It's been a WHILE.

It's been a long time since I posted, but it doesn't really matter because I don't have any followers! Yay...

If anyone in the future does decide to follow this and read through the history, this is for you.

On June 8th I crashed my Ducati in Missouri. It was my fault, didn't notice a friends' brake light and came up on him pretty quick. I braked too hard and maybe had some target fixating going on. Anyway, I went down on the bike's left side. I ended up with a separated shoulder and the Monster had about the same.

I've since healed completely and I'm still in the process of "healing" the Duc. I wish I hadn't given up on this blog during the rebuild, because I've actually done some pretty cool things to her, and I can't wait to see the finished product. The before and after pictures should be incredible.

Some of the biggest mods: gold frame to black frame, silver wheels to black wheels, yellow tank/cowl/faring to matte olive green, Acewell 2853 speedo/tach, Danmoto exhaust. I changed a few other small things like front turn signals as well. Most of the headache has come in the form of finding cheap OEM replacement parts like the headlight, and wet-sanding the trellis frame.

I can already tell I'm going to find a tremendous amount of pride in the fact that I took it all the way down to the bare frame, and that I know every bolt on my machine. I was originally planning on selling her sometime this fall, to pursue a different bike. Now though, I think it will be hard to let go, and I may just end up modding it further to exactly what I want.

Here's a few pictures from the past couple of months:

Subframe, Seat, and Other Stuff

Subframe is back from Earl, done up all pretty. I had to cut off the forward mounting plate I had on it and redo the angle on that, which took some time, but other than that it was perfect. It's all mounted up now.

So after that was finished, I moved on to pounding out my seat pan. It took some time, as this was the first one I've ever done. I'm really happy with the result, it's so comfortable.

In between all that I managed to rejet the Ducati again, and I'll be doing it yet again tonight. Trying to get it really dialed in. The rejet on Tuesday night really improved power, but I think there's a little more to be squeezed out, I'll report back.

Also, my buddy Brent came over the other day to weld up a new battery box he's making for his Kawasaki ZR-7. He's just trying to clean things up a bit. Eventually he has plans for a street-fighter kind of look. Scott and his cafe'd Honda CM400T had to come help us out. Four bikes in the garage!

Change of plans...

Back in February my friends and I agreed to go on a motorcycle trip around Lake Michigan in June. Well, it's June, and one-by-one they have all fallen. I guess four months wasn't enough time to plan and prioritize. So, plans have changed and I'm heading south by myself to meet up with my motorcycle buddy I know I can depend on in Missouri. After the ride down there, a full day of riding, and the ride back the trip total will be about 1,000 miles. I guess it's a blessing in disguise, as I haven't seen my comrades from the University of Missouri in quite some time. Here's a proposed route for us to take Saturday:

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=8131+S+Rangeline+rd,+Columbia,+MO&daddr=Potosi,+MO+to:38.4452187,-91.0831189+to:8131+S+Rangeline+rd,+Columbia,+MO&hl=en&ll=38.505191,-91.598511&spn=0.823196,1.674042&sll=38.382575,-91.521606&sspn=1.649175,3.348083&geocode=FbfdUAIdOe2A-ildIq8pcLzchzGhB3SE_oeiVg%3BFTbdQgIdu6-W-imxqCIrfp_ZhzFqKM227qBA1g%3BFaKgSgIdki6S-inlxekr5FrZhzEuSX7aNejcCQ%3BFbfdUAIdOe2A-ildIq8pcLzchzGhB3SE_oeiVg&gl=us&mra=dpe&mrsp=2&sz=9&via=2&t=m&z=10

Touring with a Panigale

In preparation for our mere 1600 mile trip coming up in a couple of weeks, I've been keen to notice articles and stories on motorcycle touring. This one, in particular, caught my eye because it included Ducati in the name. This guy rode a Ducati Panigale 1199 15,000 miles through 35 states. I have a buddy that has a 848 evo and I can hardly stand to sit on the thing, let alone for 15,000 miles in that amount of time. Anyway, beside his ride being very impressive, I really enjoyed the article he wrote about the ride. He explains the reason for making the ride in a very interesting way and some of his stories from during the trip make me really want to hit the road. They remind me of a couple of weeks ago during our Ride For The Cure ride when we met a couple at the Blackhawk Statue in Oregon, IL. Turns out the "couple" was actually brother and sister all the way from the UK. They were most likely in their 90's and just touring the world. The lady had a very wiley tone in her voice as she briefly mentioned riding "motorbikes" in her younger days and then was very quiet when her brother mentioned she was an air force pilot in the Canadian Air Force. So, I suppose this trip coming up is about stories. Meeting people with stories, and making our own so that we can be the 90 year old remembering them later on in life.

