Ducati Monster Forum

I've been trying to communicate by email with Riding-House in Japan.  I have sent messages in English to their so-called English email address.  I've also used the Google language tool to translate my messages into Japanese characters to send my inquiry to their Japanese email address. (I note that I then used the language tool to translate my Japanese message back into English and it was somewhat garbled.)  Anyway, I've had no response from Japan in either language.

Has anyone successfully communicated with Riding-House, and, if so, how did you do it? My only remaining thought is to try to find a Japanese student at Texas Tech here in Lubbock and make a long distance call during Japanese business hours. Maybe there is a more expeditious method, do you think?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scroll down to my last postings for a short report on my receipt and installation of the belly pan and for photos.

I just noticed that your email address is a gmail account.

gmail doesn't support japanese characters, so it could have been filtered entirely if they replied to you, or alternatively, your japanese email just came through the other end as garbage.

If you're really in a jam, I might be able to help you out.

PM me and let me know what you're trying to work out.

~T

Takster, I will PM you immediately with the text of the message or inquiry.  Thanks,

I've been trying to get ahold of them forever about their carbon airbox tops for the S4RS.  Never a response, ever.

It was back in Jun/July I was trying them, and the yen was waaay down.  Now it's higher than it's been in almost 5 years.  Sucks :(

If you get anywhere, please let me know.  I'd still like one of their CF airbox "ram air" tops for my monster.

I contacted them last year and received a response back. I was interested in their exhausts - but the price is just higher than I think the US market will take. I love the S4RS full system though - complete art!

With the slip-on's being $2000+ and the full system saying ask for price.. umm yeah probably a good decision lol

I love the air intake, the belt covers, the HID bucket looks good too, and the belly pans

Carstarphen i've e-mailed you about riding-house. The quality is 1st class but the price is alittle high especially with the current exchange rates. [beer]

Geoffduc gave me permission to post a photo of his S4Rs Tricolore with the Riding-House belly pan (and several other attractive accesssories and mods) to illustrate the point or purpose of my inquiry. Recognizing that taste is completely subjective, I personally like the look of this carbon fiber belly pan on the S4Rs. To me the naked oil cooler looks like an after-thought appendage. Again, to me, the belly pan incorporates the oil cooler into the bike. On the other hand, to others "naked" may simply mean "naked." Perhaps, with the help of Takster, I may yet acquire a Riding-House belly pan.

(http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/mm448/lawyermillsap/mvbits026.jpg)

Not a fan of bellypans, but of all those available, I've always thought the Riding House one was the best looking.  Its very clean. 

How about someone toss some info my way...I'd like one of those belly pan jobbies :)

Here's a pic of one on a bike painted silver and black.  I think the two-tone really works:

http://www.riding-house.com/products/ducati/fiber_parts/index.html (http://www.riding-house.com/products/ducati/fiber_parts/index.html)

Here's the part by itself, unpainted:

http://www.riding-house.com/products/ducati/fiber_parts/dfz024.html (http://www.riding-house.com/products/ducati/fiber_parts/dfz024.html)

Hey guys if any one could photo shop a ticolore design onto the belly pan on my bike i would be most greatful  [thumbsup]

Has anyone got one of the HID headlamp buckets?

There is one being put together via a Southwest Ducati vendor -- wait a few more weeks and it will debut in early 2009.  I can't remember all the exhaust systems it will fit from the phonecalls, but a set of BoomTubes for the S4RS are getting routed there shortly as they wanted to fit a version also.  I have nothing to do with it otherwise -- but it should be a quality item hopefully.

Thanks, Takster and Geoffduc, for your interest and help.  I received a response from Riding-House in Japan.  Geoffduc was correct. The belly pan is pricey IMHO by a couple of hundred dollars but I cannot find another I like.  My currency converter says that JPY 56,150 is $634.00. We do not have a favorable yen to dollars conversion rate at the present time. However, motorcycle lust (or Monster Tricolore passion if you prefer) and frugality really don't go hand in hand.  Here is the full text of the Riding-House response:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi
Thank you for mail.

 DFZ024 FAIRING UNDER COWL(CARBON): MONSTER S4RS 
JPY 51,450
Packing+Shipment
JPY 4,700
 
 
Our dealings are only the bank transfers in Japanese yen.
The credit card and paypal, etc. cannot be used.
Please contact me again at a formal order.
In that case, I send the invoice and the payee's bank account, etc.
 
Best regards,
Takahide Hirata
 
===============================================
Riding House
1-10-23 Takamiya
Neyagawa City, Osaka
572-0806 Japan
Ph:  +81 728211101
Fax: +81 728230917
Website: http://www.riding-house.com
E-Mail: infoenglish@riding-house.com

ehhh....no credit cards ehh?

