That Ducati 1098 Tri-Colore isn't at the dealer any more. Someone snatched it up on Tuesday.
The problem is that 'someone' was me.
Here's my 12-step program for Ducati ownership:
1. Lose mind.
2. Find a banker who has also lost thier mind.
3. Buy Ducati and race bodywork.
4. Break-in Ducati.
5. Figure out how to paint fiberglass.
6. Service Ducati.
7. Get extra bike protection widgets.
8. Break-in Ducati some more.
9. Paint fiberglass.
10. Install race bodywork and widgets.
11. Go to track.
12. Try to stop giggling.
So far I'm on step 4. (Well, a little bit of step 12 too.) With some luck I'll get comfortable with it and get it to the track this season.
It's a little hard to get a truly accurate picture since I'm limited to < 6000 rpm during the break-in picture. But early indications are that it's scary powerful. It's 100lbs lighter and has 60hp more than the Daytona.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Sweet dreams are made of these.
Wow! March 4th?! Eeek, I'm not very good at this am I? Oh well, you get what you pay for and I'm sure none of you are paying for this.
What's happened in 5 months? Well, the weather got nice so I got out from in front of computer and did stuff. What stuff? I can't remember but I'm sure it was fun.
... Uh ... Hmmm..... 5 months? .... What *did* I do? ...
Track days! Right! Three tracks days at Pacific Raceways. June 2nd + 3rd, and July 30th. On June 2nd I snapped the chain during the first session. I thought it was going to end my whole weekend but luckily I had an extra link and with some help I was back in the action after missing only one session. Here's one of my laps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc9LsSHHYIw
BTW, that's a new camera setup on the bike. I replaced the Archos AV500 recorder with an Aiptek MPVR. The Archos couldn't handle the vibration very well since it writes to an HDD. The Aiptek writes to a CF card and it works pretty well. (And it's smaller.)
July 30th I was at PR again. I was pretty sick so I only ran 4 or 5 sessions and most of those I came in early. Much to my surprise I was able to get a knee down in turns 2, 3, 4, 6, and 9. (Six really freaked me out, it was totally unintentional.) My lap times weren't spectacular but I did manage to see 133mph on the computer at one point. (No, mom, I wasn't watching my speedometer at 133mph. The computer records my max speed and I check it when the session is over.)
My group at work was given the week of July 30th off. (Hence being at the track on a Monday.) I thought I'd take some time to myself and drive out to Glacier National Park. In preparation I finally had the other 5 Redlines put on The Triumph. I know my dad thinks I'm crazy (for many reasons we won't get into here) but the Redlines really do make a difference. They somehow just look right.
Gentlemen, please remove your hats as we observe a moment of silence to commemorate the loss of our beloved original spare. .............. For 32 years it sat patiently in the trunk. Ever vigilant. Always ready to step in when needed. It was a fine old tire and I'll miss it terribly.
But in the end I decided it wouldn't be too smart to drive 4 days with the top down if I was sick. So I never did go to Glacier. (No, I could not have put the top up. I have a convertible. If the top is up I might just as well be driving a coupe. And that's just silliness.)
The same day I had the Redlines mounted I had new tires put on the Daytona in preparation for the track day. While they were being mounted at a local dealer I made a strategic error: I went upstairs to sales. Why was that an error? Because I found one of these on these on the floor. Whoever had put a deposit on it couldn't finish the deal and there no one else was waiting for a Tri-Colore. (The other 1098 models have a waiting list almost a year long at this dealership.) I tried it on for size and woudn't you know, it fit!
I talked with the sales guys and the service guys and they were clearly conspiring against the sensible part of my brain. But I managed to escape with new tires and before their Jedi Mind Tricks forced me into a new Ducati. I got in the car thinking "Whew! That was close! Good thing someone even dumber than me will snap that up. And probably even before my credit union opens again."
Except... I stopped by the dealer today and it is still there.
Waiting for me.
Calling to me.
It must be a sign.
Maybe it's the re-incarnation of that original spare. ... Maybe I should get it. Maybe it's trying to keep looking out for me. ... Right?
What's happened in 5 months? Well, the weather got nice so I got out from in front of computer and did stuff. What stuff? I can't remember but I'm sure it was fun.
... Uh ... Hmmm..... 5 months? .... What *did* I do? ...
Track days! Right! Three tracks days at Pacific Raceways. June 2nd + 3rd, and July 30th. On June 2nd I snapped the chain during the first session. I thought it was going to end my whole weekend but luckily I had an extra link and with some help I was back in the action after missing only one session. Here's one of my laps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc9LsSHHYIw
BTW, that's a new camera setup on the bike. I replaced the Archos AV500 recorder with an Aiptek MPVR. The Archos couldn't handle the vibration very well since it writes to an HDD. The Aiptek writes to a CF card and it works pretty well. (And it's smaller.)
