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Karen
first became interested in the Ducati Monster after seeing a black
M900 in a magazine ad. Also, in fine print at the bottom of the
ad was 'New Ducati Monster M750 only $7599'. She had always liked
Ducatis, but assumed they were too expensive...but this new M750
was about the same price as the Kawasaki ZX-6R she had been planning
to buy. A couple weeks later she went to local dealer to compare
the two. After seeing the silver M750, the ZX-6R didn't stand a
chance.
Since
'97 the bike has undergone a number of changes.
The
first set of changes she made to the bike were pretty straightforward.
These included a new CF fairing, a CarbonDream tail piece, TwoBrothers
Aluminum low-pipes, jet kit, filter, open airbox, and a dyno-tune
to sort it all out. The pipes were the biggest impovement at this
stage. The extra noise completely changed the character of the bike,
from a nice, quiet, little bike into a snarling monster. This
made the bike much more fun to ride. Karen enjoyed riding the bike
just like this for a couple years
The next project on the bike was the big one. Karen's husband gave
her a Febur Single-Sided Swingarm Kit for their first
anniversary
(nothing says 'love' like motorcycle accessories!). The swingarm
conversion turned out to be a LOT of work. The swingarm itself bolted
right on as advertised, but then nothing else would fit back on.
Completing the installation required some special parts to be fabricated
in order to get everything to work. Several people from the Ducati
Monster List and Ducati On Line were very helpful in providing technical
help and encouragement. Other changes to the bike at this stage
included 916 wheels, SS rearsets (later swapped out for S&P
units), custom made header and exhaust s-pipes, and the carbon front
fairing was painted (gasp!). The bike stayed at this stage for a
couple more years.
The
most recent changes to the bike started with receiving some new
wheels as a Christmas present (detecting a
trend in the husband's gift selections?). The wheels are Marchesini
Magnesium 5-spokes in dark silver. They made a huge difference in
the performance of the bike; especially in cornering, but also in
acceleration and braking as well. Other changes made included swapping
the TwoBros cans for custom-chopped DaroMoto Titanium parts, new
CRG levers and Monstrack mirrors, and painting the side panels silver
(don't worry the side panels are plain ole' plastic).
 Future
plans include powder-coating
the frame to match the wheels, and maybe some custom paint work
like a stripe or ghost flames. Karen would also like to have the
suspension tuned by RaceTech, and maybe some engine upgrades like
hi-comp pistons, coils and 39mm flatslide carbs. But, she isn't
in a hurry to make any more big changes soon. However, she does
have an anniversary coming up...
Bike
Mods:
- Febur
Swingarm Kit
- Custom
header and S-pipe (polished)
- DaroMoto
Ti Exhaust cans
- CarbonDream
CF tail
- FastCompany
CF fairing (painted silver)
- CF chain guard
- STM
sprocket
- DID
VM gold chain
- S&P
rearsets
-
Monstrack Mirrors
- CRG
Adj. levers
- Rizoma
brake/clutch covers
- NHK steering
damper
- polished handlebar
clamp
- painted side
panels
- LP Alum blinkers
- Fiamm horn
- YTX9-BS
sealed battery
- FrenTubo
Braided lines
- Ferodo
Platinum brake pads
- Front
brake rotor converted to floater
- Asst.
Al and Ti bolts
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