Scud

I dropped in for a visit. Thanks, Neil, for collecting me at the airport and showing me around. Of course, your garage was the highlight. The V11 is stunning - pics can't do it justice. Great attention to detail and so much cool custom work. And it rides great... bars slammed down low and tuned perfectly... and that exhaust note... love it. And the Ducati... also wow, just wow. Cafe racing... through the rain forest up Tamborine Mountain. Two guys... trying to "conserve the wild life." ...and another cafe for a coffee along a suitably twisty road with amazing views and lush forest. But I gotta say... riding on the left side of the road takes some concentration. Every time I saw a car come around the corner on the right side of the road I thought I was gonna die. So glad to be able to follow Neil. I don't think I could trust my instincts riding alone. It made me realize how much is on "auto-pilot" when I ride. And I was anxious about what I would do if a kangaroo jumped out of the woods. We scored, because a "major rain event" is on the way to Brisbane. Roo & Brew:

Please tell me the polo was not pink - or any pastel hue. And please no tassles on the loafers... and please, please no pictures... However, glad you enjoyed the show.

Again... this is just so interesting. Again... thank-you. It is almost impossible to resist the Scura's call. But unlike the false promises in the sirens' songs, the Scura delivers.

The boy surfs though, so we can give him 3 out of 4. @Chuck - keep slacking (which I hope means riding) during the good weather. I will gladly install a prototype spring in my Scura and go give it a real-world test. It might take me a while to get to 200,000 shifts... But, I think I could temporarily mount a mechanical counter on the sub-frame so it counts the upshifts in real-world riding. I assume there would be different shifts per mile in twisty mountain roads vs. commuting vs. touring.

I'm tracking and learning. So the .071" wire with 10 degrees less than 2.5 coils (890 degrees of coil). While this configuration gives less torsion on downshifts, it gives more on upshifts... so the torsion is more uniform across the range. That's what we get with a little more "preload" on a thinner wire. Is that right? My oldest daughter's boyfriend is studying mechanical engineering. He is entertained by this topic... too bad he is not a motorcyclist.

Didn't stop at Pea Soup Anderson's, but did surf Pismo pier and Morro Rock with my daughter. Plexi - maybe we can ride together next time I'm up there. I enjoyed our last ride out 166, which was so amazingly green - compared to the winter golden hills now. Have you ridden Tepusquet road in that area? It's only 30 miles from you. I think the Scura would be the best bike from your stable for that road.

Ha - well it's not supposed to break if it's not over-extended. But still, you'd think it was over-extended for a while - before the groove got cut in.

That was my youngest daughter. She loved it. Says it's more comfortable than the V11. The pillion seat is flat on the ST3, so she doesn't slide into me - which is also easier on me.

Well, the Duck was great for the holiday weekend and it ate up the long stretches of freeway from San Diego to North of Los Angeles. Rode the Greenie to work today - so I could regain my footing on the slippery slope...

How about: "Re-engineering the Shift Spring" Or whatever other title you like... the topic has certainly moved beyond the original title.

Here are some motorcycle-highlights of my Thanksgiving weekend trip to Paso Robles, CA. It was a family + a friend trip... which means we had 6 people for a 5-seater car. What to do? How about I take back roads between destinations and y'all drive the slab? Done. Warning... I've been "cheating" on the Guzzis with a silver Ducati.

Well, hopefully the one that went in the LeMans is the same and it will be trouble-free for the new owner. Does it even show signs of fatigue? Each spring I have replaced had relaxed/deformed a bit - making it look like about 1.6 coils instead of 1.5. I bought a few springs from various sources. I wish now I could say which spring was from which source - but I didn't keep track. And not all springs break, right? Some people have plenty of miles with no failures. Part of the issue could be defects in materials and/or workmanship (such a tool mark at the bend). It still seems that we have identified a flaw with the over-extension of the spring, which is worth correcting. If memory serves me, I have broken three of these with only about 30,000 miles on V11s. Those aren't good odds for a crippling and inconvenient failure.

Were you testing one of the new springs with 2.5 +/- coils? I'll guess the original spring breaks at 15,000 shifts. Total WAG. And I bet the ones with thinner wire and 2.5 coils will go beyond 75,000 shifts. Again, total WAG... but thought I'd throw something out there for entertainment value. That, and bumbling along until Chuck couldn't stand it anymore and decided to take over are my two primary contributions.

12 x 1.5. You can use a 12 x 1.5 to NPT adapter so you can fit all kinds of standard stuff after that.

Oh - so you're just going to move the arm, not whole mechanism. Makes sense. I'll wait for pics.

