S4Rs in the shop...

 ... for its 7500 mile service.

Oh, and my race sponsor, Duc Pond Motorsports, will be doing a bit of
old-fashioned "breathing" on the motor while it's in.  A bit more
displacement, perhaps, possibly new cams or degreeing the stock cams,
some higher-compression pistons...  nothing outrageous.  I'd like to
see HP in the 145-150 range, which, in a 410 pound (wet) bike should
keep me interested for another season or two.

It snowed on the way home from dropping the bike off.   Perfect timing!

 tomorrow@erols.com wrote:

wow, three months worth of riding and a service ...



I was wondering the other day why you need more powerful bike on the
street then the one you have for the track? You mentioned that you do
not find fun riding above 130MPH.

curious Alf

 
Not when you have multiple bikes to ride.  I ride my Harley 10-12,000
miles a year, the Ducati 3,000-3,500 miles a year, and all other bikes
combined 1-3,000 miles per year, depending on what happens to be in my
garage at any given time.  The Ducati had its 600 mile service about
30 months ago, has since had one oil and oil filter change, and now is
having its first major service.   Not a bike to buy if you can't
afford it, certainly.  Not a bike to buy if you can afford it and then
begrudge the cost of maintaining it, imho.


I've explained this before.

It has nothing at all to do with need.   It has everything to do with
preference.   I like riding air-cooled, 2v, v-twin Ducatis on the
track, whether for racing or trackdays, with 60-80 hp and well under
400 pounds.   In fact, my Moto-ST race bike will be about 345 pounds
as a track bike next year, with right around 75 hp.   That's perfect
for me to go out and have fun at the track.   I am not fond of braking
from speeds in excess of 150mph; a bike that tops out between 125-135
is right where my comfort level is.  Normally, that is enough for me
to lap faster than all but expert club racers on Japanese 600cc and
literbikes in the 'expert' or 'racers' group at a track day.  And
those that can go faster than me do, and they appear to be having a
lot of fun, too.

On the street for sport (and occasionally commuting or an under 600
mile weekend), I like a light, ridiculously overpowered bike on which
I can sit up on and see the traffic around me.  Particularly LEO's.  I
like to accelerate through first and second gears, working like hell
to keep the front wheel on or near the ground, and then short shift on
up from third.  If I am far enough out in the boonies, I will do the
same thing all the way through third gear, and short shift up from
fourth.  However, in the close environs of Fairfax County, Virginia,
redline in third is inviting a jail stay, so it's extremely rare.   I
never go fast enough to worry about my braking, although I'll admit to
an occasional BRIEF foray above the ton.  Last summer I thought that I
might be interested in a lighter bike than my S4Rs and rode an SXV(?)
550 Aprilia around one evening, but truly missed the sheer brutal
acceleration of the Ducati.

My recent sporting streetbike progression was stock '92 Ducati 750SS
57hp, 412 pounds-> highly modifed 750SS 74hp, 357 pounds  --> stock
'97 Triumph T509 Speed Triple 80hp, 460 pounds -> stock '99 Triumph
T595 Speed Triple 100hp, 460 pounds -> stock '07 Ducati S4Rs ~115hp,
430 pounds -> lightened, tuned, full Termi S4Rs ~130hp, 410 pounds.
If I can get the Ducati up to 145-150hp and just under 400 pounds, I
think it will be even more fun than it is now.

Each one has made me smile a little bit more than the last, and since
the '97 Speed Triple caused me to abandon my then "who needs more than
60hp anyway," attitude, I haven't found a bike with "too much"
horsepower that made me think it would be more fun if only it were
toned down some.   The work that Duc Pond will be doing to my bike is
under the agreement that it will have no deleterious affect on
rideability or streetability of the bike.  Frankly, I can't wait!

 
that sounds like a refrain in your posts ;-).


agreed, buying stuff and then regretting that is kinda stupid.



I guess I missed that post.



I would say with very _refined_ preference. In fact the way I see the
explanation is not that you prefer to have more HP on the street as a
measure of a convenience as much as you like to have less HP on the
track for the simple reason to not to be forced to break from the speed
in the excess of 130MPH.


This is a very pleasant feeling, indeed.

 > Particularly LEO's.

You mean being pulled over and surrounded by LEOs :-).


do not pretty much all 100HP+ bikes accelerate quite equal up to let's
say 90MPH?



I started riding on 125HP bike so I am not sure what you are taking
about :-). But seriously with the current knowledge I would probably
start with SV-650 as a first bike. Or some kind of SM. Not big deal, but
nevertheless I have not found a perfect bike for me yet.


Spending $$$$ to jeopardize above would not be to wise. I wonder about
reliability and longevity. Yeah, so far you spend like $4/riding minute
on S4R - I guess it must be worth for you.


Alf

 
Yeah, I;ve never owned bikes that I couldn't afford.   As my income
and means have risen, so have the price of my motorcycles.  It seems
like a fairly normal and natural progression.  I notice that other
people often buy more expensive and luxurious cars around as they get
older and make more money, or when their children move out and they
suddenly aren't paying college tuition for three kids.

Still, it doesn't seem to keep other motorcyclists from routinely
carping on the fact that some folks happen to have more expensive
bikes than others do.   If it helps you, all of my bikes are paid for
and I have the titles right here in my filing cabinet.

Besides, can you ever recall a time when I've *ever* suggested that an
expensive motorcycle is NECESSARY for anyone else?  To each their
own.   I could afford an expensive car, have owned an expensive car in
the past, have determined that I don't need an expensive car.   But if
other people have expensive cars, that's fine with me.

I have had thirty plus years to refine my motorcycling preferences.


See it any way you want.  I prefer to have bikes with lots of
horsepower on the street and bikes with little horsepower and very
little weight on the track.  Those are my preferences.   Parse it any
way you like, if you have difficulty understanding what I'm saying.

Not really.


Huh.  You say that you have not yet found the perfect bike for you.
I've been riding for almost 31 years, and the bikes I have now are by
far the best pair of street motorcycles FOR ME that I've ever had.   I
find myself riding with the same smile that I did over 30 years ago on
my first motorcycle ride - a smile that sometimes leaves my face
aching because I'm having so much fun.

So your final shot seems out of place, churlish, and unnecessary.
Besides, riding the the S4Rs costs *me* almost nothing.  The bike was
a GIFT from my wife.

Good luck in finding the perfect bike for you without spending any
significant amounts of money.

Seems like conflicting goals, to me.