Monday, April 30, 2012
Latest Ducati 1098 troubles
Parts are slowly rolling in, but it seems like the problems are only just beginning!
I took it out for a spin, ended up at a Fresh and Easy, only to find myself stranded at 9PM because my bike wouldn't start up. The next day, I connected the Power Commander III correctly, and the bike started up perfectly. I was so happy that I took her around the block.
Unfortunately, she died again. This time, the RPM's just dropped when I was still applying constant throttle, so I pulled over just in case. I set her in neutral, and she stalled. I ended up pushing her back to my apartment twice.
There could be so many possible issues, so I'm just going to take her into a shop tomorrow and see what happens. I figure the only way to fix a Ducati is by throwing money at it. Wish me luck!
Just purchased a used Ducati 1098! I sold my Triumph Daytona 675 a few weeks ago and took the money to buy this beauty.
This bike is basically the most high end motorcycle you can get, with respect to race-type sportbikes. It didn't come with ABS or fancy equipment, but it does look, sound, and perform exceptional. With the rarity and expensiveness of the brand, though, I won't say I haven't run into my fair share of issues.
It has over 13,000 miles and has been crashed on its left side.
The problems:
- It's really loud (especially because it's an open clutch), so my neighbors are probably all mad at me
- I felt some issues with the throttle on the freeway. I would suddenly lose power then regain it. There may be a fuel/plug issue.
- The red plastics now don't match the frame or tank.. I'll have to switch out plastics!
- The clutch lever is super stiff, I'm assuming because of the pressure plates on the clutch. I can barely last 10 minutes with the current levers.. I'll have to buy a new lever or install a clutch slave
- I still haven't gotten used to the clutch. Since it's a dry clutch and the bike is so powerful, I hear a clutch drag sound if I clutch out too slowly. I'll need to work on that...
- The chain is rusty! I gave it a good clean, but it still needs some work.
Some money I've already dumped into it:
- Full fluid flush (brakes, clutch, coolant, oil)
- Suspension tuning
- New matte black fairings (plastics)
- New left control unit
- Pirelli Rosso II tires (front and rear)
- New clutch lever
I still need to pay for registration, taxes, a full service, and a new clutch slave (so my left wrist doesn't get so sore!)
Anyway, I'm hoping there are no more issues after my full service. Wish me luck!
Wow, it's been a while! I've been scurrying around California and Arizona since my last post, as I've made a cross-state move back to lovely, ol' California.
I enjoyed my 1+ year experience in Arizona.. just a list of things I experienced and have stowed away in my memories:
- Hot summer days
- Riding my motorcycle through the desert and its dry mountains
- Hiking along the red rocks of Sedona
- Bed and breakfast in Sedona
- The Grand Canyon
- $12 casino buffets
- Amazing American Mexican food
- Arizona State University
- Camelback mountain, Papago Park, A mountain
- Lollicup in Chandler
- Jogging around Tempe Town Lake
- Riding my bicycle around Tempe Town Lake and through Scottsdale
- The purchase of my Triumph Daytona 675
- Many flat tires (luckily, all while my car wasn't moving)
- Scottsdale clubs
- Cheap gas
- Sand and indoor volleyball
- Mastering the art of making steaks
- Dust storms
- Made some great friends!
The lady who was going to rent her house to us realized that she needed to stay in her house for another year. The government gave her $8,000 to buy a house, right when there was that housing crisis two years back. Therefore, she isn't legally allowed to move!
She broke the news to us and promised she'd make it up to us. Being Taiwanese, she invited us to dinner as a formal apology. At first, I thought this was such an awkward thing to do; however, my friend and future roommate told me that this was something socially acceptable in Taiwanese culture.
We ended up going to Shula's Steakhouse, at Wild Horse Casino (south of Chandler). This steakhouse was super, super expensive. My basic assumption was that it was for people who just won tons of money on a nickle machine. Nonetheless, the bill came out to be over $300 for just four people!
Just a list of things we ate: 1. Sourdough bread 2. Caesar salad + some bleu cheese, tomato salad 3. Lobster cocktail halves 4. Grilled asparagus 5. 24 oz "Cowboy" steak (rib eye) 6. Crème brûlée 7. Häagen-Dazs ice cream in an almond brittle shell
Just an idea of what we ate
Onto the new housing plan:
We're moving into Alta Ravenwood in South Tempe. Closer to the freeway, this townhouse is going to suit our commuting needs a lot better.