July 30th I was at PR again. I was pretty sick so I only ran 4 or 5 sessions and most of those I came in early. Much to my surprise I was able to get a knee down in turns 2, 3, 4, 6, and 9. (Six really freaked me out, it was totally unintentional.) My lap times weren't spectacular but I did manage to see 133mph on the computer at one point. (No, mom, I wasn't watching my speedometer at 133mph. The computer records my max speed and I check it when the session is over.)
My group at work was given the week of July 30th off. (Hence being at the track on a Monday.) I thought I'd take some time to myself and drive out to Glacier National Park. In preparation I finally had the other 5 Redlines put on The Triumph. I know my dad thinks I'm crazy (for many reasons we won't get into here) but the Redlines really do make a difference. They somehow just look right.
Gentlemen, please remove your hats as we observe a moment of silence to commemorate the loss of our beloved original spare. .............. For 32 years it sat patiently in the trunk. Ever vigilant. Always ready to step in when needed. It was a fine old tire and I'll miss it terribly.
But in the end I decided it wouldn't be too smart to drive 4 days with the top down if I was sick. So I never did go to Glacier. (No, I could not have put the top up. I have a convertible. If the top is up I might just as well be driving a coupe. And that's just silliness.)
The same day I had the Redlines mounted I had new tires put on the Daytona in preparation for the track day. While they were being mounted at a local dealer I made a strategic error: I went upstairs to sales. Why was that an error? Because I found one of these on these on the floor. Whoever had put a deposit on it couldn't finish the deal and there no one else was waiting for a Tri-Colore. (The other 1098 models have a waiting list almost a year long at this dealership.) I tried it on for size and woudn't you know, it fit!
I talked with the sales guys and the service guys and they were clearly conspiring against the sensible part of my brain. But I managed to escape with new tires and before their Jedi Mind Tricks forced me into a new Ducati. I got in the car thinking "Whew! That was close! Good thing someone even dumber than me will snap that up. And probably even before my credit union opens again."
Except... I stopped by the dealer today and it is still there.
Waiting for me.
Calling to me.
It must be a sign.
Maybe it's the re-incarnation of that original spare. ... Maybe I should get it. Maybe it's trying to keep looking out for me. ... Right?
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Mud Bath
I took the bike to work on Friday. Some folks were planning to ride to the premier of Wild Hogs in the afternoon. I was going to join them on the off chance that the weather was cooperative. Of course this is Seattle so ... well ... yeah, that didn't happen.
But an odd thing happened at 11:30. I decided to go for a lunch ride with a couple other crazy fools. They wanted to get a burger at a little cafe in Fall City which is a 30-minute ride. Me? I just wanted to burn some gas.
It was raining. The road was wet. And I have no rear fender to speak of. I ended up covered in dirt.
It was great!
Did you worry about getting dirty when you were 7? And when mom told you to get out of the rain didn't you mutter something about "When I grow up I'm going to do what I want!"? ... So? Are you eating ice cream everyday? Are you playing in the mud?
But an odd thing happened at 11:30. I decided to go for a lunch ride with a couple other crazy fools. They wanted to get a burger at a little cafe in Fall City which is a 30-minute ride. Me? I just wanted to burn some gas.
It was raining. The road was wet. And I have no rear fender to speak of. I ended up covered in dirt.
It was great!
Did you worry about getting dirty when you were 7? And when mom told you to get out of the rain didn't you mutter something about "When I grow up I'm going to do what I want!"? ... So? Are you eating ice cream everyday? Are you playing in the mud?
Friday, February 16, 2007
On the Road Again
Good ol' Willie. Anyone know if he's paid off his taxes yet? ... Oh well.
It actually happened on Wednesday. I picked my Suzuki up from the dealer! (What? You don't think that's exciting? Just because I've done that about 2 dozen times in the last few years? Ah, okay, here's the important point -->) WITHOUT A TRAILER!
That's right boys and girls. It's alive and kicking and coming to a yuppie-biker-hangout near you.
It runs pretty good in the mid rev range. I'm not sure it's getting enough fuel once the revs pick up. It's a little early to say. My hope is to push a tank of gas through it this weekend. (If the weather cooperates.)
I've covered about 25 miles so far. And I've learned a few things already:
1) Mirrors are almost useless on a bike. But not as useless as having *no* mirrors.
