March 2011 – Tales from the pilot seat of a Ducati SportClassic

(Jan 30th, 2011)

Yep. I did.

As one of the first to hack up my bike to install 06 comfort bars on a 1000S along with AZ_Scott and couple others, I re-installed the original clip-ons.

I think it has to do with a couple things: (1) these bikes are more ‘track’ minded and (2) I got my fat ass back into shape.

The position is really suited for the track and, when at speed, the bike responds nicely.

They look cleaner and more functional at the track. I’m only 5’9″ and my arms aren’t long BUT I can see that the stock clip ons are the way to go.

Here’s a picture I took when I first did the mod. You can see the difference.

The left one is the ’06 clip-on at its max highest position.
The right one is the ’07 clip-on at its lowest position.
There’s a big difference.

I (re)like the original ’06 clip-ons.

(Jan 28th, 2011)

I finally installed Racetech springs on my 1000S. Racetech recommended that I go with .90kg/mm (stock is .850 kg/mm) and with 10wt fork oil (stock is 7.5). I weigh 170 w/o gear. (Racetech part# FRSP S3827090)

Now I had done some tweeking to my stock forks before installing these Racetech. I had installed 25mm spacers in each fork and used 5wt fork oil. It made a big difference over stock but I was still not quite at my goal. I have gone to several track days with this setup and it was adequate but there’s room for improvement.

The Racetech springs were slightly shorter than the stock springs by about 20mm. So I re-used the spacers I made with the Racetech springs.

Without adding oil, I re-assembled the forks and put them back on the bike with the wheel so that I can check the sag. I was close to 50mm!

Then, I added the spacers that was supplied with the Racetech kit to add some preload. It stacked up to be about 35mm high for each fork. Re-assembled the fork again, put them on the bike and measured again.

BAM! 30mm sag (bike + rider)

Added the 10wt fork oil (400cc per fork in accordance with OEM specs) and took it out for a spin.

I AM VERY HAPPY. It tracks sooo nicely. Less nose dive and takes the bumps smoothly.

With the zip-tie on the fork to see total travel, I took note that the fork is about 1.5 inches from the bottom travel. So I’m using most of my fork. I was anticipating less travel but it seems like I’m using (almost) the same amount as before. That’s a good thing!

Best $120 bucks spent.

I’m excited to take it to the track and have some fun!

Month: March 2011

Went back to stock clip-ons

Racetech fork springs = Happiness

AAA Speedway