me lazy or cheap, I'd rather somebody else foot the bill for the full termi system and new ecu. I'm the guy who shows up at your doorstep with a smile, cash, and small weenie. :-)
6 Sept - I had a chance to peruse Ducati's Desmoblog (http://blog.ducati.com/), the blog created by Ducati's CEO. What a piece of crap. It is a politically correct post-a-week piece of shit. I guess I would have been surprised if it provided any real insights into the company. As is typical with big companies, they don't know how to connect with consumers on a personal basis because they're always trying to sell you something. I commend Minoli for the half-hearted effort, but, in my opinion, if you're not going to do something right, don't do it at all. Notice how the right 1/2 of the screen is always occupied by a Ducati ad. Hey Dufus, why do you think I don't bombard potential customers with Desmo Times ads on my website.... because a blog is all about building credibility, and it's hard to do so when you're peddling your wares. No matter. Odds are the CEO can't turn a spanner worth a shit anyway, so what good is he to me... or you. Oh yeah, I guess we need him to run the company and make money, so that fools like me can make fun of him and Ducati. Point self-taken.
Oh yeah, before I forget, I'm creating a poll on the main message board about the DD. If you'd like to provide input into the DD's future, let me know.
5 Sept - This morning I continued to work on an ST4S, finishing everything except the steering head bearings. I'll tackle that on TH. Then I moved onto my MTS, tearing off the stock handlebars and replacing them with a set of renthal pro-tapers. It's always a pain doing the replacement, but once they're done they look far better than the stock chrome bars. I'm awaiting my milled out clutch casing and exhaust. I hope to have the MTS on the road in a few weeks. I already discovered how to adjust the idle on the bike without tearing the entire fairing off. You have to remove the inner 8mm bolt and the 2 allen-head screws behind the fold-down cover. Then you can pull the right fairing lower away enough to fit a 2.5mm shorty allen wrench into the idle adjust screw. Ducati has tried to make it virtually impossible to adjust the idle on it's new bikes. I think the design sucks. Being able to adjust the idle is a basic maintenance procedure. Again, I love Ducatis, but I hate Ducati.
I already got my first website Throttlemeister order. I talked to the manufacturers today and hope to help them through some fitment issues for Ducks. Unfortunately, I don't see new Ducks for several years after they are manufactured, so new bike owners may have to wait. TM still doesn't have a solution for S2R800, S2R1000 and S4RS owners. Frankly, unless you use your monster to tour, I don't see why you'd need a TM. I use a throttle rocker on all my bikes, and rarely need the TM unless I'm touring.
4 Sept - A mixed performance for Bayliss in WSB actually looks to have helped his cause. It is rare for a racer to DNF one race, win the next, and still maintain a sizable point lead. I'd say the season is done. Even though there are 3 events left and 6 races, you can crown Bayliss. Hooray for Ducati, and hats off to them and Bayliss for signing him for 2 more years.
Perry Houck picked up his MTS on Sat and ran it over to the local dealer. His front cylinder exhaust valve is making too much noise to ignore. So, before I spend any time on tuning it, it needs to get a warranty look-see on the valvetrain. I'm guessing either something is amiss in the rocker assembly or the valve guide is bad.
Today was a relaxing labor day. I did a workout, worked a few hours on the website, and then worked a few hours on Gregg Kirby's ST4S. I'm ahead of schedule. I'll finish Gregg's bike on Wed, and then sit and wait for a new ECU for a customer's 998. In the meantime, I am tinkering with my MTS. New handlebars and the old exhaust system comes off this week. After becoming a Zard dealer, the new system goes on next week.
I'm lining up some good products. I'm still trying to get a batch of axle plates made, but have two other products I've got the hots for. I try to protect my competitive positions, so no clues as of yet as to the nature of future products.
3 Sept - Today's rant is about customers, or should I say a select few. Most of you may have noticed that I have a $30 minimum charge on orders from my website. Why do I have a minumum charge? Well, unlike most other etailers, I am an Army of one. I only get a few orders each day, and, quite frankly, I'm not interested in spending 15 minutes to process an order for $10. A case in point -- I got an email from a potential customer who needed a set of 6 stainless clutch spring bolts. I charge $3 for a set of 6. The customer was upset that I have a minumum charge. My reply was that if he didn't find any of the over 100 other items I sell appealing, that he should wait until I have something that he likes, or get the bolts elsewhere. He wasn't happy with that reply, and I didn't get the sale. You know what, I didn't lose any sleep over losing that $3 sale. I go out of my way to please customers, answer questions, and price my products reasonably. I know my $30 min charge scares away cheap customers.... Mission accomplished.
