1100 Evo mods - an addicts tale

[Luddite]

So the start of a new riding season equals the start of more spending!

For ages now, the standard bar clamp has bugged me; it's a pretty basic casting and really sticks out against all the other billet stuff and the carbon, as yusaf has already noted:

Originally Posted by yusaf1

Good effort! How about that handlebar clamp though?

The only alternative risers that caught my eye were the CNC Racing ones (http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/s...9&postcount=21) but, for at least 18 months, only the black, red and gold finishes were available and I only wanted silver/titanium. As recently as the end of February, CNC Racing told me that they only had those three colours and didn't know when, or indeed if, they would be producing more silver ones.

And then, thanks to the wonders of the internet, I found a place in France that apparently had the silver ones. I told them what CNC Racing had told me but they assured me that they could get a pair of silver ones to me in three weeks. I was sceptical but, sure enough, 26 days later, they turned up. So I doff my chapeau to www.starshop-moto.com great service and excellent communication.

Installation is straightforward, if a little fiddly. Because these are individual risers, they rotate until they are tightened. If they're not exactly lined up, the bars won't sit properly in them. The difficulty is that they tend to twist slightly as you torque them down. Another pair of hands would help in keeping them straight.

I got the 59mm risers as those are the closest to the stock height. They also come in 48mm and 36mm versions but I didn't want to go lower; I've tried the 1100S riding position (20mm lower) and that didn't work for me.

The actual result is that they are 7mm higher than stock. Not enough to stretch cables and no change to the lockstops is needed. The switchgear is slightly closer but not enough to touch the tank. I also fitted button heads to the mirror clamps, which gave a couple of extra mms clearance.

I've not had a chance to try them out yet - it'll be interesting to see if the extra 7mm is noticeable. There does seem to be less of a reflection in the instruments than with the standard clamp.

So here they are, before and after...





As with all CNC Racing stuff, the quality is excellent - really beautifully machined - and just the effect I was looking for.

One point to note - these are universal risers and come with 65mm mounting bolts, which are too short for the Evo's yoke. I had to get some 90mm bolts before I could fit them.

Of course, the question now is: should I get some replacement bars too??

[Darren69]

Much nicer. You could always try flat bars?

[Luddite]

Just fitted a new, softer, Öhlins spring to improve the ride quality. I've gone for a 105N/mm to replace the 115N/mm that came as standard.



Note that, if you're buying a complete new Öhlins shock, you can ask for it to be delivered with a different spring at no extra cost.

Full details of the swap here:

http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/s...d.php?p=556257

[Mossleymonster]

I'm on a 115 and weigh around 80 kilo I'll be very interested to hear your feedback.
Also, if you're softening the rear from what is 130 on an 1100s to a 105 where are you at with the front?
I find my front unpredictable, worse than an old VFR we used to run around on.

[chris.p]

[QUOTE=Mossleymonster;556266]I'm on a 115 and weigh around 80 kilo I'll be very interested to hear your feedback.
Also, if you're softening the rear from what is 130 on an 1100s to a 105 where are you at with the front?
I find my front unpredictable, worse than an old VFR we used to run around on.[/QUOTE



There a couple of ways around this, you can have the forks e sprung, but you still have the useless compression adjusters and the rest of the rather rubbish fork internals, so not the best plan.


You can get a complete new set of cartridges from the likes of Maxton, Nitron etc.

Or as I did, I went to Chris at K-Tech and he completely stripped the cartidges down and changed it all and fitted decent compression adjusters for under £600.

[Luddite]

A quick update on the Serie Oro discs and sintered SA pads that I fitted earlier in the year (post #72).

It's been a while since I replaced any pads and I'd forgotten just quite how long they take to bed in, more so sintered pads than organic. Apparently, they are not fully bedded in until there is at least 90% surface area contact between the pad and the disc.

Initially, I thought I'd made a mistake in going for the SA pads as they felt very wooden with noticeably less braking power than standard. In addition, they squeaked and squealed like running your finger around the rim of a wine glass. I even tried some copaslip on the back of the pad - something I haven't done since the days of my CX500 (sorry!).

However, after a little over 300 miles, the pads and discs bedded in and the squealing stopped. The braking power increased considerably and came in much sooner than with the standard pads. In fact the first couple of times I used them in anger after bedding in, I triggered the ABS - something that I'd never managed to do in seven years of riding with the standard pads.

Once I'd recalibrated to the feel of the brakes, I could again brake smoothly but with less effort. I can see why Ducati don't fit them as standard as they could cause problems for new riders, especially without ABS.

As I changed both the discs and pads together, I don't know how much of the improvement is down to the discs and how much the pads but I'd guess it's mostly the pads.

