[Introduction] Noob Q&A

[junior varsity]

that would be the #1 thing to spend money on in my book. and lightweight wheels. and on your bike, eventually some FCR39's.

[xRANDOx]

Decided I'm gonna go look at the bike in Cleburne tomorrow. Not sure I'm going to buy it, but I'm going to go look.

[hiero]

Decided I'm gonna go look at the bike in Cleburne tomorrow. Not sure I'm going to buy it, but I'm going to go look.

cool, keep us updated  [moto]

that would be the #1 thing to spend money on in my book. and lightweight wheels. and on your bike, eventually some FCR39's.

wish I could afford FCR's, shoot, it's been at least 5 years and still no money for that 

[xRANDOx]

He does not have the red key. Is that a big deal or what?

[muskrat]

Yes.  Although there are work arounds the cheapest fix is about 400 to 600 bucks

[junior varsity]

Which year / model bike is it?

Older ducatis (carb'ed bikes, for example) will not have a red key. New models will have a "code" card rather than a red key. The 'tweeners' require a red key.

If you ever lose your keys and need new ones made, without a red key, you will be in for a very expensive re-keying to have it done "right". It requires new ECU, Dash, and Ignition. Parts alone can run up to or exceed $1.5k

The work-arounds do "ok", but some are at the risk of ghetto-rigging, while others are not Ducati-supported (such as flashing ecus)

[xRANDOx]

It's a carbed bike. so it doesn't have a red key?

[caffeinejunkee]

It's a carbed bike. so it doesn't have a red key?

No red key on carbies

[junior varsity]

Yup - no red key. You can get spare keys cut at any good locksmith or bypass the ignition with a simple on/off toggle switch.

[xRANDOx]

ok sweet. I'm getting excited! Got my class M today. Anybody know where I can find some cheap insurance for it?

[xRANDOx]

also what are some common mods for these bikes? any link that has a list or a site where you can buy the stuff for them? I know I want to do a tail chop. I read the DIY thread and it looks pretty simple

[junior varsity]

Ride the damn thing. Really learn to ride it first. then worry about modifications. Your preferences might change after a few thousand miles. If you are skimping on the bike's initial budget in hopes to use extra dough to modify, you are doin' it wrong (imo). There's lots of info in the FAQ section of this website. Come by the shop (AMS in downtown Dallas) and pull me aside in person sometime and we can point out all the difference areas if you are unfamiliar with anything on the bike.

Prioritize your spending in this way:

1. Comfort
 a. Suspension (shock, forks, damper)
 b. Ergonomics (seat, bars, rearsets)
2. Everything else
 a. Aesthetics (Mirrors, Turn Signals, Carbon Fiber / Billet)
 b. Motor (If carbed: Dyna Coils, Keihin FCR Carbs, Lightweight slipons)

If its a 750, you really don't want to put a lot of money into the motor - its money thrown away when HP is far cheaper in a different motor (you can always do a motor swap). You can make the electronics/fueling side of the motor more robust - the better carbs, the bigger coils.

The suspension is the biggest difference maker on any bike. (followed by wheels) You'll want to have sag set (which may require respringing front and rear suspension). After you have t
he front and rear sorted, you'd want to look into the addition of a damper. The rotory kind looks neat, but I've seen two that have exploded mid-tankslapper recently (one in person and pictures from another dealership of one). So go with standard push/pull style as its a proven design. If the bike you purchase does not have adjustable forks, upgrading to an adjustable set is a great move. Typically these come from superbikes and require boring/shimming of the triple clamps (boring the top from 50mm to 53mm, and shimming the bottom from 54mm to 53). If you are interested in this swap, I have a great supplier in Italy (IMA) who can make a billet set of triples (top and bottom) in the diameters you would be interested in (50/54, 53/53, 53/56) on a great budget price.

For aesthetics, if you are keeping the stock carbs, you can delete those heinous gray vent pods and run the hoses up into a "still/stagnant" air space. Likewise, you can delete the emissions canister if not already done, since we aren't in CA.

The tail chop is pretty common but is a terrible idea if you are going to frequently ride in the rain. Nobody likes swampass.

Digging into the motor, a lightweight flywheel is nice.

LED blinkers and taillight for visibility.

Raising the rear ride height slightly.

[CajunR]

Ride the damn thing.
The suspension is the biggest difference maker on any bike.

+ about a billion 

Insurance is going to vary wildly depending on your age, credit history, home town, driving record, marital staus, blah blah blah...  My DR-Z is $160 per year for full coverage with Progressive, my Hyper is $600 per year for full coverage with Geico.  I'm old, married, have a home, etc, etc...

[calscrazy]

Dairyland has always been fair to me

[muskrat]

suspension is obviously important but some of us will never use our stock stuff to its limit.....and yes that includes me.  Although I did use my BREMBOS (shitty as they are they stopped the bike ASAP) in Arkansas when a suicide deer tried to outrun a red hardley.   SO, when considering your upgrades make sure you decide what's important to you and the use you'll get out of it.  My opinion is that all Ducs should have that beautiful sound so look into pipes then onto more mods when you get some additional cash flow.