Ducati Monster Forum

Woo Hoo!!!  It works!  I knew the tank would but my repositioning, wiring, and routing was worrisome.  I was right, the starter cable (new) should go onto the solenoid post, not its tank bolt.  I figured I had fried something, like maybe the ECU [bang]  Figured it out and 8 total hours of labor and voila! [moto] ;D
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/26088796@N07/4164491755/)
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/26088796@N07/4165248440/in/photostream/)
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/26088796@N07/4164481143/in/photostream/)


Josh, I'm sure it would have gone much better with  your help, but I could not resist.

Oh, BTW, you beat the Busa's tank by almost a gallon.  :o

 [thumbsup]

I assume that you made the switch to the larger aftermarket gas tank but it's kinda hard to tell by the post and pics. I feel like I need a McCain/English English/McCain dictionary. [laugh]

Bonus, now I know how to get a little screw out of a fuel tank.  Remove the tank, dump the fuel, remove the fuel pump and carefully drain until the fastener comes out.  But wait ther's more!!  Take the time to put a rag in the hole in the first place, or buy a new tank and do what I did. [laugh]

Is that the California Cycle Works tank conversion? With that much fuel you'll out ride everyone! Nothing better than gassing up at the pump for a couple of bucks while the Suburban next to you rolls past $75 bucks on the meter! I know, I have scooters and that Suburban! [bang]

California Cycle Works [thumbsup]
Once I did what they said, the tank fit right in and looms and wires had grooves that worked just fine.
Even the pump and filler flanges had no problem like they warned. 
Now when the weather and my schedule allows, I'll ride to, ... hell I don't even know ;)

Holy smokes, very cool conversion!  What was the range before the bigger fuel tank, and what is it now?

Great job getting it in, curious now how many gallons it will take to hit the reserve light, so get riding!

Nicely done!

About 90 miles before. Should get 200+ after 8)

LOOKS AWESOME!

And like a fun project. I will not forgive you for excluding me, that is... until I see it in person. Then all is ok.

Thanks for the complements!  2 things: I've got an un
uses hose on the bike, and how much does 6.4 gals
of 93 octane weigh?

Gas weighs about 6 lbs and change per gallon iirc.

So around 36-42 lbs.

I was thinking it was abound 8 lbs/gallon. Anyone have a gallon in the garage to weigh?

Well it'll depend on the temperature, as density will change. I see it at 42.5 lb/ft3 on Engineering Toolbox's site. I believe I remember it being a bit lighter than water, but that's also a good gauge to approximate with

Friggen' engineers...  [roll]

At a temperature of 20 degrees C or 68 degrees Fahrenheit, a (U.S.) gallon of pure water weighs about 8.34 pounds, whereas a gallon of vehicular gasoline weighs about 6.15 pounds at that temperature.

well we are talking volumes here...

8 pounds for a gallon of water and 6 pounds for gallon gasoline.

here's what you do:

sit on the bike bone dry, on a scale.
drink 6 gallons of water, reweigh yourself on the bike.
piss out 6 gallons of water, and drink 6 gallons of gasoline
try not to burp while reweighing yourself and bike.
piss out 6 gallons of gasoline ( it's best to refrain from cigars/cigarettes during this phase )

now,  subtract the two numbers ( if you forgot to write them down, just start over from the beginning ).

wait, what was this for?

More good thinking! [thumbsup]

Wait, why does gas weigh less than water? You engineers talk amongst yourselves. [laugh]

Now that you've got the tank to tour: http://www.pjsparts.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24_32_376&products_id=1343 (http://www.pjsparts.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24_32_376&products_id=1343)

(http://www.pjsparts.com/catalog/images/HyperScreen.jpg)

I don't know where to put the toll tag, but that hideous thing would look better with one :P

tolltag?  WTF are you thinking?  I'll teach ya.

