Chronicles of a Noob - My journey from Beginner to Advanced Rider
- Thread starter Trent1098S
- Start date
Trent1098S
New Member
Because Steve Palella had just waived me by...
nickmick
New Member
you think you're gonna replace the mag stay? just get an aluminum, $175 new.
http://www.yoyodyneti.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=ID008003
http://www.yoyodyneti.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=ID008003
Trent1098S
New Member
Lookin up parts tonight, may as well post it up here on the Chronicles. It's going to take a lot of work and time to make it pretty again. 
That Aluminum stay won't let me mount headlights when I go back stock. The stock magnesium piece turns out to be only $208 so there's not a huge difference anyway.
This being said, most Ducati parts prices are a bit on the rediculous side. For a point of reference I tossed in the price of replacing the right hand "silencer" (muffler) that got bent/scratched..
I'm best off hitting all the Ducati forums and picking up take-off's for cheap where I can find them, only going OEM when I have to. Of course that's way more time consuming and means I won't get the bike fixed nearly as fast.
necessary:
clutch cover 243.1.025.1AF $77.99
clutch gasket 788.1.052.1A $9.99
headlight holder (gold) 829.2.943.2A $208.99 (aka fairing stay)
clutch control lever 631.4.034.1A $116.99
brake control lever 631.4.033.1A $116.99
rear brake pump 625.4.018.1B $64.99 (mine's screwed now)
tail guard thermal protection 460.1.246.1sA $134.99 (this is required to mount both OEM *and* race fairings, mine shattered)
spring (x2) 799.1.228.1A $2.99x2 (two of these are still out in turn 6 somewhere)
Pad 866.1.076.1A $3.99
Pad 866.1.077.1A $3.99
total for "safe & sound" $744.89.. not too bad.
Now... to make nice & pretty again... that's a different story.
silencer (R.H) 573.1.199.2C $1487.99
clamp (r.h) 741.1.038.1A $34.99
clamp (l.h) 741.1.037.1A $34.99
switch (l.h) 651.1.004.1A $187.99 (my menu/mode/headlamp control switch busted on the crash)
grip 361.1.002.1A $103.99 (WTF are they smokin??)
spring pin 861.5.022.1A $.99
handlebar tube (l.h) 875.1.132.1A
bar end (cap) 872.1.002.1A $.99 x2
clutch drive pump 630.4.035.1A $249.99 (I tore the exterior dust jacket/ gasket working on it, and brembo doesn't sell those separately)
Plus the rest ... paint the tank...get new bodywork.. paint the bodywork.. powdercoat the swingarm to hide the scratches...straighten the frame rearset tabs.. get the rest of Turn 6 residue out of the clutch, etc.
As for me, I got checked out thoroughly today at the Doc after a couple oddball symptoms cropped up today.. broke a knuckle (just a small chip off the socket that was plaguing me all day Sunday as it moved around), bruised my right kidney (not enough blood to worry about in the urinalysis, thankfully), tore cartiledge between a few ribs. My knee is pretty messed up, tore my fibular collateral ligament, tendon of popletius, posterior cruciate ligament, and the lower end of the biceps femoris. Other than that, just torn up muscles in various places.
I don't know what much of that means but the doc said to "go easy on the knee for a couple months."
It'll all heal.
Oh, on the flip side my blood pressure was 70/100 which the pretty nurse said was textbook perfect.
That Aluminum stay won't let me mount headlights when I go back stock. The stock magnesium piece turns out to be only $208 so there's not a huge difference anyway.
This being said, most Ducati parts prices are a bit on the rediculous side. For a point of reference I tossed in the price of replacing the right hand "silencer" (muffler) that got bent/scratched..
I'm best off hitting all the Ducati forums and picking up take-off's for cheap where I can find them, only going OEM when I have to. Of course that's way more time consuming and means I won't get the bike fixed nearly as fast.
necessary:
clutch cover 243.1.025.1AF $77.99
clutch gasket 788.1.052.1A $9.99
headlight holder (gold) 829.2.943.2A $208.99 (aka fairing stay)
clutch control lever 631.4.034.1A $116.99
brake control lever 631.4.033.1A $116.99
rear brake pump 625.4.018.1B $64.99 (mine's screwed now)
tail guard thermal protection 460.1.246.1sA $134.99 (this is required to mount both OEM *and* race fairings, mine shattered)
spring (x2) 799.1.228.1A $2.99x2 (two of these are still out in turn 6 somewhere)
Pad 866.1.076.1A $3.99
Pad 866.1.077.1A $3.99
total for "safe & sound" $744.89.. not too bad.
