[woodsman]

Bought this lovely wounded Duc last week, it seems they come available about this time of year. 2003 800, 23000km. Tires are so new he must have bit it on the ride home from the installation. Needs a signal, glass is cracked but the headlight is good, clutch lever and switch, air pressure sensor are NFG. It has a Rizoma "clip on conversion kit" on which the left bar is broken. Tank is a little lumpy, tail fairing is good, nice looking pipes.

I have some parts that will work, frame covers, the signal, chain guard.

If it runs the fix should be minor dollars and some time.

 

[TrialsRider]

Previous owner RIP ?

 

[woodsman]

Previous owner RIP ?

Don't think so. This 848 was there, looked like he rode hard right to the scene of the accident.

 

[woodsman]

We bought a pretty nice ST3 last week. 2007, 19,000km. Other than a broken mirror and a couple very minor scuffs the bike is clean. Most of the slide was taken by the panier, which is badly scathed. They weren't a popular bike, only sold 1000 in 2007.

To try and decide what to do with it we have been looking at putting together a bike with a vintage road racer flair. Full fairing, single seat, up swept, Conti style slip ons.

We need to put together a parts list. Lighten the load, improve the performance, make it pretty. I would be very interested in any suggestions for parts or suppliers, styles/manufacturers of fairings, wheels and rotors.

So far we have an aluminum swing arm and a full Ohlins suspension to add.

You can see in the pictures, the battery lump and the coolant reserve are going to need hiding, which is why full fairing.

 

[steveo]

Apologies if I've mentioned this company before. Never used them but their site is well worth a look.

TWC @ MPL online store

Two Wheel Classics :: Official Site:: One place for Classic Ducati, Pantah, TT1, TT2

www.twowheelclassics.co.uk

As for Conti style silencers, I bought a pair from Keihan a few years ago. Although far from cheap were excellent quality.

Keihan Systems

High quality mirror polished stainless steel motorcycle exhausts for BMW, Moto-Guzzi, Laverda etc. Original specification & appearance, 10 year guarantee.

www.keihan.co.uk

 

[woodsman]

Still haven't got the 800 to turn over but I put a fresh battery in the ST and it fired right up.
It needs a mirror and front signal, about $300US and a pair of tires to pass the safety required. The balance of the accident damage is so minor that most of the marks would pass as wear and tear on a 13 year old bike. We have decided to park it for the winter then certify and ride it in the spring, get a feel for what we bought and a better idea of what we want to do with it. There were only 1000 ST3 sold in 2007 which makes me wonder, for the money we paid, if it shouldn't just be parked and pickled for a dozen or so years and see what happens to the price.

I see, in the manual, that the coolant is only good to -20C. We have already had a couple of nights that cold so I'll need to drain it for the winter. CAN I put in a mixture good to -35C when I refill in the spring?

 

[DesmoDog]

<snip>There were only 1000 ST3 sold in 2007 which makes me wonder, for the money we paid, if it shouldn't just be parked and pickled for a dozen or so years and see what happens to the price.

"only" 1000 isn't all that rare for a Ducati, and an ST3 will never be all that desirable as far as Ducatis go, IMHO. It won't even be all that desirable for an ST. If it's an investment you want, sell the ST and put the money into a decent fund.

 

[brad black]

yeah, only a thousand because no one wanted them. was less than that actually, maybe 700 odd.

any coolant would be fine. the spec would either be a shell due to the motogp sponsorship or an agip / eni due to the italian thing.

 

[woodsman]

"only" 1000 isn't all that rare for a Ducati, and an ST3 will never be all that desirable as far as Ducati's go, IMHO. It won't even be all that desirable for an ST. If it's an investment you want, sell the ST and put the money into a decent fund.

A DECENT FUND? This is the play fund, I have none more decent than that. LOL

I don't know much about the ST line, never actually ridden one, bought this one and read a bunch since. I'm definitely interested in what you, Brad and the other Ducatiphiles have to say about it. Do you think they didn't sell because of the bike itself or was it a change in the style trends in the industry?

