1199 Panigale

Last week as part of the international motorcycle show taking place in Seattle, I got to see the 1199 Panigale in-person and have to say that it is one of the nicest looking bikes in the market. Got to give it to the Italian's they really do know how to a design a bike. I'm still sticking with my Monster and 848 for now- maybe in a few years once the bugs of the new engine/ frameless design have been worked out. :) Anyway, here are some pics.

Roland Sands Design's Desmosedici Street Tracker

Cool, but I would rather have the original.

Best Criagslist ad evah....You want it...but

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Date: 2011-09-21, 1:06PM PDT

Reply to: sale-xxxxxxx @ craigslist. org [Errors when replying to ads?]

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You can't have it.
Your wife won't let you.
Your girlfriend says it's unsafe. waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Knock ...knock.....
"who is it?"
"We're men.... and we're here to take back your mancard."

This bike is not just a bike.... it's a muse.... it's a teleportation device.... hell, it's even like a bad assed medical tool. I once rode it by some guy who was constipated, just hearing me downshift from third to second emptied his bowels. I shit you not.

Hear that noise? That's not a dry clutch...that's a chick whistle. I'm tell'n ya...those Italians got that chick shit down. I left the exhaust stock because my buddy Phil upgraded the exhaust on his and I saw an elderly couple bust into flames when he bliped the throttle. (I have a conscience....that and I hate the smell of burnt flesh, so I left the cans alone.) It's got some carbon fiber stuff on it too, because carbon fiber is bad ass. Chuck Norris' beard is carbon fiber. Johnny Cash's suit was carbon fiber. Neil Armstrongs left arm is carbon fiber...... and we all know how bad assed that shit is. (Lance Armstongs ball is not carbon fiber..... but his bike was)
So.... you're asking yourself..."whats it like... riding a bike/muse/teleportation/badassed medical device like this? It's f'n AWESOME! Obama/Biden stickers melt off cars.... gravity dissapears around hot chicks undies....puppies weep..... people pay to be your facebook friend..... the Maricopa police dept. pulls you over just to get your autograph and thanks you having graced their tiny town with coolness the likes they've never seen.

If you're thinking about buy'n a Harley and have bought into that whole "chicks dig cruisers" thing....ask yourself .... when was the last time you saw Dan Haggerty get'n laid... hell... when was the last time you saw Dan period? The dude lived with a bear. Bears are cool and all..... but I'd rather be bang'n Keira Knightley than some bear. (google Keira Knightley Ducati.... you'll see what I mean)

What do you need to purchase the afore mentioned coolness?

Balls...

A valid state class M license....

Money.... 10k obo

And.... a willingness to step outside the "me too bike" box.

(you might also want to bring towels..... as the ladies tend to moisten up around the bike)

call me at 661-xxx-xxxx

•Location: Kern County

•it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

~7500 Mile Service

Ok, so I was at 7,200 miles, but given that the riding season in the NW is close to an end (at least for me), I decided to take the bike in for service.  I was expecting a hefty charge for this and was not disappointed.  For the oil change, various checks, one valve adjustment (which was a culprit in the bike running a little rough) and a brake oil flush the total ended up at about $700, after a discount special that the dealer was running.  So in the last few weeks with the new tires and service the bike had cost me a little over a G.  The joys of owning a Ducati.

Oh, and I also finally had that carbon canister removed from the bike.  Not sure if that will have any performance impact, but the bike looks a bit more balanced. Now I need to save up for a few months before I get anything new done to it. ;)

Ducati 848 Streetfighter video

Pirelli Rosso II

My OEM tires finally reached the end of their lives- at 6927 miles. They did their job well and lasted, I think,  longer than most sport oriented rubber but were at a point where they had a nice flat spot (thanks to some long rides on straight roads) and the wear bars were almost gone. 

I wanted to stay with the Pirelli's since they have always performed well for me.  So after  reading some reviews and hearing good things about the Rosso II, I decided to go with them.  I put about 50 miles or so on them today.  They feel very planted, seem to warm up quickly and ride well - but I am also taking it super easy given the break in time of the new tire.  Will update when I have a few more miles on them.

They look like any other tire, but here are some pics.

1199 Panigale

Nice, but think this blog will remain the Monster 796 :)

Motorcycle roads

Just on the road....

