[Boostin FD]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

Which bike do you have? I assume you have a dry clutch.

1198s. Yeah, dry clutch.

[i M HOONIGAN]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

This is my personal opinion and many think it's heresy to say this in the Ducati cult. But in my opinion Termis are just overpriced junk. If you compare the build quality between an Akra and a Termi, the differences are obvious. I've never heard of one instance where an Akra has failed. But there are documented instances of the crap welds in Termis blowing apart. It's also funny that many think the new style Termis for our bikes was something fresh and new when Akra came out with the design way before Termi did.

So good for you in getting rid of the the overpriced junk and getting some quality components for your bike.
.

Hey bud, you are 100% right... I didn't notice right away, but when I inspected the difference in welds between the Termig and the Akra, it's not comparable... I mean, i don't think the Termi welds are bad, but they're not even close to the art-work Akra provides.

Just to show you guys the quality of Akrapovic welds, I've posted a picture below. That's some weld work...

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Mtech E90 E83

Hey bud, you are 100% right... I didn't notice right away, but when I inspected the difference in welds between the Termig and the Akra, it's not comparable... I mean, i don't think the Termi welds are bad, but they're not even close to the art-work Akra provides.

Just to show you guys the quality of Akrapovic welds, I've posted a picture below. That's some weld work...

Exactly.

And here are some examples of the nice Termi craftsmanship:




Original thread here:

http://www.ducati.org/forums/1098-11...i-exhaust.html

Here is another example:

http://www.ducati.org/forums/technic...ing-apart.html

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Boostin FD

1198s. Yeah, dry clutch.

I've never experienced the dry clutches first hand. Some say the dry clutch is part of the mystique of Ducati. I could care less. I prefer what works best.

The 848 bikes were the first superbikes Ducati outfitted with a wet clutch setup and have continued this with the latest generation Panigales. Unfortunately for me, Ducati cheaped out a bit and didn't fit my bike with a slipper clutch.

[V1.47fan]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

I disagree. I don't know how the other Ducs you've heard sound but I love the way mine sounds with the Akra slip ons. Extremely aggressive sound at the right volume.

The stock ones I've heard sounded like a big bore, throtier air compressor. I see Ducs as Fran Drescher, hot Chick with an annoying laugh. Again, I think they're the best looking bikes out there.

[i M HOONIGAN]

Originally Posted by V1.47fan

The stock ones I've heard sounded like a big bore, throtier air compressor. I see Ducs as Fran Drescher, hot Chick with an annoying laugh. Again, I think they're the best looking bikes out there.

Yea, definitely have to agree to disagree on that one. What's you're preference, sound wise, for bikes...? Very curious to see what you prefer - and I've had a jap bike (R6s) in the past - fitted with a Yoshi pipe. IMO, there's nothing like a twin motor blasting through the highway.

As for that video... lol... find me a duck that sounds like that .. Although, I'm curious how strong that air compressor is - haha.

But, different strokes for different folks - for sure.

[i M HOONIGAN]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

If you do a search on expanding fuel tank and ethanol, you'll see lots of hits. Ducati screwed up and sourced a plastic fuel tank which is susceptible to the ethanol used in US fuels. The ethanol attacks the plastic and causes the tank to deform. At best, the tank is messed up cosmetically with bumps and pimples on the tank. At worst, you'll have expansion which will cause interference with a steering damper (if you choose to add one to your bike), remounting the tank as the tank will no longer line up with the mounting brackets, or at the extreme cracking of the internal vent tubes which will cause fuel leaks (there has been one confirmed instance of this on the Ducati.org forum).

There was a class action law suit by some blood sucking lawyers looking to capitalize on this. I chose not to join the suit as it would give away any follow up remedies I would have in suing Ducati. The class action let Ducati off the hook and provided the blood suckers their pay out. The terms of the class action which was approved by court was to provide an "extended" warranty. This extended the period which Ducati would cover any defects to I think it was 6 years. But based on the wording, Ducati would only do ONE replacement. In addition, there were specific guidelines on what constituted an acceptable claim. For cosmetic defects, the defect would have to be a certain size. The follow on warranty for the replacement would be one year for a physical failure once the tank was replaced and 6 months for a cosmetic. Ducati's answer to the fuel tank issue was to replace the tanks with the SAME plastic material tank but made the tank slightly smaller to allow for any expansion. Now does that really make sense? Some of us wanted Ducati to give us a credit on the replacement tanks so we could use the Ducati Performance aluminum tanks instead with us picking up the cost of painting the tanks. Ducati said no. Ducati also hasn't volunteered to any of us with financial help in picking up the cost of epoxy coating our tanks. Which from the choices Ducat has left us, is the ONLY solution to this problem.