Are you one of those people that the NTTA Swat Team is looking for? [leo]

ha?  what?  my bikes are registered is all I'll say. [evil]

I love trains!!! ;D

Very cool, TG [thumbsup] You should only have to make a coupla gas stops on your way out here ;D [moto]

Hmmm.  Not a bad idea. Could use some New
Mex red or green [wine]

fukkit.... go Christmas & enjoy both ;D

Tres Gatos in Tres Piedras  [thumbsup]

Xmas pasole!! Local style sans NaCl ;) Memories :)

I'm getting there
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26088796@N07/4179900889/# (http://www.flickr.com/photos/26088796@N07/4179900889/#)

That's an old Trek MB. [thumbsup]

With the weather it took a week to see the yellow light.  170 miles on the odomoter.  Filled it to the brim with 5.2 gallons of Shells' best.
That means a 1.2 gallon reserve?  Hmmmm I'll have to think about this.
I did make record time home though, a rice burner passed me on 635E at Walnut Hill and we rode 100+ most of the way to 20 West.  Wish I could see at night so I could have led more [bang] 8)

time for an HID bulb? Put on on my Monster that retains hi/low functionality. Quite nice. Had to modify the wiring loom, they give you enough to run the lights for a semi truck it seems like.

Type of bulb?

For the Monster? I have an H4 HID type bulb from DDM Tuning. I had to chop up the wiring harness a bit to remove the excess but it was a piece of cake. The hi/lo feature is retained by having a moving bezel around the bulb which moves to allow the lower part of the reflector to shine (thus illumininating higher up and farther out when on hi-beam).

Its "bright as make the beast with two backs" according to my wife, who flipped her rearview mirror when I was following her one sunny morning. I have since readjusted the light downward a bit.

specifics, no mechanic on duty.

What is not clear?

part number.  I see 3 on their website.

DDM Tuning
35W Single Hi/Lo H4 Bulb Kit, Color: 4500K*

My bright-light switch and passing flasher both retain functionality. Wiring was straight plug and play, I just didn't like the excess (in a sbk, it would be easy to hide it by taping it to the inside of a fairing). With a little cutting and stripping, i threw in some posilock connectors and/or soldered and heat shring wrapped, and it was good to go.

It runs a line directly to the battery, with the original bulb circuit merely being used as a relay to turn the system on. That way less taxing on the original electrical system and more direct juice to the bulb.

*I might have gotten the 3000K if I did it over again because I think cars would notice the yellowy light moreso than the bright white.

I was able to upgrade my halogen bulbs with the next step brighter. Just had to chip the little plastic ridges inside the bulb connector so it would fit the bike connector. It's noticeably brighter but I wouldn't say it's bright-as-make the beast with two backs. You gotta go with the HID for that kind of retina burning performance.

OMG, when did HID lighting systems get so freakin cheap??  there's pretty much no reason to not go with these DDM systems... ato, how long have you been running this?  i could outfit both bikes for under 100 AND the whole system's tiny... geez...

About 8-9 mo. When I bought the set was $70. It was a bit of a risk then. Now at about $40 or less, you pretty much ought to jump.

so, how many beers/meals/bills to have the josh service install the above kit on another monster?

and you would really go with a 3000K?  i always thought that was more suited for fog light duties?  i've been toying with doing an hid conversion in the mazda (both sets, driving lights and fog lights)... but no FHE with them and i'm a little hesitant.

2.5 beer job.

I say 3000K or thereabouts because of the yellowness. Its still bright-as-make the beast with two backs, but I was thinking about finding something that would draw more attention to myself while riding from cars. I think the blue/blurple/purple lights that you see on all the hondas out there have made people essentially ignore that color.

If there was some color between the 3000K and the 4500K offered by DDM, I'd buy the bulb in a heartbeat (note you can buy replacement bulbs only once you have the slim ballast and igniter).

