Arrow darks

I finally got a new set of exhausts for the Monster. I had Arrow's on my S2R which I really liked, so went with the same brand... and after listening to the various YouTube videos, I liked the tone the best on them as well.  Had to order from Italy since no one in the US carries them anymore. That took about 5 weeks to get here - 2 weeks for the shipper to ship, 2 weeks in customs and then a week to actually get here. 

First thing, I wanted to remove the baffles/ DB killers which are required for all exhausts made for the road in the EU + now to comply with Euro5 laws, they have to actually weld these in, so people don't take them out. So, these came with small metal pieces that were tacked on to the baffle/ exhaust. Removing these was fairly simple, couple of taps with a screwdriver/ hammer and they came right off. Then came the c-clips.  Super tight, and required pliers specifically designed for taking them out.

Taking the baffles out was a pain.  They just did not want to come out.  Tried WD 40, pliers, vice grips but they would not move.  Ended up getting a slide hammer and hooking it to one of the holes in  the baffle and that did the trick. 

Now next step is actually getting them on the bike. 

Tabs that welded on. 

DB killers/ baffles. 

Exhaust with baffles

Without baffles

Exhaust

Spring 2022

Hitting 12 years  I think I’m going to get a new exhaust for it. I think it totally deserves something new. 😊 

30k

Feb 2022 and really about 29,300..... next major service completed. New belts, oil change.  Only one valve needed adjustment this cost about $1,000 with labor. 

But wait, that is not all, the bike slightly tipped over in the garage (still not sure how) so also needed a new side-stand and gear shift lever :( - adding about $500 or so. And soon will need a new battery and potentially a starter.  I could probably buy a new bike for the amount spent on maintenance but still keeping this one. 

Diablo 120/70/17

New front tire for the Monster - the old one started buckling a bit after about 6k miles. Bike's at 29,550 miles. Pirelli Diablo Rosso III ~$150 for the tire and $60 for the install.  Ready for scrubbing. :)

28k

No big updates. Bike hit 28,700 miles. I expect the service light will come on in another couple of thousand miles.  Added a couple of carbon pieces to it.  Been riding it a bit more this season with a few all day rides and it continues to run along.  

Drip, drip

Even though we are in the midst of winter, I start up the bike every few weeks. On one of the last start ups, noticed a small drip of oil by the clutch cylinder - a known issue with these bikes. Given it hasn't happened in the 11 years, not a surprise. Took it in to the shop where I was expecting a hefty bill, but it was essentially a 5 min job. The cylinder still looked ok - the seals on the shaft that runs through the engine to the clutch cylinder seemed to be leaking - so a quick replacement of the seals and so far (and keeping fingers crossed) no signs of oil. Cost $10. :)

New tire - 26,672

Rode out to the Olympic National Park over the weekend. Taking the ferry across the Puget Sound. On the way back noticed the steel cords showing on the rear tire so now need to find a place to replace the tire. 

Bike's at 26,672 miles. 

Previous tire - Pirelli Diablo Rosso II

Update

Got the tire, a Diablo Rosso III and then had to find a place to install it since nearly every shop was full and earliest I could get in was two weeks out.  So two weeks later, new tire is on the bike - have not had a chance to scrub/ test it out, but looking forward to it. Total with the tire/ installation $215. Also tightened/ cleaned up the chain.  :)

                                             

Highway 20

No rain usually means getting a ride in or two. The Monster got to stretch its legs a bit this season - and got an oil change at 26,499 miles ($201). Even with the Streetfighter in the garage, somehow, this is the one that I still want to take out for the longer rides. :)

Also, looking at this blog, just realized that it is almost 10 years to the day that I picked up the Monster.  Amazing how time flies.

Twin - but just a little bit bigger

I got another bike - a complete impulse buy just because I it looked so much like the Monster.  I have always wanted a Streetfighter, but could never find the right one - too many miles, swelling tank, not the right color (too red or too black), not the right upgrades... and then for the longest time, I could just not find any for sale until now.

I saw this on craigslist, yes it is a used one since Ducati has not made this since 2015 and it seemed just right.  Red frame with black body work.  This is not a factory spec, but someone bought a red bike and put on the black body.  It has the after market exhaust (Termignoni), a quick shifter, which lets me upshift without pulling the clutch in... and some additional smaller bits.

That said, buying a used bike is always a gamble, so I scheduled a service with the dealer to have the bike checked out, but the day before I was going to take it in, both the local Ducati dealers went out of business... fun, and the closest dealer to me now is about a 3hr drive.

