[AtheK]

So in continuation of my previous post, got some more parts added to Mark 13.

Let's first start with the missing parts. Once again I will let pictures do majority of the talking.

1. Frame Sliders

The frame sliders were finally installed, we had to do a small drill in the plastic part on the right side to make it sit, but it is now installed perfectly.

Left Side



Right Side.



The right side one though is touching my shin, so I will need to see if we can drill one small hole and move it down if possible or just remove the Protector and leave the plate on, that will also give decent protection.

2. Radiator Guards.

These were installed and are nothing special, did not even click any specific pics, though the limited amount of space that Ducati gives you, took a bit of effort to have them installed.

3. Clear Clutch Case Cover.

This ended up being a tragedy, when we opened it, we found out that what was sent was for V4 and not for 959. When we tried to align it and see if it will fit, two bolts were misaligning. This was one of the part I was actually looking forward to install for the neat party trick.



That out of the way, I also had a GB Racing clutch case cover which I had bought earlier, which goes over the OEM cover for extra protection. Decided to have it installed, and it looks nice. The amount of heat this bike produce, the paint has come off a bit from the case.



I have for now put a sticker, but I am sure that will be gone in few days as don't think it has any chance to hold on with the kind of heat that is generated. Will try to get a reflective sticker as that has good glue hold and might stay on longer.



4. Heat shield

Heat shield was procured from Ducati Spacers and Installed.

Below the seat.



Sub Frames.







Impressions:

After installing the heat shield there is some improvement in the way heat escapes from the frames now. The earlier uncomfortable feeling of hot air escaping near the thighs is reduced. The heat shield is holding the heat inside a bit longer, but obviously after sometime it starts escaping again. The ambient temperature on speedo though is showing more, as I presume heat is trapped inside for longer, though I am feeling a bit better outside. One thing i have realized no matter what I do this bike will always be a pain to ride in city even for small time. I have decided to live with this, because everything else about this bike is just amazing.

I am contemplating to maybe get Carbon fiber sub frame cover when I get a chance, that will mean that ambient heat does not need to build up and the heat would be controlled as well, and they look Slick too!!

That takes care of all the parts that were planned for now, the entire installation was done at Motospark, and as always I had a very good experience with them!!

With the parts taken care of my next plan was to add some carbon bits to the bike, to make it a bit more lighter and just generally make it look better.

1. Carbon Fiber Seat cowl

Replaced the Plastic part of the Cowl with the carbon fiber cowl, this I got it from a friend.

Cowl Side by Side



Installed



On a ride.



2. Fiber Shock Guard

The next three parts have been procured from RLZ carbon, I had earlier got the exhaust shield cover from them, and I was very impressed with the quality. I decided to get the remaining few parts also from them, now except the chain guard, I have all the parts installed on the bike from there portfolio. I continue to be impressed with the quality of the work these guys have done, and happy to get these parts in India itself. Wish they had the subframes and front mudguard as well in Carbon fiber, would have picked that as well.

Fiber Shock Guard



Comparison with Stock



3. Heel Guards

Next up is heel Guards, these are also very good quality. They had there branding on it, I thought it was too much, so put on some stickers to hide it.

Heel Guards



Logo removed



Heel Guard Comparison



Heel Guard Installed



Heel Guard and Shock Guard Installed.



4. Rear hugger

Installed Rear hugger also in CF, got both Heel Guard and Rear hugger in Forged design to make them stand out, while other are in standard CF design.

Rear hugger



Rear hugger Comparison, now with branding removed.



Rear hugger Installed



This brings an end to all the parts that have been installed on Mark 13 till now, and personalize it to a great extent. While I was on this crusade I have also procured Caberg Evo Drift Carbon Fiber Helmet. I have penned my thoughts in the helmet thread, but in a nutshell it's a brilliant helmet.



What next is the question that keeps lingering in a person mind, so this is what is next on my mind, and would love to hear your thoughts on the same.

1. Motogp style switches

I have them with me right now, but still not sure if I should install them or not. These belong to a friend and if I don't put them on, I will either sell them or return them. This is a thought that goes on.





2. Underbody Exhaust - This is what is on top of my list and I am working on procuring a 1299R underbody full system exhaust, If I get that, it will spice up things both in looks and Aural experience, they can get real loud.

3. Carbon fiber Lower Fairings - If I get the exhaust I will need to change lower fairings to accommodate the design, I am planning to then get the lower fairings in Carbon fiber to enhance the look and also contain some heat.

4. Carbon Fiber Subframe - As discussed above might change the stock with Carbon fiber subframe and that should help both with heat and looks.

This I guess will make me stop with any more updates, as there is not much left anyway honestly, maybe a new pair of rearsets, but that is something not on top of my mind right now.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading, and hope you enjoyed the photos and like how the Panigale looks now. Until next time!!

