Ducati Monster Forum

I have the physical mods down that I am going to do.  The exhaust should be coming soon so that is out.  I would like some suggestions of things I can do to make her faster/handle better.  She's probably going to get a few track days in.

And how much does it cost to do a dry clutch conversion.  Just wondering.

Right now I know I need to replace the brakes.  I think the triple tree is going to go too.  What else?

What year and model of S2R?

if you are doing track day think about Ohlins. you can go inside the engine with high comp pistons etc... but you are really not going to get much more power out, maybe  alighter fly wheel to help it rev up faster?!?

Dry clutch conversion for a wet clutch bike, if you can find expertise to carry it out, will be prohibitively expensive and take forever. It would be cheaper to sell your bike at a loss and buy a dry clutch bike at a premium than to convert wet to dry.

My suggestions
1) replace stock fork springs with linear rate
2) get suspension set up by pro
3) get lighter wheels

light wheels= huge difference in both handling and acceleration

Get your ECU flashed to DP spec, cut the airbox, PCIII, and a dyno tune. Ebay if you really think you need better brakes. Upgraded brakes can be expensve if bought new.

Between Ebay and the forum, I found almost every part I wanted for my bike.  The only thing I bought brand new was my exhaust, air filter, air box top and DP ECU (everything came together), everything else I have done, the parts have come second hand.  To keep cost down, you could go w/ SBK forks and just get them resprung and then adjusted for you by a pro (most suspension shops will charge $30-40 to adjust everything once its on your bike).

The stock S2R brakes are awful, you will love converting to 4 piston calipers and 320mm rotors!!!!  Also clip ons make all the difference to get more weight over the front tire for better handling.  Good Luck! 

BTW, I thought you didn't really have anywhere to work on your bike?  These mods you are planning require time and space...

I can stop pretty well with the stock brakes! Guess I'm lucky.

Anyway stuff like brakes and triples will not affect performance appreciably and IMHO are red herrings. To make the bike handle better you really need to get the suspension sorted and buy some lighter wheels and better tires. To me, the stock forks are worse than the stock brakes. In my opinion you should not bling this bike out too much as it's not really worth it. Do the forks and wheels, enjoy the bike, then when you get over it and decide to get another you won't have so much work to do to sell it off. Stock bikes sell better anyway. You can even take the wheels to your next bike if you go for an S*R something or other.

Modding these things is so fun and there are so many possibilities that you can go way overboard with it if you don't watch out. Try not to spend too much in the wrong places. Wait until you at least get a 1000cc to go bling nuts.

^best advice yet^

Brakes are good enough to lock up or do stoppies - although, at least for me, it requires three/four fingers. That's dangerous for anyone used to one/two finger brakes, but not really a problem IMO. What helped me sharpen my brakes was this http://www.ducatisuite.com/leverchange.html (http://www.ducatisuite.com/leverchange.html)  All the way down on that page it says exactly how to maximise/optimise power/bite.

+1 on the reflash/open box. It helps just a little, but it feels like a lot - the bike gets more aggressive and willing.

If you're going fast, I think rearsets and clip ons are worth it.

All power/handling mods are wasted unless you get the forks sorted out. The dangerous part about the forks is that they offer little/no rebound dampening. Hoppity hopp through a fast curve will be dangerous and/or slow no matter how powerful the bike is. I'm not convinced you MUST get a new shock (at your weight), but a linear spring to match you and the new forks might be a good idea.


 8) I just love hearing how hard you've been hit by the virus ;D

What kind of budget are you looking at? 

The best performance mods you can do are suspension.  There are different levels of treatment -- (1) adjusting your existing suspension, (2) replacing some or all of the innards of your existing suspension, or (3) completely replacing your suspension.  As you'd expect, each level has a great price associated with it.  Your bike has limited adjustability.  For performance, at a minimum, you'll want to replace the springs in your front forks and get new fork oil.  You'll likely want a new spring in the rear. 

If I were starting with a new bike that was going to see some track days, here's what I'd do:
1)  New brake pads and brake fluid.
2)  a Penske or Ohlins rear shock sprung for my weight.  I'd have it revalved.   (the cheaper version -- new spring with a revalved stock shock). 
3)  Change out the forks to adjustable forks (from an SBK or from another Duc) with new springs and Raceteck Gold Valves (or if I was gonna spring for $$, some cartridges).   The cheap version is new fork springs, and new fork oil.
4)  14T front sprocket. 
5)  a steering damper. 
6)  maybe new/better tires, depending on what's on it already.

If I had any money left, here's what I'd do, in order . . .
-- Clips-ons (might be required with the fork change).  I was kinda torn whether to add to this the initial list.  For a track bike, it's almost a must-do in my book.
-- Rearsets
-- New brake master cylinder (I'd do this before I spent the $ on new rotors and calipers.  If you're only going to do a couple of trackdays, you don't need to redo the entire brake system.)
--Nichols lightened flywheel.

Not on my list
-- Lightweight wheels are great, but they're $$$.
-- A dry clutch conversion is for bling, not for performance.  As others have already noted, it costs a bazillion dollars to do.  You'd be better off selling your bike and buying a dry clutch bike.

Thanks for the advice guys! =)

And I am never selling that bike. I might get another one but when I am done, I am never selling this bike. =p

And I have a place to work on it in the winter-  Its going into a friend's garage then. (he does not live near me)

That's exactly what I meant by calling them awfull.  It should not take 3-4 fingers to stop a  motorcyle on the street.

Upgrade!   ;D

Ducati does better at it than we do.

Then, promise not to modify the new bike.

LA

First things first: The S2R 800 front suspension is non adjustable garbage, and compared to forged Aluminum or mag wheels, the wheels could be used to hold oil tankers down at bay.   ;)

I would ...

1.) Get an S4R/S2R 1000 front end.  Your stock triples will be fine, as the forks are the same size.  Get the goldline brakes, the rotors, the calipers, the masters, everything.  Get them set up for you.
2.) Get a rear shock off an S4R, or more preferably, get an Ohlins / Penske unit set up for your weight w/ gear.
3.) Get a set of Mag wheels off a 916/996 - there are loads of sets around for about $800-ish right now.  These are a bolt on, but will not work with your S2R800 brake calipers or rotors.

OR ...

4.) Get a GSX-R front end, complete with calipers, rotors, wheels, etc etc.  Tons of threads about this, but  -- the Duc route is a bit more direct.
5.) Find a complete S4RS that's being parted out - get the wheels, the suspension, the brakes, the whole 9

I would not ...

1.) Worry about upgrading to a dry clutch
2.) Waste money on aftermarket triples unless you're switching to clip-ons, and even then ...
3.) Worry about more power until your suspension / brakes / wheels are sorted

Good luck, have fun  [thumbsup]

Cheers,
Adam

Suspension
Wheels
Used 1000/1100 Ds motor. (dry clutch covered)

you haven't even had it a year!
ride it for a little bit, then incapacitate it. ;D
performance mods?
1-Forks
2-Rear Shock
3-Riding Skills

The S2R800 is more than capable of being a great handling bike.
You'd be surprised how far you can push it once you get a couple things dialed in...