Las Vegas

Getting ready for a big trip from Dallas, TX to Las Vegas, NV. I've ordered new clip-ons so the ride will be less taxing on my wrists (total trip distance = 2,800 mi). The CycleCat clipons will be coming off in favor of a set of the New SpeedyMoto Tallboy clip-ons, from Motowheels. This will likely require a new brake line since the bars will be an inch or more higher than before, and some time is involved as well. A big advantage in switching away from CycleCat is SpeedyMoto does not use proprietary parts so replacements will be easy to come by should I break something. This is not the situation with CycleCat, who has run itself out of business and has only select parts pandered through OnCycles.com (no thank you).

This requires removing top triple, existing clip-ons, and everything on the existing clip-on bars, putting them on the new bars, installing the new clip-ons, replacing the top triple, and a lot of adjustments to get things "just right". 

As far as gear goes, I'll be wearing my Dainese lightweight mesh jacket (don't worry - still armored up and complete with backprotector), and to carry changes of clothes I'll be using a new Kriega R25 Rucksack, from Britain and provided by Matrix Motorsports. 

The bike will also get new tires (finally). Replacing the ancient dunlop front and michelin pilot power rear will be a matching set of Michelin Pilot Roads. I had thought heavily about the Road 2's, with the 2CT compound but the price isn't quite where I could do it just yet.  Along with basic maintenance like tires, I'll be changing the oil and replacing the old, O-ring chewing oil drain plug with a newer unit from Nirvana Racing that also includes a magnet to remove debris from the oil. 

Some small electrical changes have been made, including more robust starter wires from DesmoTimes, and I had to replace a Rizoma Signal where the wires had been severed. PJ's Parts delivered the signal, along with a pair of spacers so I could remount the blinkers on the headlight brackets instead of using the GSG Moto fork brackets. This required new headlight brackets with signal holes drilled or the drilling of the existing brackets. As embarassing as this is going to sound, I don't have a drill nor an 8mm drill bit. So carbon fiber brackets with the holes already in them came from MonsterParts.com and several bolts were replaced with titanium from RaceBolts.com

Pictures next time, I promise.

A Work In Progress

It is unfortunate that the Spiegler lines do not fit correctly just yet, so the rebuild progress has slowed significantly until the problem is remedied. The good news is that Brian at Motowheels was kind enough to go out of his way to contact the manufacturer and arrange the proper corrections to be made.

Since these lines run through the front fairing area is would be silly to take the time to place new gauges on just to take them back off. So that is also waiting for a time. The new CycleCat top triple clamp does not use the standard '99 fairing mount brackets so the use of my new painted fairing will be limited. A fellow DML'er has traded me (money for parts) his new style fairing off a 2000 M900 which will fit the bill perfectly. It will be sent out to be striped when the bellypan is sent to be painted and will be installed at the same time as the new top triple.

In other news, a similar transaction occurred with fellow DML Ducseven, who is having to part out his M900. This is terrible for him and the bike (it was very well done) but it benefits me as I will be the proud owner of a Rizoma Billet Suspension Arc and rear wave rotor soon. He's a pleasure to do business with, but it is unfortunate for him to have to part out his Monster.

Without further ado, here are some pictures of the current build progress.



The new tank paint job and front end work can be seen here.



The wiring still needs to be hidden behind the frame, but this shows the removal of the side panel and rear hugger, the Nichols breather, Axle Adjuster Plates, and more of the new paint job. Things really seem to be coming together.

And this is THE Alain, who has helped so much. Notice him pulling the "Wilson" from Home Improvement:


One last shot from the front of the Duc showing the work-in-progress front end.

Italy & Australia

Two big parts came in recently. The Rizoma Belt Covers (ZDM018A's) brought to me from Italy by PJ's Parts and the Vee-Two Pulleys (V2-12-305) straight from Australia. The pulleys are billet with gold anodizing and one of the last of the color anodized sets available. They are adjustable and the gold anodizing will be visible through the windows in the billet belt covers. This improves significantly on the appearance of the motor as the stock belt covers were worse than ugly and the pulleys were non-adjustable. It is luck that the gold was still available as it has been discontinued (they only make 'clear' finish now) and this piece compliments the majority of the billet on the bike which is gold (the rest being silver, save the handlebars and new top triple, see below).

