RubberSideDown

It's really all about the maintenance- regular oil/filter changes, observing the recommended schedules for checks, changes, and upgrades, replacing things that are worn out, etc can easily see a bike running strong well over 50K miles- there are more than a few that are well above that and run great. You'll hear about touring bikes with over 100K miles running like new, but they tend not to be run as hard as sportbikes, and often have a lot of lower-stress highway miles.

Just saw the Thai R1 price through an importer (ZeuZ SuperBike Performance)- they've just started taking orders (they have a garage in BKK that does service and repairs on all the bikes they sell):

R1- 939,000

R1M- 1,549,000

^

I bought them off the strength of their many good reviews- I'm not saying they're bad in general, but they're bad for me.

I use the Sena SMH10-11 and I love it (my GT-Air helmet was built specifically to accommodate it), and it has a mini-plug if you want to use earbuds instead of their supplied external speakers- their newer S20 is more oriented toward sport riding (the external control unit is more streamlined, but at the cost of battery life). Like with Shoei, I don't think I'll be using anything but Sena from now on.

Cool- thanks for that- I like that a lot.

What app gives you all the data on the video?

I wear them on longer rides- hearing loss from wind noise is a real issue for motorcyclists, even with quieter helmets. Good earplugs don't filter out ambient noise and will still work with Bluetooth headsets.

It will definitely be higher- they raised the price of the HP4 last year, and they didn't update the website, but, rather, handed out postcards in the dealership with the new numbers. When I logged on and showed them the old price was still 'live', they didn't quite know what to say (though they sure weren't going to honor it).

My guess is 1.15m if it's the premium version.

Then base RR also lacks all the rider modes, notably 'Race' and 'User' (custom settings for ABS, DTC, DDC, and engine response)- I'd only go for the premium edition.

Another nice thing about the CTEK 5.0 is that it will charge a dead car battery- my daughter was playing in my car a couple weeks ago and turned on the lights, and I didn't notice as it was daytime- by the time I saw the lights fading out, it was 10pm and I didn't want to bother any neighbors, so I hooked up the charger, which did the trick.

The less-expensive 0.8 will work great for maintenence applications, though, but it has fewer functions than the 5.0.

Some grips are btter than others, of course, but even higher-end ones might not be to your liking. I've got a set of Driven D-3 Alumitech Alloy grips, and I didn't like them at all- the combination of the hard aluminum pieces and the soft rubber just felt strange- it might have been better if I had smaller hands. I'm happy with the stock grips.

Worst $45 + shipping I've ever spent on an accessory- I probably still have them somewhere- maybe I should see if they'll fit on my Grom.

"Most accidents involve other bikes" is true in the sense that other bikes are usually nearby- most accidents are caused by rider error. Unless you crash in the boonies, I don't think its possible to be more than 10m from another bike on the road in LOS.

I've got a CTEK MSX 5.0- it's got selectable motorcycle or car modes, and it fairly high-tech as far as chargers go- I bought mine off eBay for about 3K, but I believe they can be found in LOS for around the same price.

Thanks RSD. I don't think I have the service manual, only the owner's manual. Is there an Englidh PDF of it somewhere?

Also, do you know what the factory standard setting might be right now in terms of MM perhaps? Cheers...

Service manuals are available for sale, but I'd imagine you could find a free download somewhere (an assembly and preparation manual is also a good thing to have if you can find one).

My own service manual calls for 2-3mm of play- that's likely standard for most bikes.

Your service manual will call for a recommended range of throttle cable slack- this is for a few reasons, like ensuring that your throttle bodies can fully close, and to avoid putting tension on the cable when the bars are at full lock (if you do try to adjust all the slack out of it, make sure you test it by seeing if the revs rise at full lock before riding it). There's also a safety concern where if you're on an uneven surface and want to keep the throttle closed, bumps from the road can cause your hand to move slightly, opening the throttle when you don't want it to, and a little slack can prevent this.

Personally, I'd leave at least a couple millimeters of slack rather than remove it all.

Panda Rider in BKK sells Xena locks (though they don't carry the entire line)- I got mine from them.

Http://www.pandarider.com

I've got a Xena XX-6 w/alarm that's small enough to easily carry around (this is a consideration if you're going to travel with it), and a massive OnGuard Boxer disc lock with a 16mm shackle that would defeat most cutting options- it weighs over 3lbs, though, and I wouldn't want to carry it around (it comes with a belt clip which is just stupid as it would pull your pants down).

Honestly, I rarely use either, but the Xena fits better on my discs (note that some locks work better with a sportbike than others- research this before you buy one).

If the noise is there when the bike isn't moving, it's something other than a wheel bearing.

If you're referring to the wheel bearings, most motorcycle warranties don't cover them after a certain distance has been ridden- while they should last a long time, they're still considered a 'consumable'- car warranties usually cover them, though.

I've got frame sliders- I put them on in case of a garage tip-over so my mirrors, Pazzo levers, and bodywork have a chance of surviving. At speed, I figure the bike will be a write-off cosmetically, but I think it would survive a simple fall fairly well.

I'm not sure- I agree it's confusing. It might actually be some instructions for the mechanic doing the swap as it specifically mentions 'recommended assembly' rather than recommended settings. I would be surprised if they expect anyone to run with zero pre-load.

It also might be to let the user know that he'll still have full adjustability after making the change.

No one on the Ducati board knows the deal?

Well, you started the disagreement, Dave- all I did was cite an example that showed the driver to the rear isn't always at fault, and you wanted to argue the point. As far as how many of these cases go to court in LOS, it's probably 'zero' as it would likely be settled by insurance companies or privately, even in the case of a fatality. That said, I never mentioned my example being specifically relevant to the Thai system (which it may or may not be) as the poster who brought it up didn't mention Thailand and his comment seemed more general, but, rather, I used it to show that you can't say the driver behind is always 100% in the wrong. In a court case in LOS, though, evidence showing that one driver acted negligently would certainly be admissible and worthy of consideration.

I searched through some legal websites and all said basically the same thing, which was that the driver in front can be found liable in a rear-end collision even in cases where malice (like a brake-check) wasn't an issue. You and I can speak from what we 'know', but we (or at least I) will concede that people in the legal profession have an opinion that counts for more than ours as far as this subject goes, and they formed the basis of my posts.

That's it for me- I'm done with it.

Being cited at the scene and being found guilty/liable in court are two very different things.

I also noted 'comparative negligence', as the driver in front can indeed be found to be to some degree liable for what caused the accident. Yes, the general rule is that the driver behind should be at a safe following distance, but the driver in front also has a responsibility to the drivers behind him- even if a driver is following too closely, it's the responsibility of the driver ahead to take note of this and act appropriately.

Every legal site I checked gives the example of brake light failure or stopping in the middle of the road (in the case of a flat tire or other minor problem that doesn't necessitate coming to an immediate stop) as being examples of the driver who was struck from behind being liable.

^

What about the point I noted of brake-lights being out? Is that the fault of the driver behind if he didn't receive the appropriate warning that the brakes had been engaged? What about a driver suddenly turning without signaling? There's no intent to cause harm in either case, but, rather, they're either equipment failures that could easily escape notice or driver error/carelessness.

As I said, there are examples noted on legal websites, and likely other case studies if you care to search for them- I already provided an example (which also wasn't an attempt to cause mischief by the driver in front- it was an error in judgement), and there will certainly be others- it's up to you to search for them if you're curious, though.