. 2003 749S  ............................

. Floyd


The bike is a 2003 749S that up until now has lived its life in the Ducati North America press fleet and has never been registered with the DMV. It has a little cosmetic damage from a lowside but that was worth the discounted price tag.

On a related note, here's a write-up I did on the 749S that I rode – and crashed – in Almer�a, Spain back in 2002.
July 25, 2025
I was informed that Floyd's clutch was slipping so I changed the plates and also put on a Yoyodyne clutch slave since the original one seemed a little fukced. The fixes seemed to work ok for a bit and then Mr. Michigan, who was using it on one of our weekend rides, said it was slipping again. I ended up changing the clutch master cylinder and after another weekend test ride Mr. Michigan said it seemed fine. To be honest, I couldn't tell that the clutch was slipping when it was allegedly slipping. I know what a slipping clutch on a car feels like so either I don't have a clue what it feels like on a bike, or else our 80-pound difference really affected the bike's ability to pull.  

May 13, 2025
Did a midnight full moon ride in the mountains and I learned that while Floyd is great on the track, he's a ballbreaker when it comes to three solid hours of street riding. After two hours I had to alternative between arching my back, slumping, and laying on the tank. To answer the question I asked a while back on whether Floyd or Romeo would get more canyon time, the answer is not Floyd unless I wake up one day deciding that having a sore back and ass is the meaning of life. Floyd is probably fine for taller people, but for me it was like holding an arms-forward push-up for three hours.

Another problem with Floyd in the canyons is his lack of range. We couldn't drop down into Anza Borrego desert since a gas station might not have been available and it was questionable if Floyd could make our standard moonlight route without a fill-up along the way.    

May 8, 2025
Floyd went to Willow Springs again. See my comments on Romeo's page regarding the day.

April 15, 2025
Floyd got a set of Gilles chain adjuster and lift kit. I personally didn't care whether or not he got them, but Chris really wanted to try them out to see if they were worth selling. After a fair amount of drilling, grinding, modifying, and cursing, he decided they were not. The after-sales support for each set would probably amount to a nightmarish six hours each. 

December 11, 2025
I put Floyd back together yesterday. He had been on a battery tender for the past week and he fired up immediately. So the coolant leak at the track occurred because some nudnick had overfilled the coolant. The bike had only been in the possession of DNA and then briefly at GP so some alleged professional is responsible for this very rookie error.   

November 7, 2025
I finally did a track day on Floyd. The day before going I had to put on fresh tires (Bridgestone Battlax BT002 Super Sport) so I ended up saying goodbye to the Pirellis by doing a burn-out. If you've never done one, you just pull in the clutch, hold tight on the front brake, start applying the throttle until you get to about four grand, and then feed the clutch out. Then go smokey apeshit. If you're a worrier, the key is to get past the mental part where you'll dump the clutch, accidentally release the brake, and brain yourself right into a wall. Outside of that mental hurdle, it's easy!

Chris has a manual tire changing machine and the process wasn't hugely different from that of changing a bicycle tire; in fact, it was easier than many bicycle tires I've wrestled with. Up till now I had absolutely no idea what balancing a tire entailed. I always thought that when you balanced a tire you spun it really fast on something and somehow the imperfection was measured and you slapped the weight wherever it needed to be. In reality, you just stick a bar through the axle and let the wheel rest on something and the heaviest part of the wheel will settle at the bottom. Then you put weights on the opposite side until the wheel stops turning at too fast a rate towards the weight nadir. I don't know if this makes sense, but it sure was interesting to learn the process.

Floyd was great on the big track at Willow. He turned easily enough and had all the power I needed. What a change it was going from a two-stroke to a four-stroke...I got to lug my way out of turn 3! Over and over! It's a lazy track rider's dream. I was a little hesitant to go out in the race group, but the intermediate group always seems to have a handful of riders who do really sketchy things at way too high of a speed. When I visit new tracks I always stick to intermediate or even beginner groups, but I really didn't want to be frustrated at my "home" track. At least I wasn't the slowest rider in the race group and although there were AMA guys doing some high-speed strafing, I was smooth and consistent enough that nobody should've been nervous going around me. 

