exhaust and forks

Back at work today, so the past few days have seen me prep both bikes with some new items acquired... first off, the supermono now has a new front end. A set of marzocchi adjustable forks straight from Italy. These are essentially identical on the outside to the stock forks, so they bolted right in to the triple clamps, and the wheel and caliper slid right on. However these forks are adjustable for compression and rebound -- one in each fork leg. No preload, but they seem pretty good as is, with the adjustments 2 clicks out from max.








I'm a bit heavier than most (all) 125 pilots, so perhaps some heavier weight fork oil will help get my settings somewhere in the middle of the adjustment range. Going to leave as is, as there is a race this weekend and I hope to get out in one of the sessions to really test it out!




As for the 999, when I got back from the Black Hills I realized that more comfort and more noise were required of the bike. Well, the noise was there, just the wrong kind -- the dry clutch makes a real racket with the stock exhaust. To the point at which some teeny bopper girlie working at one of the parks informed me that, "there's something wrong with your bike". When I told her it was supposed to sound that way, she said it sounded like "crap".

Normally I wouldn't put much stock in the opinion of a 19 year old girl, but Mike and Don even mentioned that when I pulled up behind their cruisers, they heard the rattle of the clutch and not the exhaust. Something had to be done.



Turns out that a fellow DOCC member from la Belle Province was selling his Termi 1/2 system, including link pipe, for a fair price. So I bought it. The next step is to get a power commander installed to make sure the thing is fuelling properly. No going up 2 jet sizes for me! Compare the size of the exhaust outlets with the pic of the stock system below. The system eliminates the two separate catalytic convertors in the stock system, which should do wonders for cooling the whole thing down (as in not cooking my backside). The muffler is essentially a straight through affair -- straight baffles to the other side. It is still decently quiet, but sounds a lot better.

Finally, I was able to score some Heli bars. They are used, but the pics showed them to be in great shape. These are in transit and as soon as they arrive, I'll install them and see if there is any improvement in the comfort department. Apparently they raise the bars up 1" or so. Even a bit would help. Here is a pic of my smoked double bubble windscreen. Used it to "commute" for the first time today. Makes getting up to go to work much more exciting!

Testing again...

Took the 'mono out to my top-secret test facility last week. Was able to run it through the gears quite aggressively with no problems. A few adjustments will need to be made to the shift lever, as it is not quite in the ideal location. Bike ran pretty well with the jetting described at Thumpertalk for the CVK40 carb conversion -- 145 main, I think. I did discover though that the seat is a bit too high, with the C of G throwing me too far forward... I also can't seem to tuck behind the screen with a helmet on -- and finally, it could be contributing to the slightly nervous handling. So, I spent Friday afternoon moving the subframe down. I did allow on the lower mount brackets room for it to lowered -- new holed just needed to be drilled -- however, that contributed to... the length of the rear brake reseviour needing to be shortened; a new muffler bracket needing to be built; and a few of the electrical components mounted on the rear subframe to be moved. By yesterday PM I had the bracket completed -- I thought about making one out of aluminum, but it was too flexy, based on the material I had at hand. Some 3/4 mild steel tubing and the oxy torch created a more sturdy bracket, with some flex still inherent in the design. Today I will finish off the adjustments, and then remove and paint the bracket. While I am at it, I'll use the opportunity to put some dialectric grease in all of the electrical fittings when I put them back together.

2 posts in 1 day!

Summer holidays! Just a few pics -- the fancy-shmancy vented belt covers from Shift-Tech were mounted the day before we left on the trip. With the sidepanels off for cleaning and an oil change, this gave me a chance to take a snap. Real carbon-fibre!

As well, I got my hands on a rear brake light that also had integrated turn signals. Cleans up the back end of the bike greatly. Inspired by a few expensive licence plate relocator kits on ebay (to the tune of 109 bucks), I made my own out of some aluminum angle I had lying around. Does double duty as a shock guard to supplement the shorty hugger.

Finally, I got my hands on a muy cool Fabbri double bubble smoked windshield for 25 bones. It was shipped to FF, so I didn't get it until this past weekend. Will get a shot of that soon. More developments to come, as a new exhaust (Termi) has been sourced from Quebec for a great price, and the remainder of project comfort -- bars and seat -- seem to be in the works.