Now... to make nice & pretty again... that's a different story.
silencer (R.H) 573.1.199.2C $1487.99
clamp (r.h) 741.1.038.1A $34.99
clamp (l.h) 741.1.037.1A $34.99
switch (l.h) 651.1.004.1A $187.99 (my menu/mode/headlamp control switch busted on the crash)
grip 361.1.002.1A $103.99 (WTF are they smokin??)
spring pin 861.5.022.1A $.99
handlebar tube (l.h) 875.1.132.1A
bar end (cap) 872.1.002.1A $.99 x2
clutch drive pump 630.4.035.1A $249.99 (I tore the exterior dust jacket/ gasket working on it, and brembo doesn't sell those separately)
Plus the rest ... paint the tank...get new bodywork.. paint the bodywork.. powdercoat the swingarm to hide the scratches...straighten the frame rearset tabs.. get the rest of Turn 6 residue out of the clutch, etc.
As for me, I got checked out thoroughly today at the Doc after a couple oddball symptoms cropped up today.. broke a knuckle (just a small chip off the socket that was plaguing me all day Sunday as it moved around), bruised my right kidney (not enough blood to worry about in the urinalysis, thankfully), tore cartiledge between a few ribs. My knee is pretty messed up, tore my fibular collateral ligament, tendon of popletius, posterior cruciate ligament, and the lower end of the biceps femoris. Other than that, just torn up muscles in various places.
I don't know what much of that means but the doc said to "go easy on the knee for a couple months."
It'll all heal.
Oh, on the flip side my blood pressure was 70/100 which the pretty nurse said was textbook perfect.
Trent1098S
New Member
Yeah I rode.. I rode good.
I have a very high pain tolerance. I broke a pelvic bone back in early 2001 (clean simple fracture) and didn't take any pain meds or miss any work.
The knee only hurts when I'm pulling myself forward with it (like when walking), riding uses the opposing muscles so it actually wasn't too bad. Kind of hurt transitioning from left to right at first but I adjusted where my right foot was and how it was pointed, and it got a lot easier. The hand bothered me all day but I was good for 10-12 minutes at a stretch before having to pull in and rest it.
Yesterday it hurt only when opening my hand, today it audibly creaks when I open and close my hand (accompanied with some discomfort). Kind of freaky.
The 4 hour drive home was kind of funny, right leg propped up on the dash to drain the swelling while I managed my speed almost entirely with the cruise control.
I won't be able to do any karate for a while, but I'll be functional enough to work.
Best thing to do in that situation is to train yourself to push your view out beyond the bikes in front of you, and keep abreast of your track position and reference points, all while keeping track of the traffic ahead, but not fixating on it. This was one of the exercises we did at CSS last month that I can't wait to try again.
I hope that description makes sense. If not, catch me at Putnam and I'll try to do better.
In class at CSS, I found myself repeatedly in heavy traffic on corners, something that has traditionally caused me to let off and allow some distance to grow between me and them. Also, the class rules allowed passing anywhere with a 6-ft rule, (which was often not well observed by those making passes in corners). Anyway, the exercise as taught allows me to be more comfortable in traffic because I'm still looking down the track while keeping tabs on the bikes in front of me. This really loosens up the gut and allowed me to be a lot more focused on my riding rather than freaking out about the bike right in front of me and target fixing on it.
Trent1098S
New Member
Good advice Craig. We'll need to discuss this more at Putnam. This problem is going to be hard for me to wrap my brain around. Body position and technique came pretty easy but the whole time-space-continuum thing is hard since my brain really don't work well figuring that stuff out.danch;120559 wrote: "go back stock"? I know what those words mean, but I don't understand them in that particular combination.
Considering what you do with the bike, are you sure that's necessary? Don't think I'm bagging on you here - you've seen my bike(s) - I practice what I preach!
When I'm all done with the Ducati and move on to something newer, (assuming it isn't broke in two by then), when the engine is all worn out and tired, when the suspension is weak and worn out, I'm putting the nice shiney stock bodywork on it and selling it to some schmuck on E-bay. It'll have lower mileage than other same-model-year street bikes, no accident history, a clear title... all of which should fetch a pretty good value if "it's pretty".
