Ducati Monster Motorcycle Forum banner

First mod

3K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  motorep 
#1 ·
I have some spare change and was wondering what should be the first thing to do! ;D
 
#2 ·
First: Ride the pi$$ out of it. Learn for yourself what you like & dislike.

My first mod was removing the fugly reflectors & taking a razor blade to the stock license plate holder to slim it down a bit. But this costs $0.00. Next mod would be exhaust (IMO) so you can hear your duc.
 
#5 ·
You can do a lot of mods that are cheap and make the bike look much better:

1. Removed reflector tree from whale tail.
2. Remove stickers from frame.
3. Remove emmisions cannister.
4. Clean up wiring.
5. Paint belt covers and sprocket cover.
6. Buy a bar end mirror ($15, not the greatest but better than looking at your shoulder!) and lose the mickey mouse look.
7. Modify cans via strati or do it yourself as I did with his help.
8. Modify tail with your own bracket.

I also removed the rear hugger which makes it look mean.
 
#6 ·
My bike, being a theft recovery was a series of mods. But if I had to chose the most Imp. I would say the new Strati exhaust whic is just got installed would have to be the first. Great job man!!
 
#8 ·
I checked the first mod I did, mirrors. But when I looked at the survey results, showing that the most popular first mod was cans, I realized that my mod didn't tell the whole story.

I got my bike used. It had my top priority mods already:

1. CF Termi slip-ons
2. DP analog tach kit
3. Dynojet kit
4. DP CF fender elim.

So I just picked it up from there.
 
#9 ·
The first thing for me was not on there. Dial in the suspension so the little Monster does not wallow in the turns. Penske rear shock and new springs and gold valves in the forks. After the wallet recovered from that it was time to play with the other changes.
 
#10 ·
Hello everyone! This is my first post to the board. I'm going to be filling out paperwork later today for a 2001 Monster 900 Chromo and picking it up next week. I also wanted to see what some of the first mods should be that I have done to the bike.

Should I get the suspension adjusted a little bit? I have a 30 inch inseam and the seat height is 30.3. I can get both feet on the ground, but not my heels.

Also, I read somewhere on this board about changing sprockets to get better response at lower RPMs? Does anyone have more info on this?

Thanks!
-KrazyKat
 
G
#11 ·
welcome aboard and congrats on the cromo! there aren't too many of them around so consider yourself an elitist ;)

for mods, i think it's interesting that most all of the basic stuff has to do with letting the duc sing. even the sprockets. how? the EPA has a standard for how much noise the bike should be making at highway cruising speed. a factor naturally is RPM's so to keep the revs relatively low at 55mph, ducati jacked up the gearing ratio. typically, folks bump up the rear sprocket by two teeth for starters. this aids in low speed lugging (parking lot manuvers), starting from a stop, offers more brisk accelleration (at a small top speed sacrifice). bumping only two teeth allows you to keep your stock chain (which in turn keeps the mod pretty cheap).

the exhaust is a no-brainer. there are no emissions controls in the pre '03 exhaust systems. they're to muffle sound only. there's tons of options (do a search in this section on the board).

airbox lid has very small opennings for the monster to inhale. this is also for noise control. if you slice open the airbox lid, you're going to get much better intake but there'll be quite a "honk" released. if you open up the airbox (do a search for some more info), you'll need to drop in an aftermarket filter. not for superior flow (because the stock paper filter flows very well when clean) but for durability when exposed to the elements.

clutch cover. it not only protects the clutch, but keeps things a bit more quiet. a vented cover helps keep the clutch cooler, lets an intersting song loose, and allows dust to escape during regular wear instead of building up in the clutch housing. not critical but pretty cool...

note that if you alter your exhaust and intake, you're going to need to rejet your carb's for a richer air/fuel mixture or remap your fuel injection (depending on what your bike's equiped with).

good luck!
 
#13 ·
Purchased last September with <500miles on it.

-Mirrors (first day) Replaced with 1 bar-end on the left side. Cost: $6
-Removed reflectors, r.fender, beertray,sidecovers and ONE airbox snorkel. Cost: $0
-Blinkers. Lockhart flushmounts,rear. Smaller oval fronts. $30
-Handlebars. Adjustable Tommaselli clubmans. $100.
-Bicycle speedometer/computer (Sigma BC800) Nice to know how fast I'm -really- going. Trip meter, other neat stuff. $20.
Left the stock gauges/indicators off completely. Simplify!

By that point, at least, I could pick mine out of a gaggle of other Monsters and it was comfortable to ride & use, so I pretty much did so for the next 12k miles.

Lately, I did the dual headlights, finally trimmed the frame (home-made licenseplate bracket), lost the hugger, and have still managed to put off chopping the mufflers - I don't like taking it off the road for more than a day or 2, and make enough noise already. One of these days it'll happen, though..
 
#14 ·
I clicked other in the poll for switching to a Sargent seat.

However, when i bought the bike the rear fender removal, exhaust, open airbox, K&N, jets, and Napolean Baren mirrors had already been done. All that would have been higher on my list, too.

Mark J
 
#16 ·
The first modification I made and the first one most of you should make as well is to lower the gearing by either going up two teeth on the rear sprocket or down one in front.

It will make a bigger difference for the money spent than just about anything else you can do.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top