http://rideapart.com/2013/01/rideapart-review-ducati-1199-panigale-s/

Reel Big Fish

Awesome band, they've apparently been around for forever but I just discovered them. Just listened to them for an entire 8 hour work day, great stuff.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Scenic Ridge

Here's a video from Scenic Ridge Road in Savanna, IL. It's a beautiful, twisty, fast road. Unfortunately the way I mounted the camera made it look really slow. I need to get something in the foreground.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gkbMCib6ww

Monster DIY Luggage Rack

It's been forever since I posted something, but that's because it's been beautiful and I've just been riding non-stop. I did have some time, however, to finish up this DIY luggage rack. Made entirely out of steel and materials you can buy at Ace Hardware. I did the welding myself so obviously it looks terrible, but it is functional. Will make my long trips a lot easier.

Favorite Local Ride

It's been a while since I've posted, but here's a video of one of my favorite local rides, just a few minutes from my house.

Ford Motorcycles

Just saw this on Rocket Garage. It looks insane. A four cylinder Ford motor on two wheels, I need to find out more information. Link

Taking a Ride Around a Great Lake

In June some friends and I are going to be riding around Lake Michigan, it's going to be really fun, and I'm really excited. Here's a tentative map:


View Larger Map

Virago Inspiration

Another great Virago build. I'm starting to think I picked the wrong model to work on. The more time I take getting this build done the more great builds I see coming out of the woodwork. In addition to this one I've recently seen two different shops that are putting together a single-sided-swingarm shaft-drive version. I like this build because it's true to the classic cafe racer look, but it reaches into the modern era of the Yamaha TRX it's paired with.

Link to more stunning pictures here.

How Facebook Will Finally Make Money

Almost a year ago now, in May of 2012, Zuckerberg decided to take his baby, Facebook, public. The company offered an IPO of $38 per share. The shares sold like hotcakes purely because of the speculation of how much information Facebook must know about the e-commerce universe. While that speculation is probably true, there has been one major problem Facebook has been having. That is, they don't know how to turn that information into profits. Today, the stock price is at ~$26.87. I am a firm believer that sometime soon they will be able to realize immense profits, and it's going to happen through cruel creativity.

Here is an image from my facebook this morning:

For a long time now Facebook has provided us with handy reminders that our friends are celebrating birthdays. What they're doing differently now is using some of that cruel creativity to remind us that not only are our friends celebrating a birthday, they're reminding us that it would probably be 'nice' to buy them a gift. And on top of that, they do every last bit of thinking for us and let us know exactly what it is that each individual likes, so that we don't have to guess at a gift to give. From this image, I'm literally one click away from spending money.

Facebook will continue to realize the immense 'sway' they have on individuals. They don't remind us to send Ali an iTunes gift card because they're being helpful - they do it for the money, as they should for their shareholders. FB will continue to find ways to trick us into spending money, by doing all the leg work for us. Soon, you won't have to go looking for concert times, locations, and ticket rates. Facebook will bring it to you and provide a 'helpful reminder' that you need to pick up those tickets before they get sold out. Soon, you won't have to use Kayak, Priceline, etc. to book your flights, Facebook will do the work for you. Companies will pay Facebook lavishly in order to gain that direct pipeline to your thoughts. So, here's to the future, a future of mindless spending.

Braking Technique

This article is really great for any rider of any level that just wants to freshen up on braking techniques. My favorite part of the article is that it puts braking in a really interesting  perspective. That is if you're traveling at 55 mph you are traveling at 81 feet per SECOND. So, if you work on drills that improve your reaction time, and you can improve your time by one full second, you will be able to stop your bike 7 to 8 car lengths SOONER than someone else with the exact same bike and reaction times just one second longer. Pretty crazy stuff, and probably why the Moto GP guys are so good.