Hey, it's "adult owned" and well maintained, right?
Come see me when my knee is better and we'll talk about that more.danch;120559 wrote:
Get used to creaks, pops, and other mystery noises, youngster
I know exactly what you are talking about, every other step I take I get reminded of my ankle that I broke 20 years ago as it pops loudly and rythmically. Really neat in quiet, long, corridors where the echo travels wonderfully.
Nexus;120560 wrote: Unless your last name is "Machida" Karate is useless anyway
Hell, come see me BEFORE my knee is better and we'll talk about that more.
Besides, he started out in Shotokan, same as I've practiced for 25 years, with some juijitsu tossed in for ground fighting. Really no difference.
In a stand up fight, I could easily hold my own against Machida. On the ground, he'd take me out in under 20 seconds. That's why I haven't done MMA bouts yet, my ground fighting is still very weak. But in a standup fight.....
beac83;120576 wrote: Best thing to do in that situation is to train yourself to push your view out beyond the bikes in front of you, and keep abreast of your track position and reference points, all while keeping track of the traffic ahead, but not fixating on it. This was one of the exercises we did at CSS last month that I can't wait to try again.
I hope that description makes sense. If not, catch me at Putnam and I'll try to do better.
In class at CSS, I found myself repeatedly in heavy traffic on corners, something that has traditionally caused me to let off and allow some distance to grow between me and them. Also, the class rules allowed passing anywhere with a 6-ft rule, (which was often not well observed by those making passes in corners). Anyway, the exercise as taught allows me to be more comfortable in traffic because I'm still looking down the track while keeping tabs on the bikes in front of me. This really loosens up the gut and allowed me to be a lot more focused on my riding rather than freaking out about the bike right in front of me and target fixing on it.
Brian Blume gave me some good advice on the phone tonight about my problem. I'm fine until I close within 5-6 bike lengths, then the rider obscures my vision down track. I still need to look WAY the hell down the track to stay calm and comfortable. When my field of vision gets blocked by some dude in front of me to just a few feet or I can't see my normal markers, I get VERY nervous. This panic reflex from not being able to see where I'm at lead to my crash in 6 this weekend.
On the lap timer the session I crashed, I ran low 22's every single lap I had clear track. I ran 25's each lap I got behind someone. If I were comfortable in traffic, I wouldn't have seen much of a difference at all. I check up and slow way off my pace - matching the other rider's pace - when I can't see in front of me. I lock in to what they're doing and follow them, which lands me in uncomfortable spots if they miscue.
Brian suggested on the phone tonight that instead of passing, I should get behind a slower rider and follow them around, gradually decreasing the distance I have between me and them, so I can get more comfortable at "ignoring" the other guy and picking up my visual cues from things besides spots on the track itself. (Like at Road America, where I was aiming my bike at various pine trees, the S in Suzuki, etc).
He also said I need to get more comfortable with breaking my "pattern" so that I don't tense up when I need to turn in from someplace other than my "normal" marker.
I don't mind getting passed close or riding close to someone, I ignore bikes that are right next to me and I don't even blink when a CR brushes past on the inside of me. But the whole obscured vision discomfort thing is REALLY bothering me and it is one of the two main problems that's holding me back from taking things up to the next level.
The good news is I have identified a few more things that I need to work on that I was oblivious to before this weekend. This one was a hard lesson because it happened to be painful, but at least I know what I have to watch out for and work on now.
As far as racing goes, as much as I want to do it, it's completely off the agenda this year until I get these problems sorted out. I would be a hazard to other riders in a race situation if I get all nervous or panicky because I can't see where I'm going. I have a feeling that'll happen a LOT in a race (people cutting off my field of vision).
stkr
New Member
That turn-in from a point other than where you're used to... Good one!
I have had to deal with this due to riders braking way harder than I expected which caused me to evade a bit, and then turn in. Nothing drastic, but it alters your line. Going for a pass on the brakes into T-6 at BFR and hitting a false neutral instead of 2nd gear. This caused a "hold your damn line, make the apex, stay to the inside" chant in my head. I had the pass, and then blocked two riders with a missed shift. Luckily we all made it fine.
Shit happens out there, and with time, you get to experience different thing and it builds your skills. Every situation you face gives you a new tool in your toolbox. You don't always need every tool you have, but at least they're there if you do.