So, if you want to improve your braking power without spending too much, I'd definitely recommend these SA sintered pads - just be patient during the bedding in period.

Flip - didn't you fit these pads to your 900 recently? How have you found them?

Oh, and thanks again to Simon at WSC Performance for the great deal on the discs and pads.

[BeePee]

When fitting individual post risers like that all you need to do is clamp the bars to them first, not tight enough that you're happy with the torque just enough to line up and tighten into the top yoke as an assembly then re do the bars.
that way everything will stay lined up

[Ron1000]

When it comes to evo mods. Has anyone tried to go really hardcore and fit things like carbon wheels, carbon subframe and magnesium swing arm?

In an attempt to bring the weight done say to somewhere near 160kg.

It must get wildly expensive.

[Luddite]

Originally Posted by Ron1000

When it comes to evo mods. Has anyone tried to go really hardcore and fit things like carbon wheels, carbon subframe and magnesium swing arm?

You obviously haven't seen MerlinPV12's little beauty, Ron!

http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/s...ad.php?t=55254



He's got all the goodies you mention and then some!

[Ron1000]

Ooft. Expensive. But that aside is it considered ably much better to ride, faster, stops better etc etc.

[Luddite]

There's another lightweight 1100 here:

https://www.gessato.com/custom-ducat...rrick-maurice/

[Flip]

Originally Posted by Luddite

A quick update on the Serie Oro discs and sintered SA pads that I fitted earlier in the year (post #72).

It's been a while since I replaced any pads and I'd forgotten just quite how long they take to bed in, more so sintered pads than organic. Apparently, they are not fully bedded in until there is at least 90% surface area contact between the pad and the disc.

Initially, I thought I'd made a mistake in going for the SA pads as they felt very wooden with noticeably less braking power than standard. In addition, they squeaked and squealed like running your finger around the rim of a wine glass. I even tried some copaslip on the back of the pad - something I haven't done since the days of my CX500 (sorry!).

However, after a little over 300 miles, the pads and discs bedded in and the squealing stopped. The braking power increased considerably and came in much sooner than with the standard pads. In fact the first couple of times I used them in anger after bedding in, I triggered the ABS - something that I'd never managed to do in seven years of riding with the standard pads.

Once I'd recalibrated to the feel of the brakes, I could again brake smoothly but with less effort. I can see why Ducati don't fit them as standard as they could cause problems for new riders, especially without ABS.

As I changed both the discs and pads together, I don't know how much of the improvement is down to the discs and how much the pads but I'd guess it's mostly the pads.

So, if you want to improve your braking power without spending too much, I'd definitely recommend these SA sintered pads - just be patient during the bedding in period.

Flip - didn't you fit these pads to your 900 recently? How have you found them?

Oh, and thanks again to Simon at WSC Performance for the great deal on the discs and pads.

So, not quite sure how I missed this but here's my thoughts on the SA pads I fitted earlier in the year.

I fitted them in time for my little trip over to Belgium as the pads that were in there had been on for years, although I wasn't experiencing any issues with performance I just thought age was getting the better of them. I did notice the pads (also Brembo) were divided into two rather than the three of the new ones - so perhaps better wet weather performance?

I managed to get a couple of hundred miles done before the trip and I agree that they didn't feel their best at that point.

Since then they have racked up about 1200 miles and they feel much better although not significantly than with my old pads- I think the fluid change had the most effect by firming things up at the lever.

Overall, I'm not disappointed or blown away by them and they most probably are an improvement- pads are always a compromise on the road as they can affect disc wear massively which is why I have always chosen to go with Brembo on the Monster as they maintain their claim that their pads match the disc material for the best combination of performance versus wear- at least for road use.

[Luddite]

Thanks for the update, Flip, I think maybe changing my discs had a bigger effect than I first thought. Or maybe I'd just glazed my old pads!

And that's a nice gratuitous shot of some very professional looking lock-wiring!

[MerlinPV12]

Originally Posted by Ron1000

Ooft. Expensive. But that aside is it considered ably much better to ride, faster, stops better etc etc.

Clearly I’m going to be a tad biased, but yes to all the above! The Maxton suspension was set up for me by Perry at HM, his work plus the 15mm longer and very much lighter swing arm, wheels and sub frame make it as flickable as a 125, with 1100 grunt. The GPR4X brakes and Brembo master cyclinder make stopping as much fun as the going, I have yet to ride anything with a better front brake. The rear is still pants, even with a 916 master cylinder and updated calliper. I’m stuck on a solution for that...any suggestions gratefully received!

I like my bike too much to properly cane it, but its as quick as I’ll ever want it to go on public roads. None of the mods I have done have overtly been about making it anything other than a project bike that’s been a joy to own and ride.

[MerlinPV12]

Luddite, just caught up on this thread, great read!