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

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.

~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. ;)