For the close quarters, try to focus beyond the rider. Use your peripheral vison to keep you oriented on the track, and try to focus on what's coming up instead of what's right in front of you. You get used to judging your closing rate without needing to focus on the other rider. The flip side of this is that if you're following too close, then you have no room to setup for a passing drive either into, or out of a turn. Sometimes dropping back a bike length or two can make a huge difference. Having a WAY underpowered 600, this is the only way I can pass some people.
Here's a video with some close quarters. In the first few laps, try to focus on the rider two bikes in front of me. I'm trying to keep up with Joe who's on a 750, but it's his first time at Barber, so he's still learning the lines. Once he got them, I couldn't keep up at all. I pushed too hard, and almost paid for it around the 6 min mark in T-2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asQIIZRZbrQ
I have had to deal with this due to riders braking way harder than I expected which caused me to evade a bit, and then turn in. Nothing drastic, but it alters your line. Going for a pass on the brakes into T-6 at BFR and hitting a false neutral instead of 2nd gear. This caused a "hold your damn line, make the apex, stay to the inside" chant in my head. I had the pass, and then blocked two riders with a missed shift. Luckily we all made it fine.
Shit happens out there, and with time, you get to experience different thing and it builds your skills. Every situation you face gives you a new tool in your toolbox. You don't always need every tool you have, but at least they're there if you do.
For the close quarters, try to focus beyond the rider. Use your peripheral vison to keep you oriented on the track, and try to focus on what's coming up instead of what's right in front of you. You get used to judging your closing rate without needing to focus on the other rider. The flip side of this is that if you're following too close, then you have no room to setup for a passing drive either into, or out of a turn. Sometimes dropping back a bike length or two can make a huge difference. Having a WAY underpowered 600, this is the only way I can pass some people.
Here's a video with some close quarters. In the first few laps, try to focus on the rider two bikes in front of me. I'm trying to keep up with Joe who's on a 750, but it's his first time at Barber, so he's still learning the lines. Once he got them, I couldn't keep up at all. I pushed too hard, and almost paid for it around the 6 min mark in T-2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asQIIZRZbrQ
Trent1098S
New Member
Got a couple of hours in to a teardown tonight and got hung up when I found I need some special lifting equipment to take the swingarm off. Well, not special, but something more sturdy to hang the bike off of than my chintzy plastic ladder that's only rated at 200 lbs.
The good news; I was absolutely dead wrong about the hub pivoting. I based this on the caliper position, and it turns out that last night in my exhausted state, I was looking at the service manual diagram vs. the bike wrong. Oops, my bad.
So much for it being a simple fix.
The bad news; it means I DID either twist the frame or the swingarm, or that I broke something in the assembly that the swingarm mounts to.
I verified via several measurements from various points on the frame to the rear axle tonight that the rear axle is indeed .5" "shorter" on the left side than the right side. I knew that the chain couldn't magically stretch 2" in a half of a day of riding.
I haven't isolated if it's the frame, swingarm, or "something else" yet though.
This puts the rear tire at a very bad "off" angle compared to the rest of the motorcycle. The two ends of the axle are about 7" apart from each other, so imagine what angle a half an inch difference makes! It's very noticeable with the mark 1 eyeball when the front wheel is calibrated straight against the frame, looking past it to the back wheel.
I've got to take a LOT more stuff off the bike to make accurate frame-point-to-frame-point measurements because various bits stick out and make it extremely difficult to take some measurements (exhaust, water pump, coolant hoses, battery, etc, etc). As far as I possibly could with a small mirror, I thoroughly examined both the trellis frame and swingarm inside and out for over an hour and found no fractures, broken welds, or noticeable bends that would explain the huge difference in axle centerpoint.
But for now, until I figure out what broke or bent, the Ducati is dead.
If it's the frame or swingarm that's screwed, the bike is getting parted out. The frame is just a shade under $4,000, and the swingarm is $2600 (plus a grand in other stuff, if the pivot assembly parts are worn or broke.)
I'm not going to track a bike that has a rear wheel that points 10 degrees in the wrong angle.
One scary f'n anecdote to add. When I removed the rear wheel tonight, I noticed that the retaining pin on the axle nut was wedged in the hole and had to use pliers and a lot of elbow grease to remove the safety pin.