How to Brake

Subframe Progress

Now that I've got the Ducati project mostly wrapped up I'm making progress on my welding skills and my Virago subframe. Last night I had some time to lay out the two horizontal tubes that will basically be where the rider will sit. I had to cut and grind down a plate to be welded to the front of the tubes. That plate will then share the same bolt as the front of the rear shock... front of the rear, how confusing can the English language get.

Anywho, I doubt they teach you these sweet guestimating and Jerry-rigging skills in welding school. Don't hate, it will be functional.

The next weld that happens will have to be ones that really count. I need them to look halfway decent because they'll be showing at all times. I think I'll be taking the subframe down to Earl's to get him to work some magic. Somehow he has to make up for my guestimating and close this gap between the members, I think he's up for it.

Also, I once read a story about one of the builds the guys at Classified Moto did, I think it was the bike for the Star Trek girl, or whoever she is. Anywho, apparently their exhaust guy is a precision machinist, and when it got time to line up the can they were using, he called them and asked if he should line the can up with the taillight or the rear wheel. Their response was, split the difference. Bikes don't have to be perfectly built, but they can be perfectly built for an individual. These Viragos come with an offset rear wheel, and in addition to that I've discovered that the bolt holes in the backbone that support the subframe aren't completely square with the rear wheel or really anything. So, my whole build will be slightly "off-line," but I don't care, it's gonna rip.

Goldie Special

Just saw this bike on Rocket Garage. Seeing builds like this and the bikes that Burly Brand has been putting out make me want to pick up a Harley for my next project.

Goldie Special

Ducati Dynojet Update Finished

I'm basically finished with the Ducati's Dynojet Kit update. I had the carbs out of the bike four times in less than three days. It was a little annoying at times but now that it's over, it is rewarding. I'm not entirely convinced that I'm done, however, because my setup is kind of fishy. Right now I'm sitting at 170 main jets, 37.5 pilots, new needle jets, and the fishy part - the needles are backed all the way out, to the richest setting. I need to do a mpg test to see where I'm at.

Words of advice if pursuing this:
1.) Take your time. No need to hurry. Reconnect every little thing during testing, to make sure you eliminate as many possible symptoms as possible.
2.) Only change one variable at a time. I made the mistake of changing two at a time and it made diagnosing difficult.
3.) Remember the little things. I forgot to unkink the fuel hose as I set down the gas tank once and it almost led me to ripping the carbs out of the bike all over again.
4.) Do as much research ahead of time as possible.
5.) Check out this link to understanding carburetors, it was a great help in getting me to understand exactly what was going on. Carburation

Good luck!

Benelli XR 600 Street Racer

I feel like this bike hits the genre I'm going for with the Virago. They call it a street racer. Sort of like a blend between cafe racer and street fighter. I like it, I'd own it, and I hope people feel the same when I'm done with the Virago.

Benelli XR 600 Street Racer

Boston.

The events in Boston have been absolutely horrific. And reading this CNN story makes me feel like I'm reading a plot to a movie like The Dark Knight, The Town, etc. It's terrifying that things like this have struck so close to home, and are real-life possibilities. However, that said, I'm proud to be an American. Events like these happen far too often in other areas of the world. The difference between those places and here, is that we're able to respond so swiftly and so heavily that it gives you a sense of pride in your country. Although it doesn't seem like it, the situation is under control. I'm proud to live in a nation where 300 million people would love to watch as these men burn, rather than a nation divided. I would still feel safe being a spectator at a marathon's finish line, so screw you Tsarnaev brothers, you failed.


Also, keep those in Texas in your prayers, it's been a tough, but strengthening week in America.

Carb Struggles.

Well, I tore down the carbs, fixed 'em up, put 'em back in... they don't work. Either I messed something up somewhere or the main jet I chose isn't the ideal size... have to wait till the end of the day to tinker with it again.

That said, I have to reiterate how awesome Ca-Cycleworks is. They throw in a sticker, pen, and a candy bar with every purchase, and their customer service is outstanding.

The carb situation got so tricky I even had to use the longer fingers of my buddy Joe to help with a stuck throttle cable issue.

