Spent the whole day today giving my Duc a mani-pedi.
Mileage is 22,363 miles.
Changed the camshaft timing belts from Ca Cycleworks. Set the tension frequency to 105Hz.
Changed the engine filter (K&N #153) and engine oil (Castrol Power RS 10-40w Fully Synthetic).
Clean and lubed the chain with Dupont Chain Saver. Still running the original, factory chain (22k miles!) and looks great. (Read Webbike’s review)
Four NGK spark plugs (DCPR8E gap 0.6 to 0.7mm)
The bike is very happy. 😀
Now the LA Galaxy won their 5th title, St. John Bosco HS Football honorably defended their National title, Seattle Seahawks are on track for a second Super Bowl, and Bayern Munich is firing on all cylinders, I’m ready to re-start my blog.
I got some new pics and topics to catch up. BRB.
~Randy
Santa came over again and dropped off a pair Dainese leather pants!
I wanted something I can wear with protection for extended periods of time but without the hass
le of wearing my full track suit. That suit can tire you out in about 45 minutes of riding through LA traffic. That’s because it’s made for the track!
These pants zip together with my Dainese 8-Track jacket. So comfortable.
Five stars for Dainese again!
Took a spin out to the world famous Rock Store in Malibu, CA. I was so surprised to find out how cold it was that day! Wearing a perforated track suit didn’t help. 😦
Santa came by to my place with a vengeance! Draggin knee and all! It’s been a tough couple years so I decided to indulge myself for this xmas.
Behold the AGV GP-Tech Marco Simoncelli tribute helmet. This is an actual full-race helmet and not a replica. I own an AGV K-3 that I really love and this GP-Tech is a step above. Both excellent helmets but the details of the GP-Tech is no joke. No wonder Simoncelli and Rossi wear them. I absolutely love it. Thanks Santa!!
It’s too darn cold to ride. bbl.
Wow. It’s been too long folks that I have posted anything. I had to take a hiatus for a while. Been through some major ACL surgery from a bad soccer accident, torn my shoulder in a spectacular crash at AutoClub Speedway, and dealing with a divorce. It’s all past me now and I have time and the physical capacity to ride again.
Expect great things as I return! Thanks for your patience. ~Randy
In preparation for a track day on Friday, April 22, I decided to get some new tires for the bike. 
Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa. They turn in really nice and I’m excited to test the grip.
(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!
Tales from the pilot seat of a Ducati SportClassic 