When the class action lawsuit came out, many thought it was a "good thing" but these Ducati fan boys didn't read the fine print of the settlement. I did and it was glaring how lop sided the remedy was. Some owners reported having to have their tank replaced twice and Ducati was doing it even outside of the standard warranty. The class action now put a finite responsibility on Ducati which made the situation worse not better.

If I sound bitter about this, I am. Because for a brand with the history and heritage it has to blatantly give their owners the middle finger on this problem is nothing short of a travesty. I can tell you if I had known about this issue before buying my 848, I would have definitely had a S1000RR in my garage instead; especially since I've had the experience of running the S1000RR around the track.

Def caught up to speed on the expanding tank... It's amazing how much i've learned in the past few months. Knock on wood - no tank warping issues yet. Still can't believe they used plastic for the friggin' tank...

Since I've last posted, she had a few things done to her (akra slip, woodcraft frame sliders, dp superpole seat). GPRv4 damper is next - new headlights (HID/Angel eyes) standing by, and also the fender eliminator. Also need to get the suspension tuned to my weight. Not enough $$ for ohlins

[Cuz5150]

Everyone here is rocking the new Ducs. Im still rolling with teh 2002 998,
Too bad, i just turned 40 and have back issues. Hardly ride it anymore. Sad, it sits in the garage picking up dust and spider webs. I'm thinking about selling her.........Don't know......sadden

[i M HOONIGAN]

Originally Posted by Cuz5150

Everyone here is rocking the new Ducs. Im still rolling with teh 2002 998,
Too bad, i just turned 40 and have back issues. Hardly ride it anymore. Sad, it sits in the garage picking up dust and spider webs. I'm thinking about selling her.........Don't know......sadden

That hurts my heart man (hope the back issues ease up)... 40 years young, and with great taste! I hear you though... these bikes, are not really "comfortable" for the leisurely ride. I've never realized how aggressive the sitting position is, and I'm basically at full tuck just sitting on my bike. Stark difference versus the GSXRs and R6's that I've tried out.

Beautiful Duc... I think i've only seen one of these on the streets in my life. This bike, when I saw it in the Matrix, is what got me really interested in ducs... I also think those wheels are one of the sexiest designs out there.

Get some time in with her if you decide to sell! And, of course, ride safe

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Mtech E90 E83

Def caught up to speed on the expanding tank... It's amazing how much i've learned in the past few months. Knock on wood - no tank warping issues yet. Still can't believe they used plastic for the friggin' tank...

Since I've last posted, she had a few things done to her (akra slip, woodcraft frame sliders, dp superpole seat). GPRv4 damper is next - new headlights (HID/Angel eyes) standing by, and also the fender eliminator. Also need to get the suspension tuned to my weight. Not enough $$ for ohlins

Nice.

I opted for the Speedymoto under fairing sliders. I figure if the bike is going down, the fairings are going to get rashed anyways.

As far as suspension, you don't need a full out Ohlins setup. I opted to because I just had the upgrade bug. Many have opted to have the Showa bits reworked with valve kits and springs. Some have gone part way with an Ohlins setup by getting a DU515. But the general consensus is to get the rear shock reworked/upgraded before doing too much with the front forks.

Consider getting some sort of hugger over the rear tire. I got the shorty style made out of carbon fiber from Motowheels. I did the sacrilegious thing of painting the carbon fiber black to match the front fender and bottom fairings. While the carbon fiber was really nice looking if left alone, I would have to change out a bunch of things to match the carbon fiber which I wasn't willing to do. The rear hugger will help in prolonging the life of that rear shock as you'll see a lot of crap getting kicked up by the rear tire.

I'd consider getting rear axle and fork sliders. I have a set from R&G Racing. The nice thing about the R&G rear axle sliders is that they also double as lift points for a rear stand.

I'd also put some serious consideration into the brakes. While many say the two piece Brembos are more than adequate for the bike, I didn't like the stock Brembos for the 848. Of all things, I felt the Tokico's on my ZX-10R which many of the 10R owners love to hate were better feeling than the Brembos and felt like they stopped better. Changing the stock Brembos to the monoblocks that came with the 1198s was well worth it. The feel and engagement is so much better.

Oh and not sure if you've done this yet. But consider getting a radiator/oil cooler guard. I got a set from Cox Racing and it was the very first thing I did to the bike. Having a punctured radiator is not fun especially at how much a radiator costs on these bikes. The Cox Racing kit also comes with a crankcase protector which is a must for these bikes. The protector bolts up behind the crank gear cover. In the situation where if your chain would happen to fail, the crankcase protector will provide some protection against the chain punching a hole into your engine case. I've seen pictures of this happening on our gen bikes and it wasn't pretty.