Also in recently with pics up now are the Spiegler custom brake lines in red and gold, with gold banjo bolts and gold fork preload adjusters to boot. See the pics below. From Motowheels.



The other big thing to come in recently is a CycleCat DTC-2 Top Triple in Titanium anodizing. This matches the CycleCat DBR-3 clipon handlebars (also in Titanium) that are currently on the bike. The top triple was technically a blem though you'd be trying really really hard to be able to find a blemish anywhere on it. It is simply beautiful. Purchased directly from OnCycles.com

Latest Progress

Tomorrow is the final day I'll be able to work on the bike in person for some time. I was able to resolve several issues with fitments and decide on my game plan for the next few weeks.

The brake/clutch lines are due in late next week or the beginning of the following from Motowheels in California. Again, Brian & Ed have done much to make things go as smooth as possibly for me. Along with the brake lines I should also be receiving a set of billet fork preload adjuster knobs for the tops of the Showa forks. They'll give me the opportunity to change the preload when I desire, and just as important, they will look quite nice.

Unfortunately for me came the realization that the sidestand mounts on my M900 are the older much larger diameter style and thus the CycleCat Billet Sidestand (DKS-35) will not work with my system unless I change the mounting to a newer style configuration. This looked quite feasible until the costs were investigated. A quick look at the mounting plates and costs through BikeBandit schematics show that the system is around $100 and at this point I'm not willing to spend nearly 250 big ones to have a better looking and slightly better functioning sidestand.

The installation of the Nichols Breather went without any problems as one might expect and the K&N filter slid neatly on top of it and came supplied with the necessary plugs to close off the airbox where existing hosing ran. Quite convenient and easy to use. In the same neck of the woods the gas vapor canister and oil breather box have been completely removed as have the carburetor vent pods. Other body parts I have decided to remove from the bike include the model indicating side panels as well as the rear-hugger. I may decide to revert to a rear hugger after several rides so I am keeping all parts for just such an event.

The removal of the existing license plate bracket and blinker mounts in the rear went smooth, though it required the removal and disassembly of part of the rear brake light to access all the appropriate bolts. The TPO license plate bracket bolted right up and the wiring for the blinkers, etc was relocated to the under seat area. The Rizoma blinkers were slightly trickier to plug in than I originally anticipated but not because of the stock wiring but because of the proprietary plug in the middle of the LED signals wiring. Apparently my fingers were a little big, but with a narrow straightedge the problem was solved.

Alain installed a new tire on the rear as it was due while he replaced the chain and both sprockets. The tire is a Michelin Pilot Power while the chain is a D.I.D. 520ERV3 purchased along with the AFAM sprockets in a group buy on the DML. This proved a very cost effective method of changing to a 14T front sprocket and a 40T rear. While installing the tire, chain and sprockets, I purchased from Corsair Industries a set of billet chain adjuster plates that are much nicer looking and have less "slop" in them (as Alain defines it).

In other news, the fiberglass short bellypan purchased from Red Racing will be mounted tomorrow morning and trimmed as necessary before it shipped out of state for paint. This is to be coupled with the receipt of the Ducati Performance carbon dash with tachometer in the mail to me that should be here on the 16th. Talk about things all coming together! Sorry There Were No Pictures in this LONG Post!

Lots of To-Do Recently!

There's been lots of To-Do recently regarding the rebuild progress.

I ran into a problem mounting the Choke Control seeing as I have upgraded the clutch master cylinder with a billet Brembo "GP" 16x18 unit. Now things are beginning to look a lot better up front but the choke formerly mounted on the old master cylinder. You might think redoing a choke control to be easy as pie, but it proved to be more daunting than one might think. Brian of Motowheels has been most helpful as he has a quite similar if not more personalized Monster. Brian also has a custom set of brake/clutch lines coming that will not only allow my new master cylinders to function, but will aid in performance and look quite slick.