To me, that means:  Item lost - too bad
                              Item broken - too bad
                              Item not what you wanted - too bad


Thats just too bad :(

Funny how 56,000 Yen seems like a LOT less money than $634

this belly pan looks fantastic and i am not a fan of bellypans in general on the monster but...

over $600 is ridiculous in my opinion.

You're right, of course. But, Alexandre, how much do Monster owners pay for a full Termignoni exhaust system installed? And, in coming days, what good is your cash going to be anyway with the Treasury printing presses running 24/7? I'ts just money, and we're dealing with . . . motorcycle lust!

Last time I tried to do a bank transfer from my University's purchasing dept. to good ole Europe it was like it may as well have been a heart transplant.  I don't see why it should be so complicated.

I am not so much a fan of the belly pans either, but I kinda like that one.

My Termi kit was $2150 US dollars installed at the time of bike purchase.  Pretty good price in my book.

Nice lookin' RS too by the way.  [thumbsup]

LA

I placed an email order and then I received an invoice from Riding House.  I called my bank and did a wire transfer to the Japanese bank two days before Christmas. Riding House acknowledged their bank's receipt of my transferred funds and then gave me a shipping and tracking number. That was on the day after Christmas. I received the box from Riding House today, January 2nd. The belly pan looks great and mounted easily.

I like it. Now my bike looks just like Geoff's in his photo above. Like the Termignoni full exhaust that I want next, the belly pan costs too much but it's my bike and my money. I might easily have spoofed off the same amount for a show-off bottle of wine. So, . . .

This was actually a very simple and painless transaction. Communications were slightly awkward but  improved when I used simple declarative sentences.

Ought to save some big coin then, and get my termi system for 1k :D  [thumbsup]

You got it, mounted it and we have no pictures  ???

+1  "...my bike looks just like Geoff's..." is insufficient!!  >:(
















 ;D

As requested, here is my S4Rs with Riding House belly pan (and Radiator Shrouds) mounted:

(http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/mm448/lawyermillsap/Belly%20Pan/DSC05443.jpg)
(http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/mm448/lawyermillsap/Belly%20Pan/DSC05447.jpg)
(http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/mm448/lawyermillsap/Belly%20Pan/DSC05449.jpg)
(http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/mm448/lawyermillsap/Belly%20Pan/DSC05451.jpg)

That looks fantastic!



<cough..emmisions canister...cough>

Nice one Mike it sure looks the dog's.  [thumbsup]
I'm amazed you got it so fast, just go's to show good things come to those who wait  [clap]
What gives with the big canister and please turn your horn flat to the engine  ???

Statler & Geoff, I'm on board:  Lazarus7's S4Rs specific posting @ http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=2681.15  made this an easy and quick removal.  Anyone wanting to remove the emissions cannister from a S4Rs should look at Lazarus7's post closely.

Mike

Wow! That is one...
<cough..reflector..swingarm sticker..tail chop..cough>
Dang, excuse me, awesome bike!

That pan really tidies up the motor.  Easily the best looking pan available.

Awesome lower...just awesome.  I love everything about it.

Now guys you've got plenty of photo's of the tricolore with the belly pan fitted on both my bike and Mikes bike so please could one of you clever computer bods photo shop a tricolore design on the belly pan leaving some of the carbonfiber showing  [coffee]

That really does a nice job of minimizing the impact of the oil cooler...I like it!!  [thumbsup]

Now for God's sake, get rid of that charcoal canister!!!   >:(

















 ;D

Prompted by suggestions from Statler, Geoff, Lazaurs 7, and Pompetta, I used Lazarus7’s instructions and removed these:
(http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/mm448/lawyermillsap/Belly%20Pan/DSC05452.jpg)
Which resulted in this appearance:
(http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/mm448/lawyermillsap/Belly%20Pan/DSC05454.jpg)
And the left side of the S4Rs looking like this:
(http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/mm448/lawyermillsap/Belly%20Pan/DSC05458.jpg)
When the belly pan (which also comes in fiberglass as well as carbon fiber) is photoshopped (as I understood Geoff’s request), it results in this:
(http://i319.photobucket.com/albums/mm448/lawyermillsap/Belly%20Pan/withstripescopy.jpg)
Do you really think I should get out my heat gun and remove the reflectors from the fork legs?

Oh hells yeah (to the canister being gone...looks great).

I think leave the bellypan carbon...but that's just me...not my bike...



the reflectors just twist off if you want to remove them.

Sounds like you've done that before. ;D

Where did you get the bolts?  My local hardware store only had M6 1.0 - not .8  ???

