Ducati 748

[shakazulu12]

Regarding the track schools. I have done the Yamaha Champions school several times now. Each time there were several people in attendance who had never been on a track, nor did they intend to do trackdays. They all came away raving about their newfound riding abilities. I would highly recommend a good quality track school as a skills builder. The knowledge gained is invaluable no matter what time of riding you do.

[joker57676]

Update. I took the bike out of a test ride and bought it on site. The bike felt awesome, I was in love after only a short ride down the road and back. The bike looked brand new, it was spotless. The seating position is not bad at all for me. The owner had everything adjusted for his figment, which was damn near ideal for me too. After buying it, I rode about two hours taking the bike down from Green Bay to Milwaukee with one stop to hit the bathroom. No issues with soreness or anything. I loved every second of it...I guess I'm a masochist as someone mentioned above.

Owner had all maintenance records, rockers and valves were done during the 12k service. He also told me where his certified tech is working now since the shop where he had all the work done is now closed.

He did take off the after market rims, but I don't mind the old school rims. I probably will look for a set of 748s rims because I like them better, but for now, I'm happy.

Thank you everyone for the assistance and advice.

Mark

[GuyIncognito]

Originally Posted by joker57676

Update. I took the bike out of a test ride and bought it on site. The bike felt awesome, I was in love after only a short ride down the road and back. The bike looked brand new, it was spotless. The seating position is not bad at all for me. The owner had everything adjusted for his figment, which was damn near ideal for me too. After buying it, I rode about two hours taking the bike down from Green Bay to Milwaukee with one stop to hit the bathroom. No issues with soreness or anything. I loved every second of it...I guess I'm a masochist as someone mentioned above.

Owner had all maintenance records, rockers and valves were done during the 12k service. He also told me where his certified tech is working now since the shop where he had all the work done is now closed.

He did take off the after market rims, but I don't mind the old school rims. I probably will look for a set of 748s rims because I like them better, but for now, I'm happy.

Thank you everyone for the assistance and advice.

Mark

congrats! ride safe, have fun

I might be at Road America sometime this summer, we'll have to get together

[joker57676]

Originally Posted by GuyIncognito

congrats! ride safe, have fun

I might be at Road America sometime this summer, we'll have to get together

Definitely let me know of you make it up here, I'm at Road America several times a year for various events. The first round of brats and beer are on me.

Mark

[GuyIncognito]

Originally Posted by joker57676

Definitely let me know of you make it up here, I'm at Road America several times a year for various events. The first round of brats and beer are on me.

Mark

multiple rounds of beer, sure....but multiple brats?

[joker57676]

Originally Posted by GuyIncognito

multiple rounds of beer, sure....but multiple brats?

Even the women here eat at least two brats...man up!


Mark

[GuyIncognito]

Originally Posted by joker57676

Even the women here eat at least two brats...man up!


Mark

yeah and most of them weigh 300 pounds!

[2000YELLOW360]

Originally Posted by GuyIncognito

yeah and most of them weigh 300 pounds!

Or more.

Art

[joker57676]

Originally Posted by GuyIncognito

yeah and most of them weigh 300 pounds!

Originally Posted by 2000YELLOW360

Or more.

Art

Ha, I was going to say I don't know where Chas is finding these 300lb Wisconsin broads, those are the skinny ones!


Mark

[parkerfe]

I've been riding for 42+ years and after attending the Kevin Schwantz school at Barber Motorsports Park last year, I realized how much I still need to learn.

[raptorduck]

I love 748s. I used to own a 748R (the angry version of the 748) and just loved it. It had amazing midcorner stability. Alas, it was because of this, that one wet morning I decided to take the 748R out on a mountain ride instead of my R6 and had my one and only ever road crash after hitting a wet patch of spilled oil and completely totalted her. I broke a bunch of stuff, but bones heal and steel doesn't.

[Imola82]

Congrats, 748's are stunning bikes! My buddy had a yellow one in college.

Hope to see it at Road America in July at the annual Brian Redman Historic weekend!

[joker57676]

I'm fairly certain I will be at the BRIC (I'm there every year), and that does seem like a excellent ride so odds you will see it/me there!

Mark

[Ducman491]

Good for you! You won't regret it. Get a hold of Chris at Cyclecat for rearsets, bar risers, pressure plates, all kinds of billet goodies. They are works of art and more adjustable than a very adjustable, adjustable thing. :-). PitBull front and reversible rear stand are a huge help too. Enjoy your new obsession!

[joker57676]

Originally Posted by Ducman491

Good for you! You won't regret it. Get a hold of Chris at Cyclecat for rearsets, bar risers, pressure plates, all kinds of billet goodies. They are works of art and more adjustable than a very adjustable, adjustable thing. :-). PitBull front and reversible rear stand are a huge help too. Enjoy your new obsession!

Thank you, I think this is definitely going to become an obsession!


Mark

[tundraphile]

If you plan to ride on the street, and the bike doesn't already have it, find a low temp fan switch. Typically when the coolant temp goes over 100C, the fan will kick on to help cool the bike while sitting in traffic. The low temp switch opens at 85C, so while it runs more often, it also keeps the bike from getting too hot in traffic. It will still creep above 85C even with the fan on if you are not moving.

One of the cheapest and easiest modifications to make, but has a big difference in the way the bike works in the real world.

Just make sure you have a strong battery, as the fan will run even with the bike off until it reaches the 85C lower limit. This can be a few minutes if the bike is really hot (probably less of a problem in WI than MO)

[joker57676]

Most of my riding (day near all of it) is going to be highway or open back roads. I do not intend on sitting in traffic with it. Thank you for the tip though, I'll keep an eye on the temps and upgrade the switch should it look like it's necessary.

Just realized I never posted pics so here are two from the morning after I picked her up. I'm working on name for her, any ideas???

Mark

[agup48]

Originally Posted by joker57676

Most of my riding (day near all of it) is going to be highway or open back roads. I do not intend on sitting in traffic with it. Thank you for the tip though, I'll keep an eye on the temps and upgrade the switch should it look like it's necessary.

Just realized I never posted pics so here are two from the morning after I picked her up. I'm working on name for her, any ideas???

Mark

Badass bike.

Names? The Yellow-Jacket?

Ride safe!

[Ducman491]

Mine was Lucy after Lucy Pinder.

[raptorduck]

Originally Posted by joker57676

Most of my riding (day near all of it) is going to be highway or open back roads. I do not intend on sitting in traffic with it. Thank you for the tip though, I'll keep an eye on the temps and upgrade the switch should it look like it's necessary.

Just realized I never posted pics so here are two from the morning after I picked her up. I'm working on name for her, any ideas???

Mark

That chassis is, to me, the most beautiful motorcycle ever (in 748, 916, and 998 form). I miss mine. I still have a massive poster of a 916 in a crate in one of my garages and lots of diecast models of them in my other garage, including Bostrom's, Bayliss', and Fogarty's rides as well as paintings of them. Congrats!