The other recent concern was the mounting of indicators. I have never liked the look of the stock units and upgrades to billet LED systems are not cheap (even though I have redone my rear ones with Rizoma Track '01' Signals). The upgrade became mandatory recently when I learned that it not only cluttered up the look of the handlebar area, but it also could be in the way of my levers of the new master cylinders. The solution came way of aftermarket mounts and a lower placement near the bottom triple. Mounting brackets were not as easy to find as one might think, the appropriate search name for such an appliance is a "fork tube clamp" and this turns up only a few relevant results.

I plan on using the same signals as I had previously ordered for the rear in the front application. I got them before from PJ Pijanka of PJ's Parts and plan to do so again. The prices for Rizoma pieces can't be beat and the service is top notch friendly. One catch - a Paypal account is a must.

Newly opened MonsterParts.com is going to supply the new Ducati Performance tachometer and carbon fiber instrument cluster. The site is run by Jeff H. who was most curteous is his response to my emails as well as investigating a part for me.

The images below are the current build progress. As you can see things have been going a little slowly, but progress is steady. Alain has been most helpful and the Corse Motorsports shop is a terrific place to do business as well as visit. A big thanks must go out to my friend Will in Knoxville for pointing me in the right direction here in Nashville.

More Parts for the Bike, Tank Update -

Lots of New Parts have been ordered recently. Here's the breakdown (quick and dirty).

From CA-Cycleworks, I will be enjoying a Nichols Crankcase Breather, I didn't forget the crush washer, and while I was there I picked up a matching CRG Hindsight Lane-Split Mirror for my RH Side, as well as the DesmoTimes Case Saver Insert. Might as well pick up the necessities while I'm there I figured.

To go with the Nichols Crankcase Breather, I have ordered the K&N Filter & Air Box Plugs Kit from TPO Parts. While I'm picking things up there, I decided to try out there "Custom Xenon Headlight" for Monsters, as a brighter lighting option. Since things things are adding up, I've chosen to equip the Duc with a less expensive method for letting the rattle out, and that's with the Clutch Cover Spacers Kit.

To take on the predicament of fluid reservoirs at the handlebars for the clutch and brake M/C's, I have decided to go with the Rizoma Bottom Outflow Reservoir's with Window (CT0017) in Titanium. This round the CycleCat bars, which are also in Titanium to give a less conspicuous mounting. The reservoirs are being shipped from PJ's Parts, as I have had several pleasant dealings with them so far.

The last of the parts come again from MotoWheels. To begin the clutch improvement, I ordered the Titanium Clutch Spring Bolts & CycleCat DSK-1 Billet Spring Keepers in Red. The future plan is for the pressure plate to be gold, red caps, behind a titanium color SpeedyMoto "Flow" Cover. The Titanium Spring Bolts and Billet Caps go with the SS Clutch Springs and STM Clutch Pin Holder already installed on the bike. The main reason for this shopping extravaganza began with the CycleCat DKS-35 Billet Sidestand in Silver. This is the slightly longer sidestand to relax the lean angle when the bike is at rest. My stock sidestand is completely nasty and covered with scratches, etc and this will go well with the rear ride height raise that is being done by Corse Motorsports while its in getting put back together.

TANK NEWS:
Brad emailed from Speedzone to let me know that everything looked great and just required a little more time before it was shipped to avoid impressions from the shipping packaging, etc. The decals came out fantastic, and it looks like the bike will be back on the road and running by Christmas.

Rizoma Indicators & CycleCat Components

The Rizoma Indicators (Track '01' Style) are in and they look phenomenal. They were shipped practically the same day I ordered them from PJ's Parts - a topshelf company if there ever was any. The price can't be beat for Rizoma products and I had them in a few short days. The finish is fantastic and there length makes me curious as to if I should get a second pair to peak out from behind the fairing on the front. I think they'll look trick as soon as they are installed.

...a topshelf company if there ever was any.

In other news, the bar ends for the CycleCat clipons arrived safely in California at the MotoWheels shop. Once they arrived, I called Brian to order the CycleCat reservoir brackets and they should be shipped out today with the CRG-style bar end sliders to complete my handlebar set up. I'm anxious to see the whole set up on the bike. It looks like I may be ordering the Rizoma Fluid Reservoirs to mate up with my system before the end of the month. (I have a birthday coming up - 11/22). To continue to throw praises at MotoWheels as well, Brian is a topnotch employee, and they "get" the whole customer service idea. A quick phone call, and he remembers me, asks about the bike, etc. It left me with a good feeling about everything when the call was over, and that's the way it should be.

