DucNotes - Main - The Caboteria

I have a 2002 Ducati Monster <nop>M750S ie that I bought in December 2004 from a guy in Roslindale (see BuyingTheDuc).  Evidently he hadn't ridden it much because it had only 400 miles.

The Ducati Monster List web site (http://www.ducatimonsterworldwide.org/) is full of interesting chatter about riding and modifying monsters.  It has one unpleasant side effect though - if you spend even a few minutes on the site you tend to get excited about making changes to the bike.  Things that you previously didn't even notice, now really _really_ bug you.  The [[#emissions_cannister]] for example

Spare parts catalog - http://www.ducati.com/bikes/catalogs.jhtml;MY=2002

---+ Hacks

---++ suspension

http://clubhousemotorsports.com/ - Eric Colbath in NH is an ace Ducati tech.  He rebuilt my forks and they're vastly better than stock.  After 10 years at BCM he's doing his own thing.

http://www.computrackboston.com/ - Peter Kates is a suspension guru in Bellingham, MA (down on the RI border).

---++ reflectors

Everyone removes the reflectors from the front forks.  I hadn't noticed until I read about it, and then sure enough they started to bug me.  They're nasty little plastic things stuck on with double-sided tape.  They're clearly tacked on at the last minute to meet some regulation or other.  The good news is that they're easy to remove with a hair dryer and a little elbow grease.  One almost fell off, the other needed a little convincing with a screwdriver.  Afterwards the forks needed a little cleanup with some alcohol to get rid of the crusty glue that the adhesive tape had left behind.

---++ gas tank stickers

Again, a little heat with a hair dryer and some careful peeling got the two gas tank stickers up.  A better idea than the hair dryer is to just leave the bike in the sun for an hour or two - I'd bet this will heat the tank more than the hair dryer.

I stuck the stickers on the inside cover of my owner's manual just so I have them for reference.

---++ emissions cannister

Purely cosmetic, but it's surprising how much better it looks when it's done.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jerseyjeffshinn/album?.dir=c233&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jerseyjeffshinn/my_photos

---++ exhaust

You can hack on the stock exhausts to make them louder: http://home.earthlink.net/~desmoduck/muffler_mod.html

Or you can pay someone to do it:
http://www.ducatipipemod.com/.  I went this route (got the "1/2 mod") and it's amazing how much of a difference it makes.  It's a little louder (but not obnoxiously loud) but the sound is magnificent.  Not as deep as a Termignioni or Arrow but great value for the money.

---++ rear brake

http://www.tcmproducts.com/Ducati_Rotors.html will drill lots of holes in your rear brake rotor to make it lighter.<br/>
http://forums.13x.com/showthread.php?t=117260 - another shop that does the same thing.

---++ Mirrors

http://www.constructorsrg.com/products.html - expensive but very high quality.  I've got 'em, they work great and are beautifully made.

---++ Turn Signals

http://www.custombike.org/shock_racing_marker_lights.htm - LED's, about $25.  Some talk that they're not very durable.

http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=3&L2=&L3=&L4=&item=MRX_OI1_G - look like OEM, but smaller.  Bulbs.


---++ LED's


http://www.customdynamics.com/flex_led_array.htm

http://www.radiantz.com/cart/index1.html?1.html&1

Homebrew:<br/>


---++ Horn

You can never be too loud.

http://www.ridesafer.com/page/mfc0/Home.html<br/>
http://adventurersworkshop.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=AWI&Category_Code=Stebel_Air_Horns

---++ License Plate Lights

http://www.watsendesign.com/products/current/LEDPLATELIGHT/index.html <br/>
http://www.4strokesonly.com/LicensePlateLights.html <br/>

---++ Light modulator

Blink your headlight and brake light for better visibility:  http://www.kisantech.com/

---++ Cool Paint

http://www.frostysfinishes.com/ - guy in NH that does some amazing stuff with paint.

---++ Custom Fabrication

http://www.arcfabrication.com/ - not sure what's in the water up there in NH but whatever it is causes folks to do some seriously cool custom work.  I saw this guy's work in person at the BCM open house and it blew me away.  The exhausts are amazingly complex but look and sound awesome.

---+ Track Days

http://www.tonystrackdays.com/ - program for beginners, sounds good. <br/>
http://www.nesba.com/ - a group that runs track days.  Has a free "intro" session where you can ride for a couple of sessions in the morning.<br/>
http://www.teamdaemon.com/ - two track days a year at Loudon.<br/>
http://www.penguinracing.com/ - more focussed on instruction.