What did you just buy for your Ducati?

[Rudemouthsky]

Just bought two pair of ZXE headlight bulbs for mine and my wife's bike. (2 H7's and 2 H1's). Stoked to get them in and see if they really are as bright as sky says they are.
 

I'm still torn between going with a full LED setup such as a Truck-Lite or just getting a nice PIAA or Silverstar. I love the idea of almost zero draw on the charging system with the LED's. Plus they look cool as hell.

Last thing I just bought for my Ducati is a pair of 3 way adjustable Matris cartridges (completely replaces internals; new rod, spring, and cap , they should be arriving from Italy soon...

[Skybarney]

Nice Buck,  I just broke a zipper in my pants!  This summer I am gonna do something with my EVO forks, just not sure what yet. 

[Curmudgeon]

Nice Buck,  I just broke a zipper in my pants!  This summer I am gonna do something with my EVO forks, just not sure what yet. 

Maybe..., "if it ain't broke, don't fix it?"  Thought you got your suspension fully set up when you fitted the DU-737 out back?

In theory you could make the front end ~ 10% better if you fitted custom Ohlins. Then, if that worked, you'd be compelled to upgrade the Ohlins out back! At that point your mods would exceed the MSRP of the bike? 

Been there, done that. Diminishing returns. IMO, if you ran a higher tech 7.5W in the adjustable forks you have, the improvement might be enough to satisfy you..., IF that is possible.  That's the next thing I'm doing, since the operation of my forks is dandy, just not exactly "plush". My Ohlins tech uses Red Line, so I'll maybe try that, but in the past had really great results on BMW's with Spectro, and their 10W feels more like an 8W.

Good Luck!

[Skybarney]

Hi Cur,  Yup the Ohlins in the rear got sorted and it made the forks better.  Sadly though yesterday I took a couple of really good hits mid turn at  speed and the forks hit bottom.  Perhaps I will save some money by trying thicker oil.  Good suggestion so I think it is worth the effort.  Better than spending 1k.

(oh and the accessories are already 7500.00  I gave up on a return on this investment about the second week I owned it.  I plan on having 80k on it before the five year warranty runs out.  Hopefully the engine will grenade four years and 360 days prior to the warranty ending. 

[Curmudgeon]

Sky,

At least you're honest! 

Go easy on the oil weight. You don't want hydraulic lock either. My T-100 came stock doing that. You get what you pay for...  All suspensions are compromises. It you set up your forks to take an extreme hit, then you'll have an uncompliant fork for the other 99% of your riding, and that also includes too much preload.

The advantage of a premium fork oil is smoother operation and some "seal swell". Those major hits might be cured by $5,000 Ohlins which have several kinds of valving. The speed-sensitive valving handles those heavy hits while remainng plush over the little stuff and slower undulations. When you get to tuning that final 10% to perfection, the slightest change can have major effects.

Without going crazy and risking blowing your seals, fooling with the air gap when you change the oil might also help as that air acts like a progressive spring. Get that suspension guru you used before to work with you on this. 10 - 20 mm can make a big difference in air gap, but I'm not so good at this to tell you whether to run more oil or less. It's an art!

[Skybarney]

Sky,

It's an art!

Agreed and all good advice.  Ever been told you should not waste anymore time on art classes?  I can screw up a paint by numbers pony and barn...... 

[Curmudgeon]

Agreed and all good advice.  Ever been told you should not waste anymore time on art classes?  I can screw up a paint by numbers pony and barn...... 

Probably better to let someone else tackle it then. These days I do that because wrenching no longer provides therapy. Stopped working on my own stuff in the mid-90's, and when I DID do my own stuff, I used short wrenches because I used to overtorque everything! 

Nothing wrong with you understanding the process though...

[Rudemouthsky]

I've already gone insane with this build long ago. The forks are probably the smartest $ I've spent. This is def not a bike I'll be selling...truth is I probably wouldn't have been motivated to even go out and earn the cash I've spent so far if I wasn't obsessed with having *exactly* the bike I want, so in a way I'm spending free money. That's how I choose to look at it at least. Carrozzeria wheels and Brembo RCS masters, now I'm done lol. I'm 1000 miles away from home and probably have a month before everything arrives...I hope I'm riding it by summer. And have a home to keep it next to.

[freeclimbmtb]

Forks were hands down the best money I've spent on my bike so far (and like so many others on here...I've spent a lot!).  No other mod, aesthetic, or mechanical has made as much of a noticible difference/improvement as the front end did. 

Oh and I did just buy something for it...another year of public road use...sucks paying for registration a month before you can really ride...

[Desert Dust]

525 EK chain, new sprockets, & Continental Trail Attack II, front & rear. One thing I noticed is the front end is heavier & steers a bit more slowly because of the front tire, but it also feels more stable.

Looks like my cat was looking into the camera.   

[oldndumb]

Looks like my cat was looking into the camera.   

I first thought it was an extraterrestrial inhabiting a cat body, then decided it had merely consumed some radioactive tuna. 

Has it climbed up on top of the bike yet? 

[Desert Dust]

 

I first thought it was an extraterrestrial inhabiting a cat body, then decided it had merely consumed some radioactive tuna. 

Has it climbed up on top of the bike yet? 

[DexterMorgan]

Some goodies came in today.      

[Rudemouthsky]

Carrozzeria V-Track wheels, Brembo 19RCS brake and 16RCS clutch masters, STM billet reservoirs in black for both plus one for the rear and Rizoma brackets. Wish I could post pics, I'm in stupid ass Louisiana working.

[NAKID]

Some goodies came in today.      

Nice! I'm running the same rear sprocket. Much lighter than the stock unit...