What started me thinking about keeping it was a V65 Sabre I just sold. I bought it out of an actual hay filled barn for next to nothing and just sold it for waaay too much. Nobody bought them at the time and this one will be a nightmare to get the systems working, I don't even know if the engine would spin, yet the buyer thought they were the greatest bike ever.

Brad mentioned in another thread that he thinks it's a pretty good engine and that it needs suspension upgrades and a weight loss program. What are your thoughts on it? Fix and flip or would it be a good base to build up a fun weekender?

 

[woodsman]

yeah, only a thousand because no one wanted them. was less than that actually, maybe 700 odd.

any coolant would be fine. the spec would either be a shell due to the motogp sponsorship or an agip / eni due to the italian thing.

Am I ok to increase the amount of anti freeze in the mixture? It will hit -35C here this winter and the coolant, that is in the bike now, is only good to -20C. If I fill the system with a mixture to take it to -35C can I run the bike through +30C days in the summer?

 

[brad black]

Am I ok to increase the amount of anti freeze in the mixture? It will hit -35C here this winter and the coolant, that is in the bike now, is only good to -20C. If I fill the system with a mixture to take it to -35C can I run the bike through +30C days in the summer?

dunno, ask the coolant how it feels about it.

back when i started at moto one they were putting straight coolant in bikes. no idea why, just what they did. we had an 888 that overheated after a coolant change, and i think i asked someone about it and got treated like a dumbarse about the straight coolant thing. so, straight coolant has reduced heat exchange capacity, but otherwise ok i'd say.

 

[brad black]

st3 is a great bike, but it just didn't sell. too expensive, too expensive to service, reputation for being too expensive to service, past it's time, etc. the usual for a ducati. slower than an st4s, which was slower than the cbr1100 or triumph whatever, etc. i think the restyle was disliked too.

 

[woodsman]

Haven't done anything with the 800 but I'm going to get it in where there is heat this weekend and get it running.

Don't know what to do with the ST, so nothing it is. It only has coolant good to -20C and we will beat that handily, so I bought the custom Ducati cozy and heater system. I like air cooled.

 

[woodsman]

Steve did such an amazing job on his Imola bike, I lust for it. But he blew it when he didn't register the patent, because now we don't need to think about how to make one. If we could find a 900ss we could just copy the shit out of it.

So we did. And now we shall be known as Racing Point.

 

[TrialsRider]

Haven't done anything with the 800 but I'm going to get it in where there is heat this weekend and get it running.

Don't know what to do with the ST, so nothing it is. It only has coolant good to -20C and we will beat that handily, so I bought the custom Ducati cozy and heater system. I like air cooled.
View attachment 104230

Get a battery blanket heater, that works. Just wrap it around the lower part of the motor.

 

[steveo]

Wouldn't mind doing another one myself.
If you need any pics/info let me know.

 

[woodsman]

Wouldn't mind doing another one myself.
If you need any pics/info let me know.

Really appreciate the offer. The fuel tank, as you know, is going to be the pain. I showed the pictures you posted, of the tank, to a friend that has the skill set but I'm not convinced he will want to take on the job. I'm going to email MCS Engineering and see if they will deal with us, some UK companies don't ship here.

 

[steveo]

Here's a few pics of the tank. If it helps I could give MCS a call for you later next week.

 

[woodsman]

Here's a few pics of the tank. If it helps I could give MCS a call for you later next week.

It would be terrific if you could touch base with MCS. I've never had custom work done by someone I don't know an ocean away and I'm sure it will make them more comfortable when they take a look at a map and see where I live, LOL. I sent them an email, let me see if they get back to me. Either way, if you don't mind, I'd like to be able to call on you as you understand the project better than I.

I looked up your seat/fairing supplier and didn't see a website. I wondered if they carry inventory or if they are made to order.

 

[steveo]

I'll give them a call as soon as I get a chance next week.
I've used a guy called Bill Roberts for seats/ fairings quite a few times. He supplies the likes of Mead Speed MeadSpeed
Don't think he has a website, and he's not the easist to get on with on the phone, although nice enough when you meet in person. It's been over 3 years since I've spoken to him, but I'd be happy to give him a ring. I think the postage costs could be a deal breaker tho.