Back from the Trip

Had a great time riding with Mike and Don down to the Black Hills last week. We went the week before Sturgis, in order to miss the huge crowds and Harley Tomfoolery that usually accompanies that time of year. Despite this, traffic at times was a bit of a pain, but at other times and locations we had the (great) roads to ourselves. As well, we had no interaction with the local constabulary. Mike's idea was that it was so that the police could take the week off before Sturgis, and then EVERYONE would be on duty the following 2 weeks. Makes sense.

One of these bikes is not like the others'... we stopped the first night in Bowman, North Dakota. We had excellent results hotel-wise -- $55 divided by 3 is a pretty good deal. The restaurant next door opened at 5 am as well... on a Sunday!

One of the neat places to stop was "Cheyenne Crossing", at the end of the Spearfish Canyon run. Our first day we got to the canyon at around 11 am, so it was crowded. We went the next route the following day with less traffic, and it was a real blast. At the end, when you decide to go west to Wyoming or East to Sturgis, is a little Cafe and gift shop. It wasn't uncommon to see 20-40 bikes parked out front depending on the time of day.

Our second day we ventured into Sturgis. It seemed "busy" to me, but a lot of parts vendors weren't open yet -- so I can only imagine how many more people congregate here during bike week. We walked around and bought some souvenirs and gifts, and then had lunch at the famous Knuckle Saloon. Good food, and there is a radio station in the restaurant giving attendees information about events, and regular reminders to take it easy. Played some good music as well. On the way in, 2 vintage dirt track bikes greeted you -- a BSA and a Yamaha...

We also stopped by Mount Rushmore -- me, camera-less, will have to wait for pics from Mike and Don. We did stop on 2 occassions at Grizzly's Bar and Grill. Good food, and a great outdoor vantage point to watch the bikes go by. It's in Keystone, SD -- just 5 mins from the monument. After wearing leathers all Day, the bear is pointing to me, and saying how bad I smell. At the start of the trip, that shirt was actually white...

Our tip home was pretty epic -- we went from Belle Fourche, SD to Brandon in one day -- about 1100 km, I think. A long day in the saddle, with primarily less than inspiring roads. We were able to use the posted speed limits as just a suggestion, and our liberal interpretation and mathematical error in coverting the speed to km/h meant we made great time. We had thought of stopping in Minot, but the town was still reeling from the euphoria of the Taylor Swift concert during the state fair, so we pressed on. Along the way, there were some chances to see some great scenery.

Once home, I began the slow process of cleaning the bike. Any trip like this really does a number on a clean vehicle of any sort. Once again I am reminded how silly it is to have wheels any color than black on a long-distance bike. I'll be breaking out the WD-40 and the rags to get the brake dust off of these. The back wheel was even worse, as after day 2, I lubed the rear chain in the dark -- both the chain and the rim were liberally coated...

I also brought home some wildlife on the front of the bike, and in the intake screens. Part of the tidy-up process is not only cleaning, but making sure the air filters aren't clogged with this crap as well. Overall, I was really happy with how the Duc ran. It doesn't start as well as it should, but that I think can be adjusted out at a competent dealer. It's not yet time for a valve check and adjustment, but I think I'll do it over the winter months. It did get a bit warm trolling through traffic (104 C), but quickly cooled down when we got underway. Often, bombing along the highway, it was reading 68 degrees -- nice and cool. Just about everyone thought I was riding a bag of nails, as the dry clutch is so loud with the vented cover... time for some exhaust tweaking. As well, some heli bars are in order, as after about 3 hours, it became a bit of a tourture rack. That being said, it's fate, because I know there was no way I would have been able to ride the other Ducati down there, with the postage stamp seat, lack of instrumentation, and no windscreen. Everything happens for a reason...

Asthetics Complete

Leave tommorow for the big trip with Mike and Don. However a few spare moments allowed me to get the RS50 sidepanels painted and clear coated, and the rest of the decal kit installed prior to departure.

Pretty happy with how it looks. The tail doesn't seem to work quite right with the rest of the fairings, but I do like the "real" seat and the ease of how it attaches to the subframe.

3/4 view. Most of the companies listed on the fairing have nothing to do with the bike it is on.... 2D data acquisition? Perhaps that stands for "Dumb and Dumber"... at least these tires are Dunlops...

A view many riders will see... just before they pass me!