[no_fear]

The rear seat cowl needs a go pro...

The rate at which you are customizing your 959, and the hours you spend on it, does your family not complain?

For the GB racing clutch cover, that Ducati sticker will last about 30 minutes, forget a few days, before it unglues and flies away with the wind.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by no_fear

The rear seat cowl needs a go pro...

The rate at which you are customizing your 959, and the hours you spend on it, does your family not complain?

For the GB racing clutch cover, that Ducati sticker will last about 30 minutes, forget a few days, before it unglues and flies away with the wind.

I am not actually one of the guys who like putting on go pro, and a go pro in that location, actually does not capture any footage that will be good for me. Yes maybe I can make some real good video of yours when I am riding with you! I actually sold of my go pro few months back, as I was hardly using it.

All the parts I buy for 959, they cost double as I have to take out wife that long to compensate for that

Rest about complaining, think long and before you say "I do", you will be the one in much more trouble brother after that.

Ya the sticker is more for photos which I took, it stands no chance to stick on. Let's see if the vinyl which I plan to put can hold on, though honestly I don't think it would too. I have since given up the plan to get the clear clutch case cover too, I chanced to see a certain 1299R () running the clear clutch case cover, and since we don't have dry clutch, the insides look really bad after sometime.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by AtheK

What next is the question that keeps lingering in a person mind, so this is what is next on my mind, and would love to hear your thoughts on the same.

One fox asks the skulk of foxes whether they should raid the chicken coop

Originally Posted by AtheK

1. Motogp style switches

I have them with me right now, but still not sure if I should install them or not. These belong to a friend and if I don't put them on, I will either sell them or return them. This is a thought that goes on.

I dont know how they will work or if you will mix your indicators for the headlight pass switch while riding but my opinion will not waver. Get them installed! They look smashing.

Originally Posted by AtheK

2. Underbody Exhaust - This is what is on top of my list and I am working on procuring a 1299R underbody full system exhaust, If I get that, it will spice up things both in looks and Aural experience, they can get real loud.

3. Carbon fiber Lower Fairings - If I get the exhaust I will need to change lower fairings to accommodate the design, I am planning to then get the lower fairings in Carbon fiber to enhance the look and also contain some heat.

4. Carbon Fiber Subframe - As discussed above might change the stock with Carbon fiber subframe and that should help both with heat and looks.

Im salivating just reading this list. Kindly do the needful at the earliest. We are waiting patiently.

On a more serious note, your bike is well on its way to becoming the tastiest 959 in India.

[TheHelix0202]

That’s a gorgeous machine with some neat mods!

P.S: I’ve always wondered what it would take to work on one’s own bikes and cars, having the know how and expertise to modify it and craft it to their own taste. Especially for someone that isn’t from a mechanical/engineering background. I just cannot comprehend, what sorta analytical or creative, passionate quality does one need?!

[doga]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

That’s a gorgeous machine with some neat mods!

P.S: I’ve always wondered what it would take to work on one’s own bikes and cars, having the know how and expertise to modify it and craft it to their own taste. Especially for someone that isn’t from a mechanical/engineering background. I just cannot comprehend, what sorta analytical or creative, passionate quality does one need?!

Looks to me a shop where the jobs were done.
Hope AtheK doesn't take offence

Though in his defence, a true DIY is very difficult unless you got your own nice garage or at least a decently sized porch. This is pretty difficult in places like Mumbai or Bangalore. May be in Delhi where you do tend to see good sized houses but here you are basically forced to take your bike to a shop to get things done. I am planning a major piece of work myself and would really love to have a go but lack of space worries me!

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

That’s a gorgeous machine with some neat mods!

P.S: I’ve always wondered what it would take to work on one’s own bikes and cars, having the know how and expertise to modify it and craft it to their own taste. Especially for someone that isn’t from a mechanical/engineering background. I just cannot comprehend, what sorta analytical or creative, passionate quality does one need?!

Well honestly the amount of video tutorials that you get on YouTube are mind boggling, if you have the appetite for it, you can actually dismantle the entire bike. That said you really don't need to be extremely technical or analytical. What you need added is a different story, and depending on what kind of rider you are, you will either want functional mods or enhance look of the bike. That my friend takes lot of time and effort. You can do a mix and match of both as well. You really just need patience and passion, and lot of money :P

Originally Posted by doga

Looks to me a shop where the jobs were done.
Hope AtheK doesn't take offence

Though in his defence, a true DIY is very difficult unless you got your own nice garage or at least a decently sized porch. This is pretty difficult in places like Mumbai or Bangalore. May be in Delhi where you do tend to see good sized houses but here you are basically forced to take your bike to a shop to get things done. I am planning a major piece of work myself and would really love to have a go but lack of space worries me!

