DS1000SS Nekkid Roadster Build

[Nekkid Tim]

Steel clutch cover:

Replaced by carbon clutch cover:


I do like a quiet clutch, so it was nice to find a solid clutch cover that it beautiful, well-made, and perfectly fitting using the stock rubber gasket.

[koko64]

Carbon and Ti

[Nekkid Tim]

Hit the $55 "Buy it Now" trigger on a used Pit Bull DSS rear stand from a local seller on eBay yesterday, picking it up today. 

Now I'll be able to have both the tracker and the project up on stands at the same time.  Saves room in the tight workshop area of the garage!

[Nekkid Tim]

Yesterday evening I got the headlight harness modifications done, and the headlight re-installed, and got the European "city light" working.  Got the turn signals hooked up and working (for now, oem Monster signals in front and oem 916 signals in back!), got the horn working, got the handlebar switches remounted and the wires properly routed.

Made a custom "null modem" style male-to-male connector to connect the 1000SS tail/brake light female harness connector to the oem 916 tail/brake light female pigtail; tested that, then soldered and heat-shrink wrapped it.  (Used two oem 1000SS  tail/brake light male pigtails to build it).

Verified that the license plate light is working, and that both the foot brake and the hand brake light switches are actuating the rear brake light.

Won't be working on the bike Saturday or Sunday (family activities) but my wife is working on Monday, Memorial day, so I'll be out there in the garage trying to properly and safely route and tie up the wiring harness, creating temporary mounting brackets for both the oem 1000SS instruments and the the oem ignition switch, hooking up the fuel lines, installing the tail section and the tank, doing the oil and filter change, and - hopefully - first firing of the bike.

I don't expect it to run properly with the open velocity stacks and the BUB exhaust, but if it starts and runs at all, it will then be off to the race shop which will not be named and/or my Ducati dealer which will not be named for new cam belts, the Power Commander III install, and dynotuning.

Then ... test riding!

Note:   with all the turmoil surrounding my normal go-to oil filters (K&N) I bought two oem filters off of Amazon "cosmetically challenged merchandise" ( the boxes were scuffed!) for about 50% of retail.

Note2:  Awaiting delivery of the final order of Ti fasteners from my Ti dealer who will not be named.

[Nekkid Tim]

The bike is up and running at 343.8 pounds before adding gas.

Special thanks to my old friend Tom, and to DMF's own Lars D. for coming over and helping with final fabrication, fueling, and post shake-down oil change!

The temporary mounting for the ignition key and the old Super Sport instrument panel:

Ducati DS1000SS roadster conversion first ride by s4rsrider, on Flickr

Ducati DS1000SS roadster conversion first ride by s4rsrider, on Flickr

The rear view of the bike, after the first start-up, just before the first ride:

Ducati DS1000SS roadster conversion first ride by s4rsrider, on Flickr

YouTube video of the first ride:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63NrwTFRPWs&feature=share

YouTube video of a ride by in front of my house:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=DQi2-53cr24

After a six mile shakedown ride that included a couple of highway speed sections, came back and changed the oil and filter.   I'm surprised the bike runs as well as it does with open velocity stacks and open pipes; but it is having issues dealing with light load and small throttle openingss.

So next up will be scheduling the install of the Power Commander III, and dynotuning the bike.   Then after that, it will be on to my local (well, no so local, it's 50 miles away) Ducati dealer to have the European GT1000 instrument panel mated to the ECU, so I can remove the original SS instruments, and fabricate a permanent mount for the ignition switch.

[Nekkid Tim]

I actually rode the bike to work this morning.  355 pounds (with gas) and 85 rwhp (approximately, that's what it dyno'ed at the last time I had it run) is a lot of fun!  

In the cool morning air, it ran a bit better than it did in yesterday's afternoon heat and humidity; though it definitely still needs the PC-III and the dyno-tuning.

[koko64]

 

[Howie]

Great job   Are you staying with open velocity stacks?

[Nekkid Tim]

Great job   Are you staying with open velocity stacks?

I put small child and animal strainers on them.    If I can find some super low profile filters that will fit in the space, I might put them on sometime, and I also might install some lightweight sheet "privacy screen" behind the frame rails and under the coils (over the horizontal cylinder) to "tidy up" the look and to further discourage road debris from entering the air/fuel system.