Canada 1, Italy 0

We leave for the Wild Hogs '09 tour in about a week. I thought it would be a good idea to change the belts and the oil, even though the oil is recent, and the belts are no where near their service limit mileage wise, but are over 6 years old.
The problem with the belts is that there is no commercially available belt tensioner for the home mechanic for the narrow valve heads. Considering the "fish scale" technique I and others use with the 900ss, the 916 models had a mechanical deflection tool to measure tension, and the 999 and newer models used a vibration tool. Apparently if the belts vibrate at 110 hz, the belts are in proper tension.
A guy on a Ducati forum pointed out that a proper A note is 110 hz, and had a picture of a Korg tuner he had to set tension. Turns out it was the exact same model Kate had to tune her Cello. Dad was by for a visit (and he helped me a lot with the deck too), so we set the belts to the tension he thought was right, and I plucked them and took a reading -- G# -- very close right off the hop! For each belt we got within an acceptable range -- from G# to B flat readings, with a few A's thrown in. Good enough! The 999 is still apart, as I want to mount the vented cam belt covers while it is dissassembled, prior to going on the trip. They should be here sometime this week, but if they don't arrive by Wednesday, its going together as is.
The dealer did not remove the oil filter screen during the oil change, so I did, and found gasket sealer -- the grey yamabond stuff -- on it... so it is still being broken in (?). It is supposed to take 3.7L of oil. Used 3 to get it to the max fill mark on the case, and will fire it up and add as necessary.

I got the new CVK40 carb and RS50 sidepanels for the supermono, as well as some sticky take-off tires (Mom and Dad's courier role). Switched the items necessary for the conversion from the dodgy carb to the new one, and fired up the bike. Took a bit of fiddling to get it to idle and run properly, but I think I've got it. Running on the stand is nothing like riding the bike, but its a start.
The RS50 panels went on really easily. A few pieces of aluminum strap, a few riv-nuts, and presto -- the sidepanels went on with decent clearance all around. They immediately came off, and I'm in the process of painting them as well. Should look alright. Swapping the tires are next -- I have a pretty good feeling that the bike is ready to begin proper testing -- as in pull on your leathers and go out during a session testing. We'll see if I can't arrange that sometime during the August race weekend.

I also got a neat email from Dave Pearce of Tigcraft. He sent me some photos of the KTM supermono, finished, with the swingarm he got built for it. A really sexy machine. I also asked him about this supermono race available on youtube http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4566741028621927922... here was his reply:

Oh by the way reference the Monza Supermono race, we were there that day. I was showing Dr John Wittner around the paddock, he was intrigued. Monza is just down the road from Mandello de Lario where the Moto Guzzi factory is, and no, the Germans did not allow me to have anything to do with the racing after the bikes were delivered.

Dave

Watch the video if you get the chance -- it's nearly 30 mins long, but worth it. FWIW, the tigcraft Muz bikes were the white and green machines -- rider #2 (Mike Edwards) leads for awhile late in the race before his engine gives up the ghost.

Off to work on the deck -- 4 hours of bike racing being recorded today -- Mid-Ohio and Sachsenring.

This is the KTM with the new swingarm. From what I can tell from the pictures, the oil tank has also been moved, and the rear seat support changed a bit as well.

Rear 3/4 view.
















With bodywork. That is (I think) RS125 widebody bodywork on the bike. Looks pretty good -- but should be orange, I guess. If I win the lottery, I'll take 2. One to race, and one to terrorize the streets on. By the way, Dave is currently working on a Triumph 675- powered Moto2 racer!

brief update

Not a lot to report. At the last race, when the reffing was done, I went out for a couple of slow, cautious laps. The bike turned and stopped as it should, and acceleration was better with the jetting. Still the BSR 36 -- really want to get the CVK40 installed and figured out. My first try with a dodgy example of the 40mm carb led to copius flooding. Problems with the float vavle... when I priced out a new float valve, seat, etc.... just bought another (newer this time) carb off of ebay.

Temps didn't get past 65 celcius (hooray!) so I think the rad will suffice. Will need to put more revs into it before I make a final decision.

Installed my APE manual cam chain tensioner. Piece of mind -- the stock camchain tensioners in the pre-2003 models were known to fail with expensive consequences.

In other news, a plan to make a few repairs to the deck out back of the house has turned into a complete teardown and rebuild. A tip -- DO NOT coat your back deck with 2 sheets of plywood and indoor linoleum. It lasts for about a year, and then turns to mush. Lucky we didn't fall through... everything had rotted! That may take up a significant amount of my time over the next while.