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It’s a bit cold and gloomy up here so she’s parked for the winter. I’m on Vancouver Island so I could probably get a day or two here and there, but I don’t like Pina Coladas or getting caught in the rain. I don’t really mind as it leaves with a bit time to tinker and I don’t have to feel rushed to get it back together. Plus I have more winter related hobbies that take the front seat this time of year.
When I picked her up last year I immediately removed front and rear fenders, reflectors, relocated the rear signals/plate neatly under the taillight, and swapped out the bars for a set of Renthals. Before this bike I had a few Hypermotards, some Supermotos, and an ill-fated crotch rocket or two so I definitely wasn’t digging the Icon ape hangers. Not to mention they weigh an obscene amount for what they are.
This winter so far has included an SC-Project Low Mount 2-1 exhaust.. which was an absolute pain to acquire since they are now discontinued, and that sucks because it’s one of the best looking ones out there in my opinion. A new leather seat from a semi local seat guy.. basically I bought a stock donor seat, removed the foam and trimmed the pan down to where I wanted it to sit. My goal was to expose rear subframe lines as shown in the couple pics below.
So I really love the frame rails peaking out below the seat, but the unsightly gap above the side panel was giving me anxiety, I don’t looove the Mugello aluminum style panels, so I figured I’d give my own thing a shot.
So basically I pulled the side panels and tore off that silver plastic strip, made a cardboard template, and transferred that over to a $4.37 peice of 1/8th..ish gloss black ABS. I dumbed the gloss down to a 400grit, epoxied it to the side panel and then used a heat gun to warm it up and gently bend it around the frame rails and give it a bit of a profile. Also had to add a hole to access the original screw for mounting the side panel.
Anyways, I don’t love it, it’s good from a far but far from good. It’s too bulky and I don’t like the way it hides the frame rails, not to mention fit and finish. For a first attempt it was alright, if I went round two I could definitely do things better, but I think I would prefer to acquire the side panels off of a Nightshift or an Urban Motard. I just like how the panels break up the lines a little bit better, also paintable would be nice.
So on my to-do list for the rest of the winter..
-Acquire some Nightshift side panels, mudflap, and whatever other bits and pieces I need. (If you have some lemme know!)
-Some small round mirrors, maybe undermounted? (Not bar ends though, only because I sneak through the odd tight space in my driveway when it gets crowded)
-Rexxer re-map for sure, maybe an airbox mod? I don’t know how much I care though about the airbox though.
-And finally.. getting rid of the yellow. There’s a few options, none of them are purist Ducati colours, some may even be considered blasphemy.
🤙