My day ended in the early afternoon when I developed a coolant leak. Floyd currently sits at Chris's shop waiting for me to tend to him. While I did have a fun day at the track, I must admit that it's still the ugly step-sister to dirt riding. When Alex and I dirt rode during his visit out here, there was so much more excitement and fear and overall fun amidst the ruts and loose rocks. Maybe I'm a fan of the unpredictable? I'm wondering now if I should keep Floyd or just use my S2R for the few times I visit the track. Chris was humiliating GSXR 1000s on his S2R so I know the Pirate Monkeymobile should be totally capable.

Floyd, this is no knock on what a fine machine you are. I might just be done with my mono-vision track phase. And let's face it, that little bastard Romeo really blew it for you.                 

October 31, 2025
A friend, Alex, came out from Connecticut for a short vacation. We went on a couple of rides and he has now put in more miles on the 749 than I have. I'm glad it's being put to use because I can't be separated from the S2R. I have quietly, and without ceremony, named the 749 "Floyd." It is not a sexy Italian name, but the bike keeps telling me his name is Floyd. I've suggested more appropriate names like Fabrizio or GianCarlo or Pericoloso, but Floyd keeps telling me he's Floyd.   

September 26, 2025
I took the 749 out for a "walk" and what I realized about that bike is that it's trouble. It's not hard to keep the speed reasonable on the S2R; you factor in the wind blast and you pick a freeway speed where it's not too bad. The 749 has no wind blast and it feels like you're sitting still at 90. I'm leaned over and my head feels like the tip of a bullet and I want to fire myself through space. It's too easy. I had to force myself to stay behind a car (which was already well over the speed limit) so I wouldn't get pinched (at least alone) by the CHP. That bike needs a track.

August 13, 2025
I put in 140 miles on my first mountain ride today. It's been a long time since I've ridden a sportbike on the street and my assessment of the 749 can be summed up in three words: No buyer's remorse. First, let's set the stage for my comparison by pointing out that I've been almost exclusively street riding my Monster for the past five years. It's a sporty naked bike, but it's not a superbike. The superbike riding I have done has been on the track, which doesn't have as many variables as on the street. 

The first thing I did was go get gas and this was where I got my first reminder of what I was on. I went to turn the bars like I always do on my Monster, but just as I gave it the slightest input, the 749 dove right into the station. Note to self: Crazy turn-in.

The freeway ride was as I had expected: Silky smooth. It was totally different from my vibrating, wind-resisting Monster. On the Monster, the span between 75 and 100 is really buzzy, whereas the 749 was just as relaxed at 40 as it was twice that speed. In fact, its calmness made the speed deceptive. 90? I seriously thought I was going 70. What impeccable manners!

The bike was outstanding in the twisties. I did the same pace I normally do on my Monster, but I worked a lot less. On the Monster, I use a lot of body english to change directions in the esses. By comparison, I hardly moved on the 749. It felt like I could thread a needle with it. Initially I wandered a little too much, as I was using the same technique of manhandling the Monster. I would turn in too early or too sharply and I had to lift the bike a little to let it drift back out. It didn't take too long to break myself of the habit, though; I only need to veer towards the center line or the shoulder so much before I get an epiphany.

I liked going through the medium-speed curves at 7k (I'm not much of a neck-wringer; I don't like spending time near the rev limiter). The bike felt tight and responsive to throttle movement, but not too high strung.  

One of the things I like the most about this bike is that I can touch the ground almost flat-footed. Being comparatively short in the man's world of motorcycling can suck, especially when you've pulled into a spot that doesn't looked sloped, but actually is. Have fun scooting your bike out using your big toes.

As much as I like the 749, the Monster still holds a huge place in my heart (+1 to the Monster for much less heat output between the legs). I actually like manhandling that upright bubba. I like climbing from one side of the seat to the other to throw it around. And there is some charm in how the front end swims in rough curves; it's like an animated lover. One can appreciate ballet as well as break-dancing, so why not appreciate two divergent bikes? I know that the 749 will get all the track time and the Monster will get all the city time, but the big question is which one will get more canyon time?... "

August 11, 2025
I picked up the bike from GP Motorcycles and then went to Chris's shop to check the sag. The bike turned out to be set perfectly for my weight so I'm going to take it up to Mt. Laguna this weekend to see how we mesh.

The only thing I plan to change are the footpegs, as the overly smooth stock ones wouldn't inspire confidence at the track. Beyond that, I'm not sure what else would need to be done.

Welcome to Zina's male harem, Bike-To-Be-Named.
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