I don't want to violate any copyrights, so I'll just post the community's website: Alta Ravenwood Floor Plan
We got a corner lot townhouse with a double garage. I'll be living in the master bedroom. It's nice, because our townhouse is going to have a view of this immense "courtyard," or grass field. It also has a dog park for all of my dog's running needs. The gym is nice, the study rooms are nicer, the pool and bonfire pit are nice, and community grilling will be exceptional. I can't wait to see what it's like to live there.
The only thing I'm worried about is this issue with move-out fees. I've read some reviews about people getting charged up to $1300 to replace carpet after they've moved out. Apparently, parking's hard to find, there is a lot of noise complaining, and the courtyard floods when it rains. I'm not too worried about the carpet, especially since we Asians are generally cleaner when it comes to carpet; parking should be OK because we don't have many friends; and rain only comes a few times a year in this arid place, right?
I'm generally excited to move over. There's still another month and a half.. but I almost want to start packing now ;)
All of this just means I'll be in Arizona for another year.. Sigh.
Our search for renting a house near Tempe has finally come to an end.
We've been looking for houses for almost 3 months now, settling for a rather new house in South Tempe. We saw big houses, small houses, old houses, [relatively] new houses.. and in the end we settled for a new house.
The prices we were looking at ranged from $1000 to $1500 for a 3 bedroom house. Considered extremely cheap for California standards, it seemed about median for Arizona. The types of homes in this range also varied. We saw some run-down places in run-down areas that were going for the same amount as nice homes in nice areas. Of course, living near Tempe was easier for my roommates, since it's closer to school. However, living anywhere near ASU meant sacrificing a nice living space for time and money spent on gas. South Tempe meant newer homes and communities that actually have HOA's.
As for the number of floors... we ended up going with 1 because of rumors that 2-story houses get hot upstairs. Well, half rumor.. since the theory is that hot air rises (hotter air upstairs, cool air harder to force upstairs.. causing higher A/C prices).. but I wonder if it is that big of a difference.
Anyways, the house we chose has a 2-car garage as well. This'll be good since I know I'll be spending a lot of time in there, fixing up my bike. My car will also have somewhere to spend the night :)
As for a backyard, this house has a "desert landscape" backyard. That basically means that the backyard has nothing in it except rocks and dirt. Compared to other houses we saw, this choice is somewhere in the middle. Some houses priced at the same range had large, grassy backyards. Others had small patios. I think it'll be interesting if I ever decide to fix up the backyard with any grass or flowers... never been much of a garden man.
The only complaints that I have with this house is that it's in the heart of the town. Therefore, it isn't near any freeways. It won't be very fun commuting to work! My motorcycle will overheat while driving local in the ridiculous heat. Also, the neighbor is the HOA vice-president or something.. which means we'll need to abide by rules, all of the time! I'm not sure what the rules are yet, but I hope they are crazy about everything like they are in Irvine.
Well, there are the basics: it's hot, sunny, and dry. There are some things you do and some things you don't. Then there are the things that you want to do, but you think is crazy because other people tell you it's crazy. One of those would be riding motorcycles.
South Mountain
My coworker would always tell me that it would get too hot to ride, and that it would be unbearable. The hot wind like a direct fan on your body, feeling cool only relative to sitting over a burning engine; a dry, tornado-like wind inside your helmet, drying up your eyes; black-top asphalt, at ten or more degrees hotter than the heat; and finally, the smell of the ocean.. something you wish you had and miss so dearly! Clearly, I'm still riding my motorcycle in 100+ weather, and it's not too bad. As long as I'm not sitting for too long, and as long as I have gear on.
One note about the Arizona summer is that there are a lot more bugs. I live by Tempe Town Lake, which seems to be the breeding ground for mosquitoes and bugs of that sort. At night, it's still 95 degrees up until 10PM. With that said, bugs spend a lot more time messing around (maybe until midnight or later). Every light pole is flocked with bugs... it's so bad that if you leave the light on in your apartment, your windows will be swarmed with bugs as well.
Tempe Town Lake at night
As you can imagine, people get pretty lazy in the summer, especially during the day. There aren't too many people exercising like normal Fall/Spring days.. there's a lot less to do here. I can only think of a few things: movies, shooting range, driving range, mall, hanging out at someone's pad, going to the gym... not too much more. Yogurtland's becoming a popular destination.. I've been there quite a few times since the heat hit AZ.
Nonetheless, it's livable. Wish I didn't have to be here, but I don't have much choice, right??