[i M HOONIGAN]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

Nice.

I opted for the Speedymoto under fairing sliders. I figure if the bike is going down, the fairings are going to get rashed anyways.

As far as suspension, you don't need a full out Ohlins setup. I opted to because I just had the upgrade bug. Many have opted to have the Showa bits reworked with valve kits and springs. Some have gone part way with an Ohlins setup by getting a DU515. But the general consensus is to get the rear shock reworked/upgraded before doing too much with the front forks.

Consider getting some sort of hugger over the rear tire. I got the shorty style made out of carbon fiber from Motowheels. I did the sacrilegious thing of painting the carbon fiber black to match the front fender and bottom fairings. While the carbon fiber was really nice looking if left alone, I would have to change out a bunch of things to match the carbon fiber which I wasn't willing to do. The rear hugger will help in prolonging the life of that rear shock as you'll see a lot of crap getting kicked up by the rear tire.

I'd consider getting rear axle and fork sliders. I have a set from R&G Racing. The nice thing about the R&G rear axle sliders is that they also double as lift points for a rear stand.

I'd also put some serious consideration into the brakes. While many say the two piece Brembos are more than adequate for the bike, I didn't like the stock Brembos for the 848. Of all things, I felt the Tokico's on my ZX-10R which many of the 10R owners love to hate were better feeling than the Brembos and felt like they stopped better. Changing the stock Brembos to the monoblocks that came with the 1198s was well worth it. The feel and engagement is so much better.

Oh and not sure if you've done this yet. But consider getting a radiator/oil cooler guard. I got a set from Cox Racing and it was the very first thing I did to the bike. Having a punctured radiator is not fun especially at how much a radiator costs on these bikes. The Cox Racing kit also comes with a crankcase protector which is a must for these bikes. The protector bolts up behind the crank gear cover. In the situation where if your chain would happen to fail, the crankcase protector will provide some protection against the chain punching a hole into your engine case. I've seen pictures of this happening on our gen bikes and it wasn't pretty.

Good advice, all around! I haven't ridden in almost 10 years; just getting my feet wet again. I don't think I'll see any track time in the next year - but as I get more comfortable with the bike, I'll look to upgrade those functional components. For now, I'll settle with the suspension weight-tuning, and how it feels afterwards... That upgrade bug, man -- hits like a ton of bricks, and completely feel your pain. This winter's been pretty brutal - so I've had mods waiting, and I've been doing some installs as my fingers have been freezing off!

As for front/rear axle sliders - still contemplating whether or not I should go through with them. Front - no issues - since i'm using a triple stand, but the rear is a single swingarm stand - so I'll have to take the rear sliders off every time i put her on a stand...

Brakes - good for now. As I start getting more into the bike, I'll be sure to look into this.

Rear hugger... Definitely on my to-do list. Radiator and Oil cooler guards - also on my to-do list... Seen Cox Racing, Evotech - they all seem like good options.

I also noticed that you're in DC! Not too far from where I am... I also visit Bethesda to see my friends once in a while. If you're ever in this area, let me know! Weather's starting to turn around for sure!!! Hope to get some riding buddies - since none of my friends are into bikes :/

[Cuz5150]

Originally Posted by Mtech E90 E83

That hurts my heart man (hope the back issues ease up)... 40 years young, and with great taste! I hear you though... these bikes, are not really "comfortable" for the leisurely ride. I've never realized how aggressive the sitting position is, and I'm basically at full tuck just sitting on my bike. Stark difference versus the GSXRs and R6's that I've tried out.

Beautiful Duc... I think i've only seen one of these on the streets in my life. This bike, when I saw it in the Matrix, is what got me really interested in ducs... I also think those wheels are one of the sexiest designs out there.

Get some time in with her if you decide to sell! And, of course, ride safe

Hey Mtech, thanks for the kind words.
My back has gotten a lot bettter, but still the riding position on these SB's are brutal around town or highway.
Im hoping if everything goes well, to pick up something "standard/up-rite" style bike. It has to have 2cyl. Hail from Europe/Japan, air cooled, preferred with out cat's or DBW. Less electrics, less headaches
Last....ride smart, ride safe and always make sure 'they see you"

[Wes Howell]

Originally Posted by Cuz5150

Hey Mtech, thanks for the kind words.
My back has gotten a lot bettter, but still the riding position on these SB's are brutal around town or highway.
Im hoping if everything goes well, to pick up something "standard/up-rite" style bike. It has to have 2cyl. Hail from Europe/Japan, air cooled, preferred with out cat's or DBW. Less electrics, less headaches
Last....ride smart, ride safe and always make sure 'they see you"

The new Monsters are a lot of fun and much more comfortable. Incredibly torquey all around as well. Just bought a 1200 S yesterday. Love this thing.