2) If you have a short rear fender and you ride when the road is wet, you're going to get a nice disgusting stripe of grime on the back of your jacket.
3) Riding a cruiser with forward controls is absolutely nothing like riding a sport bike. (Although the riding position is oddly similar to the driving position in a TR6.)
Work items left:
- Polished / chromed final drive.
- Polished / powdercoated lower front legs
- Replace the oil cooler with something slimmer.
- Hide / cleanup the bluing on the front pipe.
- Get a speedometer cable.
It actually happened on Wednesday. I picked my Suzuki up from the dealer! (What? You don't think that's exciting? Just because I've done that about 2 dozen times in the last few years? Ah, okay, here's the important point -->) WITHOUT A TRAILER!
That's right boys and girls. It's alive and kicking and coming to a yuppie-biker-hangout near you.
It runs pretty good in the mid rev range. I'm not sure it's getting enough fuel once the revs pick up. It's a little early to say. My hope is to push a tank of gas through it this weekend. (If the weather cooperates.)
I've covered about 25 miles so far. And I've learned a few things already:
1) Mirrors are almost useless on a bike. But not as useless as having *no* mirrors.
2) If you have a short rear fender and you ride when the road is wet, you're going to get a nice disgusting stripe of grime on the back of your jacket.
3) Riding a cruiser with forward controls is absolutely nothing like riding a sport bike. (Although the riding position is oddly similar to the driving position in a TR6.)
Work items left:
- Polished / chromed final drive.
- Polished / powdercoated lower front legs
- Replace the oil cooler with something slimmer.
- Hide / cleanup the bluing on the front pipe.
- Get a speedometer cable.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Sit Happens
I decided to move forward on the Suzuki last week. I need to get a seat installed before it will be safe enough for the guys at the dealer to ride it, and that's a pre-requisite for them to be able to tune it.
So I called Richs Custom Seats. Explained that I'd need a new pan and a new seat. I got the "bring the bike down and we can figure it out" response I expected. I made an appointment for Saturday.
I figured the process would look something like...
1. Bring the bike down Saturday morning.
2. Spend 15-30 minutes talking over what I wanted, what was possible, and deciding on a plan. Leave the bike behind.
3. Come back a week or two later (once the pan was done) to do the foam fitting. Take the bike.
4. Come back a week or two later to pick up the completed seat and sign over my first born son as payment.
Instead the process was...
1. Bring the bike in 10:45am Saturday.
2. Spend 15 minutes talking about what I wanted and what could be done with what I had.
3. Hang in the shop talking motorcycles with Rich, his employees, and a number of other customers (most of whom we're also a little surprised by Richs process).
4. About a dozen times get asked by Rich to verify that the shape / style / fit of the seat was what I expected.
5. Leave about 6:00pm with the bike and the finished seat.
Yeah, it cost me the day but now I have the seat done instead of waiting until the end of the month. Plus it only cost about 60% of what I expected. (Partly because they were able to modify my existing seatpan instead of having to create a new one from scratch.)
Next time I'll just have to remember to bring a book.
If you look close at the picture from the right side you'll also see the other little change I had to make. I had to move the rear brake reservoir to keep it from touching the exhaust. One of my finer successes: I spent 45 minutes and about $0.89 to make the bracket.
So I called Richs Custom Seats. Explained that I'd need a new pan and a new seat. I got the "bring the bike down and we can figure it out" response I expected. I made an appointment for Saturday.
I figured the process would look something like...
1. Bring the bike down Saturday morning.
2. Spend 15-30 minutes talking over what I wanted, what was possible, and deciding on a plan. Leave the bike behind.
3. Come back a week or two later (once the pan was done) to do the foam fitting. Take the bike.
4. Come back a week or two later to pick up the completed seat and sign over my first born son as payment.
Instead the process was...
1. Bring the bike in 10:45am Saturday.
2. Spend 15 minutes talking about what I wanted and what could be done with what I had.
3. Hang in the shop talking motorcycles with Rich, his employees, and a number of other customers (most of whom we're also a little surprised by Richs process).
4. About a dozen times get asked by Rich to verify that the shape / style / fit of the seat was what I expected.
5. Leave about 6:00pm with the bike and the finished seat.
Yeah, it cost me the day but now I have the seat done instead of waiting until the end of the month. Plus it only cost about 60% of what I expected. (Partly because they were able to modify my existing seatpan instead of having to create a new one from scratch.)
Next time I'll just have to remember to bring a book.
If you look close at the picture from the right side you'll also see the other little change I had to make. I had to move the rear brake reservoir to keep it from touching the exhaust. One of my finer successes: I spent 45 minutes and about $0.89 to make the bracket.
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