[Speeddog]

There are small individual filters made to go over the velocity stacks on 748/916 SBK's, those may fit what you've got there.

[NAKID]

Looks great, if a bit odd with the cluster/ignition temporary mounting.

Are you going to leave the tail section as is or do something else with the plate mount to streamline things?

[Nekkid Tim]

Looks great, if a bit odd with the cluster/ignition temporary mounting.

Thanks; yeah - the carbuncle on the side of the bike is pretty hideous.  However, it should be gone in a week or two, and I think for a dry build, I can live with the rest of the icky cosmetics.

Are you going to leave the tail section as is or do something else with the plate mount to streamline things?

Funny you should ask, because I was just looking at it and wondering the same thing myself.  I'm not a fan of tail chops in any way, shape, or form, and this bike is ultimately supposed to be an homage bike, not a radical custom, so for me, it needs to be a bike that Ducati *might* have built.  That said, the rear fender with the cut-outs for the 916/748/996/998 high mounted undertail cans looks a bit spidery and dangly to me.  I'm not going to run the bike without a rear fender or plate, but I probably will be looking at other ways to achieve what I'm looking for.

[NAKID]

Thanks; yeah - the carbuncle on the side of the bike is pretty hideous.  However, it should be gone in a week or two, and I think for a dry build, I can live with the rest of the icky cosmetics.

Funny you should ask, because I was just looking at it and wondering the same thing myself.  I'm not a fan of tail chops in any way, shape, or form, and this bike is ultimately supposed to be an homage bike, not a radical custom, so for me, it needs to be a bike that Ducati *might* have built.  That said, the rear fender with the cut-outs for the 916/748/996/998 high mounted undertail cans looks a bit spidery and dangly to me.  I'm not going to run the bike without a rear fender or plate, but I probably will be looking at other ways to achieve what I'm looking for.

I see where you're going with that. You may be able to modify that rear fender to eliminate the art with the reflector. I think that would clean it up, keep the fender/plate mount, and achieve the "might have been" look...

[Nekkid Tim]

Thanks; I'm adding that to the cosmetics list.

I got an appointment for the PC-III install and dynotuning next Tuesday.

After that, the mystical Union of the Euro instrument panel to the ECU.

Oh, and yeah - as predicted, the speedo is not working with the Ti bolts holding the resrvrotor on!

Tim

P.S.  Ran out of gas as I arrived at work today (yeah, I rode it to work!) and had to bum a ride to get a gallon of premium to get me back home!

[Nekkid Tim]

So, my first Ducati was a 1973 750GT that I bought (for $1,500) in 1986.  I sold it in 1999 (back to the guy I bought it from!) to fund my racing team.  

This build was originally to be an homage to the same era 750 Sport, but upon long reflection, I've decided I really want it to be my own interpretation of what the GT would be like today if the "old" Ducati were still in business.  

(I never liked the cosmetics of the GT1000, nor the weight, even though I appreciated the attempt.)

So, with that in mind, and with the bike up and running now, I'm starting to think about the cosmetic final build next winter.

So, I'm thinking powder-coated black frame.   Use the anodized black alloy swing-arm I acquired last year.  Black foot control hangars.  Polished, clear-coated, engine cases, sliver barrels, polished and clear coated upper and lower triple clamps.  Polished (or chrome plated) header pipes.

Paint....

DucPainter, have you really, completely, totally retired?   I hope not, because I was counting on you painting this bike!

I'm thinking of the classic burgundy and black scheme that my original 750GT was, but with the black part being clear-coated carbon fiber.



Now, my bike doesn't have the side covers, and the tank is styled such that I don't think I can put the "Ducati" logo on it, but I'm not trying to build a REPLICA, anyway.   Plus my bike *does* have the 916 solo tail, so there's plenty of extra room there for paint.

I do want the black set off from the burgundy with ivory/cream (almost but not quite white) pin-striping.

So I am thinking *maybe* burgundy for the fuel tank, with a center black stripe (and will have to duplicate the carbon fiber pattern in that stripe somehow), and burgundy for the tail section, but with black highlighting.

Maybe even something reminiscent of the Sport, but not in orange:



Lots of things to ponder.  Maybe I'll need to find someone adept at photoshopping, and work up some mock-ups on photos of my bike, after the goiter is amputated from its side!