[i M HOONIGAN]

Originally Posted by Cuz5150

Hey Mtech, thanks for the kind words.
My back has gotten a lot bettter, but still the riding position on these SB's are brutal around town or highway.
Im hoping if everything goes well, to pick up something "standard/up-rite" style bike. It has to have 2cyl. Hail from Europe/Japan, air cooled, preferred with out cat's or DBW. Less electrics, less headaches
Last....ride smart, ride safe and always make sure 'they see you"

Amen to that! If you're going for the least electronics, maybe you can pick up a retired former gp 2-stroke ... But, good luck with that standard/up-right seating position lol. Amen to the "make sure they see you" comment... As soon as I get this thing inspected again, I'll be taking off the dB killers/silencers on my slip ons

Originally Posted by Wes Howell

The new Monsters are a lot of fun and much more comfortable. Incredibly torquey all around as well. Just bought a 1200 S yesterday. Love this thing.

Congrats on the new purchase!!! That's a helluva lot of power! It's probably safe to say this isn't your first bike... What rides did you have in the past?

The new monsters are definitely cool looking! Single swing-arm FTW! Post some pics!

[HoustonRider]

2007 Ducati 1098s Black. First one in Texas, 3rd one in the US

[i M HOONIGAN]

Originally Posted by HoustonRider

2007 Ducati 1098s Black. First one in Texas, 3rd one in the US

I can only imagine how awesome that felt... Got any pics??

[Cuz5150]

<<former gp 2-stroke>>...... This made me LOL!!!

That would be what i call stupid fun!!!With back aching and all....
I see that Ducati does not make air cooled monsters anymore
I'm gonna have to find one of those older ones, 900 Moster

[HoustonRider]

Originally Posted by Mtech E90 E83

I can only imagine how awesome that felt... Got any pics??

I ordered it the day they announced them and I think I waited 4 mos. Yeah, I have some pics, not on my phone, Ill have to get em and photobucket a few then post em.

I think Tom Cruise got the first one, hes always trying to "one up" me.....

[HoustonRider]

Found a few on my Mac.... 2007 1098s

[i M HOONIGAN]

Originally Posted by HoustonRider

I ordered it the day they announced them and I think I waited 4 mos. Yeah, I have some pics, not on my phone, Ill have to get em and photobucket a few then post em.

I think Tom Cruise got the first one, hes always trying to "one up" me.....

Originally Posted by HoustonRider

Found a few on my Mac.... 2007 1098s

Hot damn... Beautiful! Such an aggressive color-combo. As for your taste, phenomenal. I think the new bimmer GC's are the sexiest cars they've produced, and that 6GC...

How many necks have you broken when you first started riding the Duck around? lol. Exclusivity for the win, and these machines are a work of art. Sometimes, it's okay to stare... When I get down, I go to the garage - and instant smiles!

[Samurai of 2day]

Originally Posted by HoustonRider

Found a few on my Mac.... 2007 1098s

That is a work of art. Simply beautiful!

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by Mtech E90 E83

Good advice, all around! I haven't ridden in almost 10 years; just getting my feet wet again. I don't think I'll see any track time in the next year - but as I get more comfortable with the bike, I'll look to upgrade those functional components. For now, I'll settle with the suspension weight-tuning, and how it feels afterwards... That upgrade bug, man -- hits like a ton of bricks, and completely feel your pain. This winter's been pretty brutal - so I've had mods waiting, and I've been doing some installs as my fingers have been freezing off!

As for front/rear axle sliders - still contemplating whether or not I should go through with them. Front - no issues - since i'm using a triple stand, but the rear is a single swingarm stand - so I'll have to take the rear sliders off every time i put her on a stand...

Brakes - good for now. As I start getting more into the bike, I'll be sure to look into this.

Rear hugger... Definitely on my to-do list. Radiator and Oil cooler guards - also on my to-do list... Seen Cox Racing, Evotech - they all seem like good options.

I also noticed that you're in DC! Not too far from where I am... I also visit Bethesda to see my friends once in a while. If you're ever in this area, let me know! Weather's starting to turn around for sure!!! Hope to get some riding buddies - since none of my friends are into bikes :/

This Winter has been stupid ridiculous. If Winter was a person I would beat the piss out of him/her. This Winter has limited the available time I have to ride before I head out to the track in May. It also has caused two major damages to my house. Cracks in my new concrete driveway which I had put in less than a year ago and a busted hose bib which ended up ruining the laminate floor....again this room was done by the same GC less than a year ago.

Anyways, who's doing the work on your suspension?

I also sent you a PM.