Review: Bell Star helmet

I got a new helmet. It was time for one given, my Scorpion is almost five years old. The Arai is about three years old, but with the side shield cover issue, you never know when it will go out of commission (it broke again, third time in three years); plus I only have a clear shield for it given how complicated it is to change the face shield and I don't want to risk breaking anything else on it.

After looking around at a few helmets, decided to try out the Bell Star. It had received some good reviews and I really liked the Cerwinskie design, so decided to go for it. It is now a welcome addition to the garage.  First impressions, it is very nicely made, the quality of the liner, paint, carbon fiber are all excellent. It also comes in a very nice fully lined helmet bag which is a plus. In the couple of short rides I have done, it fits me well, much lighter than my Scorpion (carbon fiber probably has something to do with that), my ear bud speakers fit nicely as there are some cut outs for ears built into the liner. Ventilation flows air well, so expect that this will keep me cool during the summer rides.  The bad, it is loud - not terribly, but I would say at the same level as the Arai, but again, wearing ear buds or plugs, it should not be too bothersome.

As to the face shield, it comes with a clear shield.  I got the transitions shield to go along with it, which changes depending on the ambient light.  I have not had a chance to ride in the sun with this shield but it did well with overcast but bright skies.  Lets see how dark it gets with the sun out.

Here are some pics.

Ride pics over the last couple of months.

Been out riding for a bit, so this blog has been neglected. Some pics from the various rides over the last couple of months.

Westport, WA, on the way to Victoria, B.C.

  Victoria, B.C.

Tied up in the ferry, always the most nerve wracking section of the ride

Crecent Lake, WA

Lolo Pass road close to Mt. Hood.

Some random pics around town

Update on the tail bag

I got a chance today to get in a pretty long ride with the tail bag, and through the ride I never felt any difference in the feel of the bike, no drag or anything like that.  I had the tail bag pretty full. Without expanding it, it fit in a SLR camera (with case), a netbook, sweatshirt and a bottle of water.  With all that in it, there was still some room to squeeze in stuff like a phone, some engery bars, etc.  It also felt very secure, which was one of my concerns.

One downside - there is pretty much no room between you and the bag when it is zipped to the seat, so no chance of carrying a back-pack, unless it is one of the super thin messenger bags. Also the bag is not super comfortable as a back-pack - at least not to walk around. Also, if you are installing the base with the passenger grab bars installed, the side pockets will be pretty useless.  All I can fit in there is a tiny camera on one side and a phone on the other.

And since I did not post a pic of the bag on  the bike, here you go. 

Review: Ducati Performance Rear Tail bag for Monster 696/796/1100

I have been looking for a decent tail bag for my monster and after looking at a few options, decided to go with the Ducati Performance (DP), rear tail bag, as it is designed for the bike and from the pictures I saw on the web, seemed to fit well with the bike.  I was not able to go check it out in-person at the dealership, but went ahead and ordered it.

I also could not find any decent reviews on this bag, like how much it would carry (other than that it had a capacity of 18L, which to me means absolutely nothing!), would it fit a laptop, an ipad, a camera etc.  Also if it would fit with the passenger grab bars installed on the bike.  So with that in mind, some thoughts on the bag and pictures.

What comes in the box? - actually there is no box, the bag included the base, which goes on the seat, a rain cover and a strap to make the bag into a backpack. Oh, and some useless instructions.

Finish:  A little disappointing for the price, which can range from $250 to $280, depending on the dealer.  I needed it urgently, so paid in the middle.  Back to finish, it had threads hanging in a few places (see pic), the zipper seems  cheap (the expansion zipper stuck a little), but lets see if it lasts. The inside of the bag has sort of a cardboard piece which helps hold its shape. Overall,  it is made of nylonishy, type of material. It does have some reflective material on the bag which looks good. The shape, if it holds it fits nicely with the bike.  The finish of the base seems better than the bag itself.

Fit: The base goes on the back of the seat and the holes on it line up with the two screws that hold in the seat cover.  Had to struggle a bit to get it all to line up, but overall it fit well.  It was also super easy to zip/ upzip the bag from the base.  Still concerned about the zipper, when the bag is full, as that is the only thing holding the bag to the base - no other supporting straps.