Same as one weekend in the Santa Monica Mountains, right? Seriously, that's a whole lot of shifting. Hopefully the rest of the pre-selector is up for the abuse - but I don't mind if you kill it. I'll just have a spare tranny with a dead pre-selector. All in the name of science.

The ST3 is a bit more upright than a V11 with clipons. I think it's a reasonable compromise between pure Sport and pure Touring positions. Building GuzziMoto's earlier comments... If I had to sell, the Scura would be the last street bike in the garage, next to my Husqvarna dirt bike. And if push came to shove, the Husky would go too. But which bike to ride 350 miles to Paso Robles tomorrow? It'll be the Duck. Why? Partly the newness of it, but more importantly, it's a better 2-up bike than the V11, and if we go wine-tasting over the weekend, I can fit several bottles in the side cases.

Thanks brubache - I've asked for (and received) some good advice over at ducati.ms. I think the ST3 might have slightly better low-speed manners than the ST2. I rode an ST2 a long time ago, so it's hard to make a fair comparison. But I remember it being miserable, while the ST3 is merely unpleasant. I understand that changing the gearing also makes it a wheelie monster and increases RPMs (and assumably reduces fuel efficiency) at cruising speeds - so I'm gonna leave it. Like the V11, you put up with some BS to enjoy the rest. Is that the definition of character?

The Duck is a different feeling... not necessarily more or less feeling. Tame by comparison? My BMW K75s is. The Duck is a box of rocks at idle. I think that's cool. Crunchy, grabby clutch from a standing start, also cool. Hates going less than 15MPH, so what? Rear brake almost worthless, who cares? I think it was Chuck who said that for him, buying a motorcycle is all about the motor. The 3-valve 992cc engine is unique to the ST3 - no other Ducati has it. I've ridden only a few Ducatis, but from my limited sample, this "orphaned 3 valver" is my favorite. Rated 102hp @ 8750RPMs... haven't tapped that yet. 63 lb-ft torque at 7250.. that's about where I've been hanging out. For "Rivalry" purposes: The V11 makes 11 less HP at 7800, but 6 lb-ft more torque at 6000). Pretty comparable numbers, but I think the Ducati is geared taller and it seems to rev quicker. I don't know if I'll ever ride without the bags. They weigh next to nothing and they're quite narrow. I split lanes with ease. Metal gas tank - just picked up a little magnetic tank bag. How nice is that? Anybody want a commuter K-bike?

I used the Shindy on my LeMans for a while. It lives on the Greenie now. Same type of back and forth play. It should be tight side to side. Got the part number from a past post of Docc's. @Docc - if you feel motivated, maybe you could add that damper to our encyclopedia of compatible parts. I recall it being only about $120.00.

That diagram is for a 2002 model, which has an external pump. It's the same hose for all models - even the red frame. Maybe some heat shield on the breather hose would be a good idea. It's pretty thin rubber and not heavily reinforced (like a fuel injection line would be).

Yeah. Super solid guy. He took good care of the Ducati too. As we were comparing notes and giving each other the "tours" of the bikes' features and quirks, he remarked that I am more anal than him. I *think* that was a compliment. It's nice to do a full-disclosure trade with somebody you trust.

That was a high-risk environment. I think I might have got in trouble if I went to something like that. I sure like both of those 1980s LeMans.

Wow. I didn't know that was a "new" bike. Probably went to the dealer with 13 miles - or it got pushed around for a cumulative 13 miles. Your friend is STOKED!

Just out for a romp today, because we needed a frozen peach-apple pie for thanksgiving, and they are only available from a little shop at the end of a twisty road. The ST3 fits some of the "rival" criteria we've discussed. Available new in same year (2004 was only year of overlap in showroom). V-twin. Similar original price, similar prices in used market. This picture on Palomar Mountain's South Grade today. The ST series of Ducatis are not like the V11 series (all of which are very similar). The ST2, then ST4, then ST3 (in order of introduction) each have different motors, frames, and fairings. I didn't realize how radically different each of the ST variants were from each other. The ST2 probably also fits the rival category, but not the ST4 with it's superbike motor. The ST3 motor is great - even better than the 1000DS motor in the Supersport I recently rode. It's got very usable power - smooth and predictable. It's also the most upright seating and passenger-friendly of the ST series. Like the V11s there was also upgraded Ducati ST3 with Ohlins forks and shock. While Moto Guzzi gave the Ohlins V11s special names, Ducati just put an S on them: ST3s. I got the standard version (with Sachs shock).