I got another email awhile back from a person asking for more clarification on the merits of the clutch combo I sell. I offered what advice I could, but I don't use "hard sell" tactics. I use the products I sell, and stand behind them. If a customer wants to be sold on a particular product, I point them to other customers. The person in question didn't purchase the clutch, but he did flame me on the Multistrada.net list for providing insufficient information. Dude, how many vendors have a question and answer format for particular items? I labeled that customer as a "one-percenter" from the get go. As many of you know, I don't deal with one-percenters. If you're a nut, I'll refer you to Motowheels or California Cycleworks.
I should note that I am ecstatic to have a high percentage of my sales from repeat customers. Helping customers out is what I enjoy, and doing so repeatedly for a select few pleases me to no end.
Today I'm putting up on the website Throttlemeisters, MTS/749/.999 fender eliminator brackets, front brake switches, a single-sided swingarm left side (sprocket) nut removal tool, and various used parts and stuff that has been gathering dust on the shelf.
Also, I just became a Zard distributor after installing some of their stuff on a customer bike. The fit and finish and design are top-notch. Section8Superbike noted that the Zard systems don't have equal length headers, but have excellent performance. Again, I only sell what I install. Because I like their stuff, I will sell it.
2 Sept - I haven't ranted about the cost of cam belts in awhile, so today's Daily Desmo is about them. Ducati has a strangle-hold on cam belts. Gates, the manufacturer, produces quality belts. I don't doubt their quality, and I am more than willing to let Ducati enjoy the fruits of profits for selling them. What I have a problem with is the exorbitant prices. Bucci sells similar belts through Lockhart Philips. You'll notice on my website, these belts are reasonably priced (even though Lockhart-Philips doubled the price this year). While I don't have access to cost figures, I'm guessing that the belts cost a few dollars to produce. If that is true, how can Ducati get away with charging $173 for a set of belts for a Testastretta? I'll tell you why. Because they know there is not other place for us to get them. I think it is unconscionable that Ducati charges what they do for their belts. Yet, nobody complains. We just deal with it because we have no recourse. I'll state here what I have always said - I love Ducatis, but I hate Ducati. They are typical of any corporation -- only caring about $$$ at the expense of individual owners. The cost of service would come down drastically if they would be reasonable on belt pricing. The parts bill on my services usually exceeds my labor charge, even with my using aftermarket fuel filters, oil filters, and non-Ducati approved oils. Oil? Oh don't get me started. I had a customer insist he wanted the Shell Approved Ducati oil in his bike. He was probably the only customer I've ever had who didn't reel when seeing the price of replacement cam belts.
1 Sept - Today was a relaxed day. I was working in the shop before 0500. I got the MTS1000 all set for a pickup, but it isn't heading back to the owner. The horizontal cylinder has something amiss, so it's off to the local dealer for a warranty job. I spent an hour at the dealer chatting about the bike. It's nice to have a friend that runs a dealership. I'm in competition with the local dealer, but in an indirect manner. I don't even think they know Desmo Times exists, which is fine with me. After finishing up the MTS I continued the prep of an ST4S for a full service -- draining all the fluids etc. I'll probably work on it a bit this weekend.
While at the local dealership I spied one of the Parts Unlimited 999s race replicas in the crate. Nice!!!. I talked to the owners son, who gave me a few vague comments about the coming announcement from Ducati. He couldn't say much. Yes, Ducati actually made them sign non-disclosure statements. Here's what I surmise, and it wasn't anything my dealer said. Evidently, I was wrong. The new superbike will come out for next year. Displacing around 1100cc, it will be based on the GP motor. So the current testa configuration is going to change. Still 4 valves per cylinder, but a new layout. Styling is anyone's guess, but my post last month about styling features will probably be close --- Moto GP desmosedici style headlights, single sided swingarm, angular sides, a tail section reminiscent of a 916/motoGP cross-breed. etc. I'm excited, but from a technician's standpoint, I'm a bit overwhelmed at the changes over the past few years. It is getting VERY difficult to do one's own maintenance on a Ducati, and the next superbike promises more technology aimed at dealership-only service.
Desmo Times
555 Childers St
Pensacola, FL. 32534
www.desmotimes.com