What can you fit in it? A laptop (10 inch netbook) or an ipad will not lie flat in the base of the bag, however, once you fill it up halfway you can lay it flat about mid-way.  In terms of other things, with the bag extended, I was able to fit in 3 t-shirts, 2 pairs of shorts, a pair of sweat pants (the thin kind), pair of flip flops, 3 pairs of socks, a netbook, a charger and some toiletries - with a little room to spare.  So from the looks of it, you can pack enough for a couple of days in here.

What about the base? The base has two little pockets on the side.  These are zippered with a velcro flap covering it. Pockets are good enough for a cell phone, little camera, etc.  With the passenger grab bars installed, your use of these pockets is limited.

So overall, the bag looks decent, seems like it will carry enough, but lets see how long it will last.  I'm still not sure if it is worth the high price.

Monster reflection.

Took one with the 848 in the same spot so had to take one with the Monster as well. Vespa is next on the list.

Red Vespa

I don't think the Red Vespa has been introduced. This is a 2006 150LX.  It's a perfect bike for city riding, given its basically a twist and go.  Fast enough for the side streets and manuerable, so I can really mess with the cars in town :). 

Took a short ride out yesterday around town.  Took my camera with me so here are some shots. Some great back roads around here that are super fun on a scooter.

Loop around the coast.

I haven't updated this in a while - why? - well, the summer (sort of) decided to show up and have been riding quite a bit.  I'm planning a trip to Victoria BC in the next few weeks on the monster, but here is a ride report from a trip around the Oregon coast on the 848.

I started off the ride with a few folks from Portland that were heading to Astoria, OR. Rode to Astoria taking the some back roads, avoiding any major highways, so a trip that usually takes about a couple of hours stretched to about four and a half.    Plus, this group I ride with are fairly mellow rides with lots of stops, so by the time we got into Astoria, had lunch and were ready to get out, it was almost 4:00 pm.


My plan was to head down Hwy101 (which is very different on the Oregon coast vs. CA, more like PCH up here) for a few hours find a place to stay overnight and then ride back up to Portland on Sunday. Most of the folks with me headed back to town. Couple tagged along with me until  about Wheeler, a coast town that lasts all of 2 stop lights, and I'm being generous here.  We wanted to grab coffee, but realized that everything in that place closes by 5:00 pm on a Sat with the sun out - so no coffee for us. The other two headed back to portland and I continued down 101 finally stopping at a little motel (which was on the beach) around the Yachats area, which is mid-way down the state, as it was getting back.  Picked a nice clean motel, they let me park my bike in front of my room, but it got lonely and I ended up sharing the room with it- don't tell the owners ;).
Sunday was just as nice as Sat. I decided to head East instead of going back up the coast. Took the Alsea hwy (Hwy34) east.  This was an amazing road, with nice mixture of straights and twsties, so you got a chance to relax in between the technical parts.  This road also had a nice selection of little towns along the way, covered bridges, etc. that was nice to see- so overall a very cool combination for all senses.  That road along with a few addtional connecting back roads, got me home.
Fun couple of days, although I think I need a week to recover after doing this on the 848 wearing a backpack ;).

View from Astroria

On 101

Sunset at the coast

Filling in/ hiding the empty mirror slots

Brian commented on my last post noting that a good way to clean up the handlebars with the empty mirror slots was to turn  them around.  I did that with my last monster and it worked great.  With this one I just bought a couple of bolts from home depot and slotted them in. I don't mind how it looks as it fills up the empty holes.

Here is a pic.

Is it summer yet?

I have been bad about posting . Have I been riding?, yes, have I been riding a lot?, no.  As noted previously, I am a fair weather rider, i.e. I enjoy riding, when I don't have to worry about wet roads, slippery divider lines or manhole covers, so my recent rides have been somewhat dictated by the weather map.  The riding prep now includes a look at the  radar map and where there is a green spot (rain),  don't go there.  My rides have been limited to some local roads or down to the quintessential  Ducati hang out, the coffee shop.

That said, I have managed to put on about a 1500 miles or so combined on the bikes, which even included an eventful  scooter ride with a few folks  that saw us dodge a couple of deer, pick up a fallen biker and see one of our scooter riders scoot break down :(.  

The Monster is due up for an oil change now, so looking to get that scheduled in the next few days.