So the situation is that my motivation for doing all this was a 'coughing' issue on the bike. It would sometimes cough in really low gears, especially when not warmed up completely. So, I tore them down to install a Dynojet kit along with the Factory Pro needles, since those are supposed to go bad after about 5,000 miles. So I installed everything, put it back together, and now the bike will barely start and as soon as I give it gas it dies. Turning out the idle mixture screws helps it start easier, but doesn't affect the dying when throttle applied problem.

My two theories are that either I didn't reassemble all the hoses and whatnot correctly, or the main jets I put on (175's) are far too large. Stay tuned.

Mind Party

This video simply makes me want to ride... and own a Triumph.

M900 Dynojet and Factory Pro Install

For these early, carbed versions of the Ducati Monsters, it is known that if you run an aftermarket exhaust and/or chop your airbox or convert to pod filters, you need to re-jet the carbs. Whoever added the Staintune cans and chopped the airbox on this one, didn't know that. So, I've set out to update the jets to a Dynojet Stage 2 kit, coupled with new needle jets from Factory Pro, purchased through Ca-Cycleworks. Shameless plug for Ca-Cycleworks here: they're really, really great. Here's a link to their site for everything Ducati: www.ca-cycleworks.com

Anywho, the idea of this install is to improve throttle response and performance across the whole rev range. On these Mikuni carbs it's known that the needle jets become "ova led" after about 5,000 miles so that's the reason for the Factory Pro kits. I will also be checking the float height, as it's also well known that the setting from the factory is skewed from what is recommended. 

Last night I just completed the "tear down" process, getting the carbs out of the frame. Tonight I'll be doing the install and will be sure to post some pictures.

Products:

http://www.dynojet.com/pdf/7209.pdf

http://ca-cycleworks.com/products/fuel-carbs/factory-pro-needle-jet

The Build

This is a short documentary built from a series of videos shot by 'Instrument.' The video is about three Portland-based custom bike builders telling their stories about how they came to be and what they think of their lives. It's really, really awesome.

The Build Film from Instrument on Vimeo.

Fott - Cafe Racer Video

Just found this on Vimeo. I think it's a pretty awesome video. If someone didn't know what "cafe racer" meant, I think you could just have them watch this video and they would get it.

Fott - Cafe racer and the city from Alexander Khudokon on Vimeo.

Swap Meet

I forgot to mention that my buddies Courland, Brent, and Scott accompanied me up to the Walneck's swap meet in Woodstock, IL last weekend. It was pretty awesome, although I couldn't find anything I could justify purchasing at that point in time. Here's a link to a list of future event dates:

http://www.walneckswap.com/custompage.asp?pg=events

Also, we stopped by the after party at Woodstock Harley Davidson for their Second Sundays motorcycle rally. It was a pretty cool event, and turns out they do it every month with a different theme. I'm looking forward to June when I can ride the Ducati up for European Motorcycles.

http://www.woodstock-triumph.com/default.asp?page=xcalendar&db=&cat=all&

First Weld!

I did my first ever weld that meant something! Big milestone for me....

Anyway, the Virago got the beginnings of its subframe welded together with the first of two plates that the seat pan will bolt to. They're not pretty but they are functional. The welds will be ground down and hidden anyway.

Sounds of Today

Today I'm listening to my inner robot. Dubstep it is today with the likes of Flux Pavilion, Nero, Skrillex, and so on. Work is requiring me to come up with some designs for vendor and guest invites for a large open house we're having. I know it seems counter-intuitive that I'm blogging while I'm busy at work, but I do a lot of waiting on other people. Anywho, dubstep seems to put me "in the zone" when working with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, etc. Enjoy!

<iframe src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:track:3f49pTG5rY9BBl5R1RbXu5" width="300" height="380" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe>

More Horsepower!

So I decided to add more horsepower to the Virago build, and I did so in about the easiest way possible. The first gen Viragos were made with two different models, the XV750 and the XV920. Just so happens they made it so that the two different engines can be directly swapped in and out, completely bolt-on. I found a great deal through a guy on www.viragotechforum.com pretty close to me. He had used one XV920 as a parts bike to build his other XV920 bobber project. The engine is all there in good running condition. So, on Saturday I dropped the old 750 motor out of the frame and bolted on the 920. It took quite a bit of convincing and a helping hand from my buddy Tom, but we got it to go! Really can't wait to hear this thing run now.