As I was putting the breaker bar on to take off the rear wheel, the rear wheel nut spun off with hand pressure. I used a f*n impact wrench to put that wheel nut on when I changed tires at Road Atlanta in December. But I didn't take the time afterwards to verify it with a torque wrench.
I promptly turned a couple shades of green and got sick to my stomach. I rode two days at Road Atlanta, a day at Barber, and most of a day at Blackhawk on the 1098. At some point the wheel nut spun loose so some large part of that riding was done with nothing more than a 1/16th inch stick of metal holding my rear wheel on the bike.
Two hours later, I still feel like puking after finding that. I'm just glad the wheel didn't fall off at speed. I'm also VERY glad that the four holes that the driving pins go in to didn't elongate and ruin a Marchesini rear wheel.
I have this strong feeling that I'm going to be paranoid as hell about doing proper bike maintenance from now on.
I'm also getting an equally strong feeling that the entire purpose of my life is to serve as an example to everyone else on what NOT to do!
The good news; I was absolutely dead wrong about the hub pivoting. I based this on the caliper position, and it turns out that last night in my exhausted state, I was looking at the service manual diagram vs. the bike wrong. Oops, my bad.
So much for it being a simple fix.
The bad news; it means I DID either twist the frame or the swingarm, or that I broke something in the assembly that the swingarm mounts to.
I verified via several measurements from various points on the frame to the rear axle tonight that the rear axle is indeed .5" "shorter" on the left side than the right side. I knew that the chain couldn't magically stretch 2" in a half of a day of riding.
I haven't isolated if it's the frame, swingarm, or "something else" yet though.
This puts the rear tire at a very bad "off" angle compared to the rest of the motorcycle. The two ends of the axle are about 7" apart from each other, so imagine what angle a half an inch difference makes! It's very noticeable with the mark 1 eyeball when the front wheel is calibrated straight against the frame, looking past it to the back wheel.
I've got to take a LOT more stuff off the bike to make accurate frame-point-to-frame-point measurements because various bits stick out and make it extremely difficult to take some measurements (exhaust, water pump, coolant hoses, battery, etc, etc). As far as I possibly could with a small mirror, I thoroughly examined both the trellis frame and swingarm inside and out for over an hour and found no fractures, broken welds, or noticeable bends that would explain the huge difference in axle centerpoint.
But for now, until I figure out what broke or bent, the Ducati is dead.
If it's the frame or swingarm that's screwed, the bike is getting parted out. The frame is just a shade under $4,000, and the swingarm is $2600 (plus a grand in other stuff, if the pivot assembly parts are worn or broke.)
I'm not going to track a bike that has a rear wheel that points 10 degrees in the wrong angle.
One scary f'n anecdote to add. When I removed the rear wheel tonight, I noticed that the retaining pin on the axle nut was wedged in the hole and had to use pliers and a lot of elbow grease to remove the safety pin.
As I was putting the breaker bar on to take off the rear wheel, the rear wheel nut spun off with hand pressure. I used a f*n impact wrench to put that wheel nut on when I changed tires at Road Atlanta in December. But I didn't take the time afterwards to verify it with a torque wrench.
I promptly turned a couple shades of green and got sick to my stomach. I rode two days at Road Atlanta, a day at Barber, and most of a day at Blackhawk on the 1098. At some point the wheel nut spun loose so some large part of that riding was done with nothing more than a 1/16th inch stick of metal holding my rear wheel on the bike.
Two hours later, I still feel like puking after finding that. I'm just glad the wheel didn't fall off at speed. I'm also VERY glad that the four holes that the driving pins go in to didn't elongate and ruin a Marchesini rear wheel.
I have this strong feeling that I'm going to be paranoid as hell about doing proper bike maintenance from now on.
I'm also getting an equally strong feeling that the entire purpose of my life is to serve as an example to everyone else on what NOT to do!
stephenjpauls
New Member
Trent,
I'm very sorry to hear about your get off and hope you heal up quickly!
Cheers,
Steve
I'm very sorry to hear about your get off and hope you heal up quickly!
This happened for me when Matt G. found the nut that holds my break lever was missing while doing a tech inspection on my bike at barber. I just kept picturing myself reaching for the breaks and having the lever coming off in my hand. Just don't let it get to you on the track, that was one of the many problems I had.
Cheers,
Steve