Why I bought the Monster: My 900ss suffered a few mechanical setbacks in the summer of 2000. By then I was supposed to have the MH900e, but production issues had left the delivery date up in the air. I didn't have to buy a new bike to replace the 900ss, but since it was broken and since I've historically had wrist problems, I decided to try a more upright bike for everyday use. I thought about getting the SV650, but since Chris specializes in Ducati parts, we decided to stick with the Ducati line. This way he'd have another bike to do research on. Overall review: Most fun bike I've ever had. I've done single-day 450-mile rides on it and it's great. Then again, I have a high pain threshold.
No good bike goes untouched. Here are the mods done to this Y2K Monster in the order that they occurred:
- Nichols "winged D" badge. This is on the left side of the engine. A purely cosmetic move.
- License plate bracket. Chris created a license plate bracket that lets the owner remove all that garbage from the backside. The kit is available at California Cycleworks.
- Backpack. The Monster has virtually no space under the seat. In case of a carrying emergency, I modified a small backpack so I could just slip it over the passenger seat. When it's not carrying something, it's tied up so it looks like a tiny bedroll.
- Polished rims. The choice of pimps in training. Polished rims are more than an inner city statement--they also happen to be very easy to clean.
- Panic button-water vial-watch. Panic button: Like a pilot's eject button, I hope to never have to use this. Water vial: A part of my in-flight bug removal unit. I sewed a small piece of fabric onto my glove. When a bug splats the visor, I squeeze a little water on the fabric and scrub the bug off. Watch: Chris bought this watch but didn't like it so I gave it to Poggiali.
- Kickstand "curb feeler" removal. There's a small knob that sticks out of the kickstand to help make lowering the kickstand easier. Problem is, if you get any lean angle on the bike, it grinds into the ground. Chris cut it off and cleaned up the surface.
- Staintune exhaust. I guess you can call this a cosmetic move. I don't think I got any performance gains out of this. I do, however, get a rise out of an occasional car alarm.
- Dart windscreen. Among the most insufferable things about a naked bike is the buffeting you get at freeways speeds. This tiny screen offers enough protection to keep my arms from feeling like they're getting separated from my armpits. Required mod: The yellow lines in this picture shows how much farther out the Dart mount originally protruded. To use the Dart windscreen on the Y2K model, you'll need to file off this pointed tip so the Dart bracket can rest on the headlight mount.
- Tank pad. I like to lay on my bike while super-slabbing. The pad keeps the zipper on my jacket from scratching up the tank.
- Steering dampener. After a high-speed wobble through turn 6 at Willow, I rinsed out my underwear and then told Chris I wanted a dampener asap. This one is from Motobella.
- Kickstand/starter interlock bypass. When the kickstand is down, you can't start the bike, even if it's in neutral. This piece by Evoluzione bypasses that setup. Chris had to extend the long wire to make it route the way he wanted.
- Vest connector. I have a heated vest from Widder. It's the only thing that lets me continue to ride through winter. Without it, I have thoughts of crashing so I can get a warm ambulance ride home.
- Red Racing rearsets. After the "curb feeler" was removed, I started dragging my feet on the ground. Chris insisted that I get rearsets and I'm very pleased with having been coerced into buying them. I really like how more compact my body feels. A couple of notes about these rearsets: 1) Because the footpegs are narrower, I felt pigeon-toed at first, but I don't really notice it any more. 2) I had to take a Dremel and grind down the sharp high points on the rearsets, which were cutting up my boots.
- Napolean Baren mirrors. They're not where you'd expect to find them.
- BrakeTech ductile iron rear rotor. The rotor doesn't attach directly to the rear wheel; instead, it floats on spacers or "bushes" that bolt to the wheel. The bolt heads are what prevents the rotor from falling off. Special attention needs to be paid to the type of bolt used as the stock ones do not always allow enough clearance. Lower profile bolts are included with the rotor.
- Nichols flywheel. This was an important and long-awaited upgrade. Like it did on my 900ss, the lightened flywheel removed a lot of vibrations I was experiencing on the high end of the revs. You'd think that being a woman I'd enjoy all the vibrating, but I was experiencing them in the wrong place: through the footpegs. The bike is also torquier now.
- Throttle modulator. Just put a hose clamp on the end of your throttle and you've got yourself a lowbrow throttle modulator. I put a piece of cloth underneath mine so the clamp wouldn't leave a real nasty mark on the grip. I also wrapped the clamp in black tape so the edges wouldn't bite into my glove. This is great for iron butt rides since you can rest your palm on it and relax your grip.
- "Sprocket" the monkey. I bought him when I was faced with a solo 450-mile ride, most of it in the dark. I needed a buddy to talk to. "Would you like to touch my monkey?..."
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