Well, I've been lurking and posting for awhile now and haven't made an official introduction. So....Hello from northern California! [beer]
I've been on some sort of motorcycle since I was 19 in college. I didn't have a car; I only had my trusty Schwinn. So, I bought a 1973 Honda XL350....world's fastest motorcycle. ;D I loved that bike but after two years of riding in flood conditions, I naively traded it for a 1975 Camaro. [roll] Other motorcycles came and went and later I bought a KLR650. Took me awhile but I learned that a KLR does everything but nothing well (a common motto apparently). I sold it since I always felt like I was going to get run over on the freeway and honestly, it had no "soul."
Enter the Monster. After exhaustive searching, I locally found a pristine 2004 yellow 800. Who the hell buys a yellow Ducati? Apparently me! The color really has grown on me and I absolutely love this motorcycle. I have done all of the maintenance myself. Without the help from the members here, I would have made a lot of mistakes. However, valves, belt changes, suspension mods, oil changes have all been relatively painless. So, I owe you all a big "thank you!" Or.... [drink] and [bacon] may suffice. The help and kindness have been very appreciated.
Here's some pics of my ride in combat commuting duty:
(http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n182/silverking_2006/2004Monster800ie013.jpg)
Since I've had the keys, I have swapped out the shock for one off of a ST2 and added new Racetech springs and oil up front. Cheapo bar end mirrors (not bad really) replaced the mouse ears which unfortunately caused my bike to fall over in the driveway (not my fault). The exhaust is cored (meh) and I am looking to replace it. The bags came with the bike and have since found themselves to be indispensable for the commute. I also ditched the side panels and hid the wires away.
nice, clean ride man! happy you found a good one. lemme know if you're down in LA ever and we'll go scoot around.
[beer] Thanks! I never did get a chance to terrorize PCH.
I can only imagine that your neighbors really love those new pipes. [evil]