A pretty exciting time... got my hands on my first Superbike (of any sort) this past weekend. Thankfully, its a Ducati. Its a 2003 999 Biposto. Only 4700 miles, and is in great condition overall. It had gone down in the past, but it had all the paint and graphics re-done, as well as the wheels and frame painted, before I bought it.
I got it for a reasonable price -- the seller had house/baby/family issues, so had to unload it for a loss. This had all the paperwork done and up to date -- just a switch from the transfer of ownership documentation, and its all official. I put on the plate from my other Duc and took it for a quick spin...
Considering the last "new" bike I got was in 1997, and that was an EX500, looking at the amenities of this thing is pretty cool. Fuel injection, digital dash, lap timer, low fuel guage... and it brakes like hitting a brick wall. As well, it is new enough for me to find data on it, like suspension settings, and hints about maintenance and that sort of thing. I was also able to find an owner's manual on PDF, so I'll print that off and do things like set the clock...
Don't yet know how to access the trip meter, or the lap timer (!)..... perhaps I can also change the setting to read in metric rather than Mph...
Starting with the 900, in the condition it was, was good for me -- I've got no worries about doing the scheduled maintenance myself, and I'm not going to be racing it, so it will be treated well. The drive home was pretty cool -- on the trailer with Kate, a couple of young guys in a truck blew past us, and then slowed down and pulled alongside the trailer to check out the bike... then gave a thumbs up as they pulled away.
The graphics scheme is a copy of the 749 that Lorenzo Lanzi raced in WSS back in 2004, except for the flat black. Breil is a watch company, not quite rolex quality, but nicer than ESQ (Esquire). The rest of the decals look a bit "Ricky Racer", but to be honest, I really like it!
Aside from the paint and graphics, everything else seems bone stock. The forks appear to have a Titanium Nitride coating on them... researching whether this was stock or not. The clutch is louder than the exhaust (especially since I put the vented on one from the SS), but sounds pretty cool. It also has the passenger pegs, but I may leave them on as they would help secure the saddlebags when I go on the Wild Hogs 09 tour with my buddy Mike.
There are some other neat mysteries around -- there is a small section of high-$ Samco Sport Hose from the water pump... did it originally split, or was it replaced for another reason? Looks like when the oil was changed last (at the dealer) they overfilled it slightly -- likely put in 4L instead of 3.7. Drained out the excess prior to going out for my spin today. I also have a record of the service bills from the Duc dealership. Rediculous labour charges. Thank god I can do most of this work myself!
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