Subframe Mockup

Here's a picture of the subframe kind of just put together. I still have to figure out how to design the forward portion of it so that it bolts to the frame. I believe it will be bolting through the monoshock hole. Also, I need to keep practicing welding so that I can weld things like those support plates onto the frame. For the welds that hold the frame tubing together, I'll probably outsource (Earl's garage), just so I can get something that looks nice.

Also, I've checked with the fellas at www.viragotechforum.com and apparently the bike was designed with an offset rear tire. Seems goofy to me, but whatever. I'm going to align the subframe with the frame backbone and call it a day.

Today's Melodies

This afternoon I'm listening to the likes of Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, Dispatch, etc.

I was super in to these guys back in high-school, so I suppose it's bringing back some memories. Listen to Proudest Monkey by DMB, it's really awesome.

Quickest Path From Point A to Point B is.....

Last night I ran into a bit of a dilemma with the Virago cafe racer/ street fighter project. I have the subframe tubes bolted on. The bends in those aren't exactly the same but that's a different story. I know that they are both welded completely perpendicular to the bar stock that is bolted to the frame. So, here's the dilemma: the tire isn't in-line with the rear shock, the subframe bars aren't in-line with either of those, and it appears like the rear shock might not even be in-line with the frame itself. I get the feeling there's going to be a whole lot of guesswork going on.

Welding NOOB.

Teaching myself how to weld with that 110V Flux Core. It's not easy, but it is fun!

Subframe Beginnings

Got the first half of the Virago subframe bolted on. I was going to weld the second half to the frame but now that I'm looking at it that doesn't make much sense. So, back to the drawing board to design it to be completely bolt on.

Painted Fender

Did a bit of work on the Ducati last night. I didn't much care for the fender being completely yellow, and I saw a Monster somewhere that had a red fender with silver "legs" that I thought looked more aesthetically pleasing. So, I decided to Plasti-Dip the legs of my fender. I chose Plasti-Dip so that if I hate it or I somehow messed up I could peal it off and start over. Also, I really don't mind the 'matte' finish of Plasti-Dip. Here's some pictures:

Just saw this video from Deus Ex Machina on www.returnofthecaferacer.com. It's an awesome video and looks like an even better day!

Flight of Fancy. Dress Up Drags Mark Four from Deus ex Machina on Vimeo.

My Ride

If I've got 20 minutes to kill and want to take the Monster out to stretch its legs, this is usually my chosen route. The most local, twisty, country roads we have around here.

The Route

Subframe Fab Work

Got some work done on the Virago over the weekend. Borrowed a friend's pipe bender and cut and bent some subframe supports to where I wanted them. I also cut and drilled out some bar stock that will be where the supports get bolted on to the frame. Existing bolt holes on the stock Virago frame are in a perfect location to build off of. I had a friend of mine help out a little bit with his lathe and milling machine to square up the bar stock, put notches in the pipes, and weld the pieces together. He's an old vet that can literally fix/fab anything. He rides a Harley Sportster 1200 that is in absolutely showroom condition. He also smokes like a chimney, drinks a Busch Lite for breakfast, and is healthy as a horse at 71. Here's some pics:

Today the music is Alkaline Trio's brand new album My Shame Is True. Recommended to me by my friend Steve. Great new music that somehow brings back memories of old. Check out, 'She Lied to the FBI.'

Rust Removal Using Electrolysis

These are before and after images (well technically after and before images) of the rear cylinder exhaust manifold on the Virago. I built an electrolysis 'tank' out of an old rubbermaid bin to remove rust from the old manifold. I left it 'bake' for about 5 hours and saw really great results. I plan on using this method on other items such as that stubborn subframe pin, motor mount bolts, etc. Here's some pics of the tank setup.

Basically you use 4 pieces of rebar as the 'collecting' rods. Those are charged with the positive lead from a battery charger. The piece to be de-rusted is connected with steel wire to the negative lead. The water is filled with Sodium Carbonate to make it more conductive. The passing of electricity extracts the moisture and rust from the steel and moves it toward the rebar.