I like the Tricolore scheme on the belly pan!  [thumbsup]  Ducpainter....calling Ducpainter....  ;D

BTW, you can relocate the horn to one of the fan mount studs (behind the radiator shroud).  I've had mine relocated there for several weeks without problems.  :)

By chance, I had them in my metric bolts collection (A good use of a miserable Winter day for me was to buy a bin with lots of little drawers and organize and label all that stuff that I accumulated over the years.)

Back to point:  Wouldn't a spacer or washers and lock washers allow you to use the M6 1.0?

yup, just put a lock washer behind it, voila.... [thumbsup]

bellypan looks best in plain carbon carstarphen, IMHO....
looks good w carbon canister gone, glad i could help.... [thumbsup] [thumbsup]

Thanks! I will do that.

Not a photoshop wizard but heres another option...
(http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/16091/2014369620102750601S500x500Q85.jpg) (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2014369620102750601EFTCEY)

Sweet bike Carstarphen.  I like what you've done.  That belly pan is the tits.  [thumbsup]  It does smooth out the lines IMO.  I always thought the oil cooler on the S4 looked a bit out of place and you've made it right on.

BTW - The reflectors should come right off with a twist.  You can use the hairdryer/heatgun method on the frame stickers if they don't come as easily.  ;)

dental floss shaves them off nicely as well, then clean up with WD40

nice try flanman it's starting to blend in with the rest of the bike  [thumbsup]
what do you think of his design mike  ???
i'm holding you guys responsible for any paint cock-ups  [bang]

dont have photoshop installed right now, but you should try bringing the radiator side guard into the paint scheme.

Geoff, if I had the fiberglass (or fibreglass for you) version of the belly pan, I think I would paint it. However, the carbon fiber is more than enough bling for me. And, BTW, belly pans take a lot of abuse from road debris. 

My beemer has a black unfinished ABS belly pan that is frequently scratched and dinged.  I now use a can of pickup liner touch up paint to freshen up the beemer pan. This paint has a texture, like pickup bed liners, and works well for this particular pan.  (I presume that you have pickups in the UK and therefore have pickup bed liners.)

However, as I mentioned previously, my S4Rs is not a race horse, a cow pony, a cutting or roping horse, or a quarter horse.  It's a Palomino and I want it to stay pretty!

I really admire and enjoy looking at the photos in the threads on this forum of the bikes  that have been customed for "pretty." There are a bunch of gorgeous machines. Johnster's red bike at http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=2302.0  really talks to me.

Mike

Mike, the jury's still out on whether to paint or not  :-\

Now how about you getting started  ??? a sargent seat and a good dollop of rizoma followed by a look see in the DP catalogue.  [clap]

I know you want to do it, just don't let "her who should be obeyed" find out the cost. [bow_down]

DO NOT PAINT THE BELLY PAN!!! I REPEAT!!! DO NOT PAINT THE BELLY PAN!!!

actually i think it looks pretty good with the tricolor but i think you should just get it done in vinyl.... it will look as good as paint but you can remove it if you end up not liking it.  You can also try different tricolor schemes since its not permanent. 

ghosthound are you psychic, because today while i was at a motorcycle show in manchester a guy had a sport classic that he had modded into a modern Mike Hailwood replica and had had the green parts of the colour scheme done with vinyl and it looked amazing  [thumbsup]. Next week i'm hopeing to contact the guy who applied the vinyl so i'll keep you posted and i'm sorry guys but i don't have any pics  [bang]

^^ good to hear!

I seriously think paint in certain applications will be a thing of the past.  Automotive vinyl has come such a long way that often times it will outperform paint, lower costs, and even protect the layer underneath it from damage.  More recently there have been stories where instead of repainting cars, they get the entire car wrapped in vinyl to change the color.

Unless you want some crazy airbrushing of skulls and boobs, vinyl is your best option.

Am I the only one who noticed he used a DSS rear stand?

Nakid i to noticed the rear stand   [clap]   What gives Mike  ???

NAKID and Geoff, that's what works with my rear axle sliders.  Mike

Would someone in possesion of one of these Riding House belly pans, PLEASE take it to a Fibe Fab shop and have a mold made??!!
You could sell them here in this country for half the cost and be rich beyond your wildest dreams in no time flat!
If there are any takers, I'd like to put the first order in right now!

I want the CF seat. Gee's that place is EXPENSIVE! Very tempting

For those interested here is a short video of some more Riding House carbon and a few extras add-ons obtained from my friend Roland at Motovations USA.

Ducati S4RS Tricolore (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gERm5WsDC9U#normal)   

http://www.motovationusa.com/ (http://www.motovationusa.com/)

I hate it when i dig up old threads that have the info i want, but none of the pictures work.

ARRRRRRRGH.  Q_Q

I found a belly pan for my S4RS at Bestemusa.  About $200.  Anyone know where the mounting hardware can be found?  Philip