One thing that has been holding us back are these little buggers:
Ducati Valve Shim Measurement ToolThese guys cost $30 and have been holding us back for a while. Back in November, Eddie and I attempted the 18,000 mile service of my Ducati. We got the valve clearance measurements, took the shims to Atlanta to get measured during Thanksgiving (as we have no Ducati Valve Shim Measurement Tool), bought new shims, and then went to try and put the valves back together. One of the valves is still a little tight with the new shims, so I decided to order the Measurement Tool from NPR Ducati in Athens, GA in January, so I could avoid having to take the shim to a Ducati dealer to get measured. Sadly, the parts have been on back order for some time now, and I'm still waiting patiently. Though, I may have found a solution in www.DucatiToolRental.com or www.Guzzino.com, it remains to be seen whether they actually have any of the tools in stock. Either way, I'm probably going to be heading to Atlanta soon to pick up a dog, and will make a stop by NPR Ducati to test drive their new Monsters and Hypermotard (Monstrosity Version 2.0?). Hopefully, I'll be bringing back a Measurement Tool as well as a labrador retriever. We need to have a running engine, as a leaning suspension is pretty boring sitting still.
The Laeger Pro-Trax front end seems to have stalled at the powdercoaters for sand-blasting. Our man tells us it will be in the mail on Friday (Fingers Crossed).
Meanwhile, our beautiful Aprilia RS 125 wheel is already in the USA! Track the shipment anxiously with us here. Funny how a part ordered from Wales last week ships faster than a part ordered from California in January.
Meanwhile, we are going to call UK Bikes LTD tomorrow morning about obtaining another Aprilia RS 125 wheel.
Also, we sent in an order to www.Flex-A-Form.com for a price estimate regarding the composite leaf spring, so we'll be calling them tomorrow too. We need to follow up with them since our spring will be a little different than their normal product line.
Plus, there is the second rotary damper to purchase sometime soon as well.
Finally, we talked to the guys down at www.TerraMostro.com last week. They are doing some pretty cool things turning a 600 Monster into a dual-purpose bike. Either way, the point is they advised us not to neglect the swingarm pivot, which is in the engine case. They had a few break from the side loading that happens when you slide the rear end of a bike on the dirt. So that is something we need to keep in mind, especially if we try any fire-road drifting on the first prototype :-P. Thankfully, the Terra Mostro (Dirty Monster in italian, hehe) people have a solution to the broken swingarm pivots:
Terra Mostro Rear-Sets (Reinforces Swingarm Pivot)
The Laeger Pro-Trax front end seems to have stalled at the powdercoaters for sand-blasting. Our man tells us it will be in the mail on Friday (Fingers Crossed).
Meanwhile, our beautiful Aprilia RS 125 wheel is already in the USA! Track the shipment anxiously with us here. Funny how a part ordered from Wales last week ships faster than a part ordered from California in January.
Meanwhile, we are going to call UK Bikes LTD tomorrow morning about obtaining another Aprilia RS 125 wheel.
Also, we sent in an order to www.Flex-A-Form.com for a price estimate regarding the composite leaf spring, so we'll be calling them tomorrow too. We need to follow up with them since our spring will be a little different than their normal product line.
Plus, there is the second rotary damper to purchase sometime soon as well.
Finally, we talked to the guys down at www.TerraMostro.com last week. They are doing some pretty cool things turning a 600 Monster into a dual-purpose bike. Either way, the point is they advised us not to neglect the swingarm pivot, which is in the engine case. They had a few break from the side loading that happens when you slide the rear end of a bike on the dirt. So that is something we need to keep in mind, especially if we try any fire-road drifting on the first prototype :-P. Thankfully, the Terra Mostro (Dirty Monster in italian, hehe) people have a solution to the broken swingarm pivots:
Terra Mostro Rear-Sets (Reinforces Swingarm Pivot)The Terra Mostro guy was really helpful, and I would love to maybe put our heads together on an Off-Road Monstrosity 620 in the future.
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