New Parts Order!

TPO Parts will provide some finishing touches to the induction system as well as the tail assembly of the Monster. As my Monster is carburated, the grey plastic vent pods have always looked excessive. The pods will be removed using a kit from TPO , cleaning up the front end. The rear will be rounded out with a fender eliminator bracket and signal relocation bracket as well, with lightweight (plastic) bolts to hold it together. The total order consists of:

• Ducati Low Profile Turn Signal Brackets
• TPO Stealth License Plate Bracket Monster - TACTICAL Style
• Lightweight License Plate Bolt Kit
• Ducati Monster Carburetor Vent-Pod Removal Kit

The parts are due to arrive within the next 2-5 days.

2nd Delivery

MotoWheels Box o' Goodies was delivered on time as promised by the folks at FedEx. A large Quat-D box that was unmistakeably for me was awaiting my return from an oil change today. In the box was:

• Complete Quat-D Ex Box System for M900 Ducati Monster
• 2 Quat-D Stickers
• No Quat-D Installation Instructions!
• Several Italian only "Authenticity" papers for Quat-D
  
• Brembo Radial "GP" Master Cylinder 19x18
• Speigler Dual Line Brake Switch Banjo Bolt
• Swirl Pattern Billet Aluminum Steering Head Bolt
• Titanium Crankcase Cover Bolts (2)
• Titanium Color SpeedyMoto Crankcase Cover - "Iron Cross"
• SpeedyMoto Stainless Steel Crankcase Cover Bolts (2)
• CycleCat DBR-3 Adjustable Riser Clipons - Titanium Colored
  
• CycleCat Installation Instructions
• CycleCat Bar End Sliders
• CycleCat DS-7 Frame Slider - Spare Delrin Slider

Seen below are pictures of various parts included in shipment.

1st Delivery

Ferracci parts delivered on schedule. [23 October 2006]
Included are:

• BMC Filter Element
• Ferracci aluminum bracket for open air-box top
• 2 BMC Air Filter Stickers

Below are pictures of the box the parts came in, and the parts next to the box.

Parts Shipped

One day after ordering:

Ferracci shipping confirmation received:

Package to be delivered on 23 October 2006 via UPS .

Motowheels shipping confirmation received yesterday:

Package to be delivered on 24 October 2006 via FedEx.

Ordering Repair Parts

PARTS

The first round of parts have been ordered. Two seperate orders were made, one at MotoWheels and the other through Fast By Ferracci. I have differing opinions on both transactions from the very beginning.

MOTOWHEELS -

Parts ordered (9):

• Spare Cycle Cat DS-7 Delrin Frame Slider
• Cycle Cat DBR-3 Adjustable Riser Clipons, Titanium Color, 2.5" Riser, CRG Bar Ends
• Brembo "GP" Radial M/C 19x18
• Mini Banjo Brake Switch - Dual Line
• Quat-D Ex Box Exhaust - M900
• Billet Exhaust Flange - 2V Ducati
• SpeedyMoto Crankcase Cover - "Iron Cross"
• Titanium Crankcase Cover bolts
• Billet Monster Steering Head Bolt - "Swirl"

Notes: Great website, immediate verification of order email. This was quickly followed up by an email from an employee to let me know that the Billet Exhaust Flanges do not work with the Ex Box exhaust system. He wanted to know if I wanted to take them off the order completely or be issued store credit (the cost for the flanges is ~$100). Either is fine with me, but useless flanges is not, so I was happy to get the email. Order was shipped later that day, tracking number email received as well.


FERRACCI -

Parts Ordered (1):

• Airbox Conversion w/ K&N Filter Element. For Carburated M900.

Notes: No confirmation email. Order given during checkout, so I called asking why I the website said I'd get an email and I had received none... Online Orders Guy is out at meetings for the day was answer given. I ask if it is in stock to verify that I will be receiving something in a reasonable amount of time. Employee on phone was unable to tell. Dissapointing to say the least and I am hoping this is not a sign of bad things to come.