New rider

[Azurus]

What's up folks, my name is Ben and live in South Carolina. Just purchased my first road bike;a Monster 800 S2R Dark (with some upgrades). It is being shipped to me as I write this and should arrive within a few days.

I am new to road riding with the exception of a couple short dual-sport rides, so I'm trying to study and learn as much as I can! Feel free to point me to some good new rider tips. I've already read a few things on the forum, including the excerpt from The Pace, which seems to make sense.

The bike came with some Arrow carbon slip-ons, an Ohlins rear shock, some speedy moto belt covers (open style), and upgraded bar and triple clamp. Not sure how I feel about the lower bars, but I'll find out soon enough!

[captinRob]

Welcome, there is a ton of good info on here and the people are friendly too.  you'll have to post some pictures when you get a chance.  I'm not sure I could wait for a bike to be shipped to me I would be to excited to sleep haha.

on the ohlins rear shock and the arrow exhaust.

if your looking for tips on riding techniques there is a book I recommend reading even your just a casual rider, a lot of good info, its called Sport Riding Techniques by Nick Ienatsch

as for mechanical things DMF is a great reference, for any projects you would want to handle your self

[Azurus]

I decided to order the book on Amazon, thanks!

And yes, it's been very difficult to concentrate. I don't think I've been this excited since I was a kid on Christmas morning. The bike is arriving in a wooden crate and I'm going to have to restrain myself from destroying it with a hammer when they drop it in my driveway.

[Slide Panda]

Another book that I quite like is Lee Parks Total control. If you haven't, look into attending the Basic Rider Course locally. Some stuff will be old for you as you know how to operate a moto, but some street tactics stuff will be new - and many insurnace cos offer a discount for passing a class like that

One thing to check up on is your cam belts. They have a service life of 12k miles or 2 years - whichever comes first. So it's quite common for used Duc to have belts that are over age. If you're not sure of the disposition of the belts get a new set. It's about $80 for a pair and if you are a handy DIY sort, it's not a bad job to do yourself. If you're not, a shop shouldn't charge more than an hour for it.

YOu should probably have it to someone who's handy with suspension to set it for you. A nice as Ohlins kit is, it'd be a waste to have the settings all garbaged up and not get the use of it.

[Azurus]

Thanks Slide, I will check the book out.

As for the cam belts, I purchased the bike from a shop that performed a full service and inspection of the bike. They didn't really mention anything specific about the belts though. This is what they claim to do before selling:

Change oil and filter
flush brake fluids
flush clutch fluid
flush transmission oil
flush primary oil
adjust primary chain
lube and adjust chain or belt
flush final drive oil
check coolant condition and flush if necessary
check and adjust steering stem bearings
lube and adjust all cables
service the clutch(dry clutch only)
check air filters, replace if necessary
set tire pressures
tighten nuts and bolts
check for oil leaks
clean battery terminals
tighten spokes
check running condition
adjust fi/carbs if necessary
lube pivots and locks

What should I look for on the belt, just cracking?

I was watching some videos on how to adjust suspension on a sport bike for correct damping and pre-load, but I do think I will take it somewhere to someone experienced who will be able to shed some more light on the adjustments.

[Slide Panda]

What should I look for on the belt, just cracking?

Can't go on a visual inspection just looking for cracks. If it's cracked, obviously it's done. But belts that have set, tensioned a long time, un-run will develop stiff sections.

While a critical failure of a belt isn't a common thing - replacing them is cheap insurance as the result of a broken belt is not cheap and potentially dangerous.

So - I'm guessing that shop specialized in HDs and or BWMs?

Ducs dont have:
- Transmission oil (engine, clutch and trans share)
- Primary chain
- Final drive oil - final drive is the chain
- Spokes... except sport classics that is

[Azurus]

Ok, I may just go ahead and replace it. Is there a tutorial on the forums for that?

I believe the shop moves a lot of Harley and BMW bikes. They are a distributor and deal with a lot of different bikes so that may be why the general list.

The one thing they did say is that it was missing the black keys, but are sending me the red key and code card as well as an uncut black key. He also said if you look very closely, someone put some type of protective coating over the engine fins and apparently it didn't set well enough because sand and grit stuck to it a little like sandpaper, although claimed it was barely noticeable. Other than tires with about a season left on them he said it was in top shape. Still kind of scary without seeing it yourself.