The bike definitely needed new front tire and an oil change - at least what I could see, so finally got the bike to the dealer for the service - while there also got a hydraulic flush, decided to get the belts changed as I don't know the last time they were done and they found a couple of minor things with the coolant system (leaking hose and corroded freeze plug) - also a gasket along one of the cylinder heads... so getting that all fixed now - hopefully that is it for now. I guess, I'll use this blog to keep the service record for that bike as well.

Edit: So in all replaced one of the engine's freeze plugs, replaced exhaust cam seal at the vertical cylinder to stop an oil leak, replaced timing belt, hydraulic flush, new front tire and an oil change. Total = $1362.28 - with winter discounts. :)

Monster and the Streetfighter

25,404

25,404 miles as of Oct 2018.  I have had some decent rides this season. A long trip out to the Redwoods, up and down the Oregon/ Washington coast line a couple of times, the Mountain Loop highway that included 12 miles of unpaved dirt road - a big deal for an Italian that likes nothing but smooth asphalt. I may still have a few more riding days, so not packing it in yet, but wanted to get this "yearly" post up with some photos. No maintenance/ random costs this season, so far. :)

Ducati maintenence costs!!!

You always hear people complaining about the costs of owning a Ducati - and then someone ostensibly comes by and says that it costs just as much as any bike.... well if you don't ride your bike, then its true, it does not cost much, a service or two every couple of years and you are good.

Well, I just did one of the major services on a Monster 796, with a comparatively smaller engine, a twin with a total of 4 valves.  The service itself mainly consisted of checking a bunch of stuff and when there was work to be done, i.e. three valves adjusted/ shims/ fork oil changes, you get charged a solid amount, so this little visit to the shop cost a little over $1,600 - to be fair, this also included a little exploratory surgery to figure out some electrically issues, which ended up being a bad headlight connector that was blowing fuses, every time it shorted.

So in all, in the last couple of months, a new tire, battery, brakes and a full service ended up being a little over $2,200, but who's keeping count ;).  It is running soooooooo much smoother now and all the lights work - so worth it, I guess.

23,000 miles

This has become more of a record of the work I have had done on the bike - I end up referring to it for records, so I guess I'll keep it updated.

Last year, I had the chain, sprocket and rear tire replaced. This year (2017) in July, I replaced the front tire - just the front tire - as I had not replaced it with the rear last time around, so next time, I guess I should replace both so they are back on schedule.

In addition, I got a new battery, the original finally was not completely charging at 21,450 miles (7 years) and even with a trickle charger the bike gave me at least 2-3 rsw.0005 errors before firing up.

The front brakes were ready for a new set of pads as well.  They were at 25% and rear at 50%, so had the fronts replaced with EBC pads.

The wrench icon came on at 22,500 miles, so the bike is in at the dealer now for a major service - valve check, fluids, fork oil change, etc.

Also dealing with some electrical issues, which I'm hoping are not major - on a long ride out east, I got caught in a rainstorm, which seemed to short out my lights, blowing a fuse a couple of times. We'll see what the diagnosis is on that.

Still love this bike - just did almost a 2,000 mile ride on it and it handled it like a champ.

New chain, sprockets and a rear tire

Wow, its been a while since I have posted anything here, but my riding days have gone dramatically down - especially over the last year, which was hectic, crazy and full of change. I did ride, but not as much as I would have liked to. I got my first flat in Sept. 2015, which pretty much meant my season was over - never got the time to get the tire fixed or replaced.  During winter, I finally got some time to plug the rear tire, and believe it or not, it worked and lasted until today when I finally went and got the tire replaced - another Pirelli, Diablo Rosso II - love this tire.

While in the shop, decided to get a new chain and sprockets done on the bike as well.  The OEM lasted 18,823 miles - which according to the shop was a good run. Got the AMFM sprocket/ chain kit vs.  the original Ducati part.  From what I was told/ read, same part just does not have the Ducati stamp on it and a bit cheaper.  Let's see how long this lasts.

Side note, picked up the bike rode it a bit and as I parked it, saw some oil dripping - so had to ride back to the shop- found out that removing the front sprocket they had broken an O ring on a gear shaft that was now leaking oil.  Luckily a quick 5 min replacement.  No oil so far, and keeping my fingers crossed.

Total with parts, labor and tax....a little over $650.