Fresh oil Filter and a new pair of shoes

Some new Dunlop Q3's, Made in America !!!! thats cool. first ride left me with great impressions !!

-9500 mile service

     First post here for tracking  and logging the service and day to day maintenance of my 2014 Ducati StreetFighter 848. I wish I would have thought of this sooner but I was inspired after I saw similar blog from a rider who was traveling the world on his BMW. I'd like to warn readers that I have No previous experience with this type of documentation. So if the blog reads like a bunch of thoughts thrown together , thats what it is.   I enjoy working on my machines but I realize that as my age changes so does my point of view on why I love to rides bikes. As much as I love my machines, I realize that my focus for new roads and new adventures changes too. Motorcycles will come and go. I'm not wealthy enough to own all the motorcycles my heart desires and even if I was I'm not sure I would have the time to REALLY enjoy all of the bikes I desire. The main purpose here is to document and inform the next potential owner of this great machine of the love and care I've put into this machine.

 Like I stated before this will be a continuation of current and future services. As of this Date the Machine currently has 9579 grin inducing miles.  In just over a year we have had some good rides and some great rides. Some documented with photos or video and others just etched into the file bin on my shoulders. Where to start.... I purchased this motorcycle New in November of 2013. This being my 4th Ducati I was pretty well in tune with the customization bug. I Just like to Make it mine. Ducati( and nearly all motorcycle manufactures) build great bases for owners to personalize. It is very unlikely that you would purchase a motorcycle these days that fits like a well worn glove. maybe I should rephrase that. Its very unlikely that "I" would purchase a new motorcycle that fits like a well worn glove. Manufactures are dealt with the task of building motorcycles for owners that are 5ft tall weighing less than 100 lbs and owners that are 7ft tall and weigh 300 lbs. They have strict emission standards to meet and not every person will use the same styled machine for the same purpose.  Before the first 600 mile service I ordered the Ducati Comfort touring seat. I like a taller ride. The seat adds about an inch maybe 2 to the seat height. In addition to the height it added a TON more comfort. Last year I did 3 day ride from Los Angeles to Palo Alto. All backroads between sun up to sun down. I still need to add up all the miles but this seat made it possible. The seating position also helps. I'm 5'8 145 lbs. The rearsets are nearly directly under the seat, so I spend quite a bit of time using my feet to support my weight. the seat is also deep enough (front to back) that I have plenty of room to move around. Rough road? hug the tank a bit. Fast straight? scoot back, head down in a tuck. It is almost motard like for me. 

     This brings me to the first oil and filter change. 600 Miles. I'll mention it in every post from here on but the only oil used in this machine is REDLINE Synthetic 10W40. I'm not a purist for the oil thing. It's just what my shop uses in all of their bikes and I have to stop by to pick up a filter. 600 miles  first service complete. 

  Next mod. was the exhaust. I purchased a new set of Arrow Dark exhaust cans. Not much lighter than the stock set but a heck of a lot louder. Next comfort to address was the lower RPM range. the bike does double duty for me as a commuter and canyon carver/adventure bike. SO I cant always ride around winding the motor up to 6,000 rpm just to smooth it out. bsides 6k in first gear is about 45mph or so....... that not gonna work. So I went to work on fueling. First I sent the ECU over to Redline Motors and they remapped the ECU with what I believe is the Termignoni Exhaust race tune. while waiting for that I installed the MWR 2 piece air filter. The ECU came back and it was a HUGE improvement. Still wanting to smooth the low end even more I installed a power commander v with the dual channel auto tune. With almost 10,000 miles I still pop open the lap top every now and again to tweak the fueling map to my liking. At some point I'd like to get it on a dyno and have a PRO build a map for my bike. with all of this done the bike is so smooth through the rev range. It will cruise smooth above 2500 rpm without a single moan from the motor.  

Next Service 2800 miles. Oil and Filter Change 

Next Service 5000 miles is oil only. During this service I installed a new rear tire. I also Installed a new set of fork springs and an adjustable rear ride height link. I installed  A set of Racetech 85KG fork Springs. The front end always felt a bit to stiff for my liking. it has a more sporty travel as apose to something like the 20 inches of travel on the hypermotard. ....... i kid but none the less it just felt to stiff. New Springs went in and refilled with Motul 7.5 weight to the stock fluid height. MUCH better, but still a touch stiff. After talking with a suspension pro. I reduced the oil volume and the front end softened up and felt a lot more compliant. I raised the rear with the new adjuster. and it flicks in and turns quick. At some point in the future I'll probably  Reduce the preload spacers to level the bike off a bit more. But for now it feels Good and stable around town and smooth and compliant in the canyon corners.   

next service 7000 miles oil and filter. a bit early in the schedule but sometimes timing wont work with planned travel. Around 6500 miles I started to feel a pulse in the front brake lever. at about 7000 miles it was very prevalent below 35mph ( city commuting ) so I started trying to solve the issue. First I removed the rotors and Honed them down to a new clean surface hoping that the pulse was simply build up. no such luck. Next I swapped the Pads with a set of Ferodo Sintered, softer I believe. after both the hone and the new pads the pulse was hardly noticeable but came back after a couple days of street riding. I took it to my local shop to get their opinion. Warped Rotors ? Doesn't that only happen when rotors overheat or get wet when hot? I'm a light breaker and use a lot of engine brake to slow me down. A picked up a set of compatible used rotors. I honed them down to remove any chance of previous build up. And installed them at about 8000 miles. Fingers crossed the pulsing hasn't come back. New front and rear tires installed OEM Pirellis. New Spark Plugs installed.

Which brings me to todays service. 9500 miles. New Oil/And Filter. New Tires up until Now the bike has only had Oem tires. The stock rear is a 180/60 and I'm installing a set of dunlop Q3' that only come in a 180/55. Supposedly this will cause problems with the 2 things I pay the least attention to: the speedo and the traction control. I haven't used the traction control since day 1. 

Woof , I dig the Dunlops. I could tell a difference before I got out of my neighborhood.  I think the rear is a bit shorter in comparison to the Pirelli. Which might give me a flatter overall rake on the bike. Of course it could all be psychological, new tires and all. I went for a short ride up the crest to get a better feel. Woof , I really dig 'em. I might be a convert. Lets see if they can get me a few more miles than the Pirellis. I started with 32/34 F/R pressures. Both felt Great. Up in the canyons I try to take it easy. It doesn't take much speed to put a grin on my face. I'm not really to hard on the throttle or on the breaks for that matter. So the only exploration I usually will ever do in terms of traction is lean angles. Every road is different some are tight and twisty and others are long and straight. Angeles crest is my backyard when it comes to riding and its a very flowing road. I never see a need to try and burry it deep on the brakes into the turns or accelerate hard out of them. Im usually just modulating the throttle flipping up or down a couple gears but I don't feel the need to push my limits in the canyons.