There's also the 55W option, which is only slightly bigger at the ballast, and obviously brighter, but (a) didn't need brighter after using the 35W, and (b) was trying to keep the power draw on the Ducati's system low. (Its no BMW or Honda ST by any means).

The only issue other guys might run into is bucket depth. somebody complained about that elsewhere, but they were using a different kit. I can't gaurantee that the stock bucket will work with the DDM Tuning kit (even though I'm 90+% sure it will fit in the stock bucket), I no longer have a stock headlight, I have switched to the Desmoworld Clear-Lens headlight, which is a complete replacement (bucket and all).

So that's the only caveat. Lots of guys have had success with the DDM Tuning kit on their monsters, and if its just a little bit o' extra wire, you can buy a few posilock connectors off of me or watch me catch myself on fire trying to solder and shrinkwrap.

very cool, was wondering what was going on my christmas list this year  [thumbsup]

I'm going to go with the powerlet starter wire upgrade kit at the same time to bolster my ground straps a bit when it gets installed

sweet... i may order one then shortly and bother you after the holidays.  and their prices are cheap enough that i think i'll get the mazda setup with them as well

I did this as well. I was surprised at the difference.

The last "piece of the puzzle" is to bypass the frame when grounding the engine. Let me explain,

Normally, the engine is grounded from behind the crankcase breather to the frame at a bolt where the rearsets affix. The current would travel through the frame members to the bolt and cable right below the battery box, where this cable is connected to the negative battery terminal.

Going off one of the custom builders (Mark Savory or Duc-Stew, can't recall), said starting is easier when the motor has a better ground connection, so now I ground from the back of the motor to the battery directly, and the frame is still grounded to the battery as well. Just like you'll have with the powerlet wire upgraded positive side, you'll have two cables on the post on the negative side.

If you do an HID kit, they'll also be on the battery posts, but no worries, these are tiny.

I'll be back in town before New Years, just headed to Detroit for Christmas for her family.  :-\

Detroit eh? 

actually, if you get a chance, I'd love to see some shots of the Guyton project stuff, and other urban art that's apparently springing from nowhere all around the city...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34426807/ns/us_news-life/ (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34426807/ns/us_news-life/)

I'll take the camera with me. Apparently grandma's house is somewhere just out of Detroit in the farmland. i agreed to go there this christmas only after they told me there was a snowmobile.

 [puke]

Just an update from me, I bought an H3 kit for the 748 and the powerlet upgrade too!  Got a chance to finally put it all together on Sunday night, here's a few shots from the install:

http://picasaweb.google.com/hierohyf/HIDAndStarterCableUpgrade7482009_12_26?authkey=Gv1sRgCIvN9uXD3sSG3QE&feat=directlink (http://picasaweb.google.com/hierohyf/HIDAndStarterCableUpgrade7482009_12_26?authkey=Gv1sRgCIvN9uXD3sSG3QE&feat=directlink)

(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_SuzDgINowFU/SzbqjYSs6FI/AAAAAAAAJbo/fjuHR3RHOPY/s400/IMG_5600.JPG)

just need a couple of white LEDs to replace the parking lights in front and I should be good (I ordered some along with the HID, but they sent the wrong bulbs)

how do you work on that bike with all those shiny reflective surfaces?  doesn't it just blind you, with the light bouncing all over the place?  I would suggest allowing small dings in the seals to spray oil and combine with road grime to coat those surfaces with a nice light absorbing layer to faciliate better visibility in there...

looks great man... i think i need to order mine so that i get get josh working on it.

ha, piece of cake! just gimme a ring

I thought you were already married? 

in the winter, i'll make extra room in the bed for warmth's sake.

how about "perhaps you'll decide to send me a PM over one of the boards..."

here's the headlight "off" so you can see the bulb and such:

(https://lh5.ggpht.com/_4iYlZ1m8UEM/Szqk8AA-EsI/AAAAAAAAE-w/i58FgaVf4rs/s800/IMG_1910.JPG)

very carefully  :P