[Slide Panda]

There is just do a search. Also search YouTube. Chris Kelly of ca cycle works did a video tutorial. Do a bit of research on the tension as I think it's tighter on the 695 vs the 620 in the video tutorial

DO NOT use the red key to run the bike. It is for dealing with a locked immobilizer only. You'll need to track down someone who can code the black keys properly

[Azurus]

I trust you in that there is good reason to not use the Red Key. Although I have to ask, what is the main reason? Just bad risk in case you lose it? or will it screw up your ECU or something? I have to actually drive about an hour away to have this black key cut and programmed, so I will be forced to ride it using the red key at least a little.

Total Control looks good. I'm reading the first part through Amazon and I like how it's split up into basic concepts in the ToC. Probably going to snag it too, thanks for the recom

[Slide Panda]

Do some reading - some people have managed to run the bike for a while on the red key only. Some folks end up with odd problems or getting locked out and having to do the reset (which is a hassle) \. There's threads in here relating the the various red key siutations. I'm quite sure there's one like yours, where running the bike from the red key was done, by accident or on purpose (doesn't really matter) - But I'm sure I've seen.

The Red key is designed to be used only in the event of the immobilizer system being engaged and locking out the ECU. It's not meant as a daily use key

I never had to use they Red key on my 620 and the 900 I traded up to doesn't have those new fangled items.

Oh other items to ponder - what year bike? *if* it's at/over 5 years and still on the original tires I strongly suggest you get a new set of tires in the near future. Most tire manuf recommend tires be taken out of service at 5 years of age, regardless of condition. They get stiff over time and you loose traction as a result. Surface of the tire won't be so grippey and the carcass won't flex as much, reducing the already tiny size of the contact patch.

With it still being pretty warm, the issues won't be as pronounced. But as we're heading to a time of year where morning temps can be cool you may well start to notice traction issues.

[Azurus]

Would I be able to take a car trip to the nearest Ducati dealer and have them cut and program the black key? or do they need the bike on site to do this? If they don't need the bike I can make a quick drive up there once I get the bike without ever using the red key

The bike is a 2005, and while in good condition, the tires do need replacing. It has Dunlop Sportmax Q2's on the front and back with 3/32 and 2/32 tread left, which is pretty low. I'm thinking of getting a pair of the same exact tire because I've heard so many good things about the Q2's. The guy at Cyclegear tried to sell me on some Michelin Road Pilot 3's, but I'm just worried they won't be as grippy on the corners. But alas, I"m a still a newb. I can only go by others experiences at this point.

I bought Total Control by Lee Parks the Kindle version.

[Slide Panda]

As far as I know, you don't need the bike there - Though having the bike there would let you know if the new key worked.

A locksmith with the appropriate gear can do it. The metal bit of the key could be cut by anyone - the chip is the tricky part. I really don't know much about making a black key off the code card. Wish I could tell you more, but never had to do it. But I'm *sure* someone on here has done it. It might take some work to dig up the thread, but I'm like 90% sure the info is here.

OR you could always start a new thread - I'd suggest Tech for it. Just explain you bought a used bike with no black keys, but have the code card and red key and need to know how one goes about making black keys.

As a newer rider who (probably) won't be pushing the tires hard a sport tour tire like the Road Pilots will probably just fine. I know the current monsters (at least the 696) ship with the Pirelli equivalent - the Angle tires. Sport tour tires will last longer, and behave better in a wider range of weather conditions. For Example they will be more consistent in the fall when you might have dew-damp cooler pavement vs a more sporty tire that will be a bit nervous under those conditions. The sport tour tires these days are remarkably good.

As you have already noted, more sport oriented tires do offer more grip when they are ready/good conditions - but as you might expect they don't last as long. Now I can get a good amout of life out of my tires, while others KILL their rear in half the time on the some sort of bike, so like anything Your Mileage May Vary.

So I guess I'm sayin' that either choice is a good option. You just need to consider what's important to you. Sport tour - probably cheaper per mile and better in a wider range of weather vs. a street sport that will offer better traction when they are up to temp, but may need to be babied a touch at frist once it gets cool out.

[Azurus]

Good tips on the tires. Thanks for all your help

[Slide Panda]

No problem!