You are right few of the things have been done in garage, but lot of other things were done at home, mainly the basic ones. I kind of don't like opening the fairing of the bike myself, and that is where I draw a line and take it to a garage. It is not that I can't, it's just that one lack of space, and second lack of patience works against me. Tools also can be sometime an issue, like couple of bolts were chipped off and screwdriver will just keep rotating, ideally you can fix that yourself with a bit of effort, but this is the point I like to draw the line and let the professionals fix it, while you Ogle at other beautiful machines parked and being worked upon.

Some specialized tools like bit to open the tires of Ducati was also needed to be procured. It has to be a mix and match of DIY and Professional help for best results.

[AtheK]

Last week, 14th Feb to be precise Mark 13 completed a year with me and what a year it has been. Bike has thought me so much more about bikes, and the journey has mainly been a pleasant one. From learning to ride a very torquey and powerful bike, to decking her up with some meaningful and some not so meaningful accessories to understanding how it feels when a tea kettle releases heat steam in real, it has been a great one.

I was able to put around 6000 Kms on it in this year, with all the lockdown and other challenges that were thrown to us. The fact that miles were also shared with the younger RE sibling makes me feel good about being able to do justice to her, and not just keep her as an eye candy. I hope to be able to do more then those miles this year, but with the situation we find ourselves in, one can never be sure.

The Siblings



To celebrate the completion of 1 year took her out for a dinner date the previous day on 13th Feb, as 14th Feb was reserved for wife and I would rather have both of them co-exist happily. Of the two I knew Mark 13 won't complain, or even if it does, I would not know. I had not taken the Panigale on a city ride after I bought her, due to the heat issues so I decided to do a late night ride and see the city generally. I did not click much photos as I was just generally enjoying the ride, and with weather being pleasant one it did not heat up too much. Went around to MG road, Vidhan Soudha, Hebbal to New Airport highway and back home. It is nice to see a lazy city on a Sunday night and with hardly any traffic along with just your bike exhaust note to give you company, I hummed a couple of songs too inside my helmet and ended the day taking just couple of photos near to my house. It was a nice ride!!



It still did not feel like ride was complete as what Mark 13 needs is open roads and open throttle. So took her out to complete her birthday present and we did a 250 km long ride, the bike has opened up well, and the comfort seat has made a lot of difference. I now feel confident of doing over 500 kms a day on this if majority of the road is highway. I will go for a long tour soon. This time again I was just enjoying the ride and took a photo only when I stopped to have something to drink.



Thought I will pen down a small post for me to remember this time when I get to see this thread later down the years, it should serve as a good memory!!

[gabbar]

Happy anniversary!
May you guys grow very old together!

[AtheK]

It’s been sometime that this thread has stayed quiet, because honestly there is not much to write. Mark 13 has been chugging along well, we both have been riding and munching miles for sometime now. I had sometime back procured the Vredestein ST tires for the bike, but had not installed them. They used to keep staring at me, and I used to keep staring at them as they were in my room where I work, I couldn’t store them any other place as they were not welcome as per high command.

So I decided I will just have them fitted on the bike, I knew NS has also launched and they will probably be a better fit for Panigale. So I casually checked with Rohan at torque block if he can exchange ST with NS, he happily obliged and agreed to swap them. I went to Madhus but was told they avoid working On Ducatis due to some recent issue with a V4 and I should check with VST.

I returned home and requested torque block guys if they can deliver tires home, which they did and I decided to get them swapped at Indimotard. I had a very good experience with them and fortunately they now also have wheel balancing machine at garage itself, so no need to run around. They were very professional and swapped the tire in a very short time and all was done. I will let the pictures do the talking.

NS tires



The rear removed



The front removed



Being balanced



The new shoes



The moment I took the bike out it started raining, and I got a chance to check out the grip of the tires, they held on to the Tarmac beautifully, remember these were absolutely new tires and had absolutely no run in. I was mighty impressed, so much so that I rode in the rain all the way till home. Rains kept the bike also very cool in city traffic.

Many say I love to get drenched in the rain, as no one can see me crying. My version is I love to get drenched in rain, as my bike does not heat up in city.

Here is a pic while I stopped the bike to think of If I should stop or ride on, I am happy I decided to ride on.



Now I was told the old tires have atleast 3K kms worth of tread life left, and I was in no position to take them home, as high command would kill me if I keep used tires at home. So I decided to do something else with them, what I did, I will tell you all about that in an another thread!

Till then, stay safe and keep riding!

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by AtheK

The moment I took the bike out it started raining, and I got a chance to check out the grip of the tires, they held on to the Tarmac beautifully, remember these were absolutely new tires and had absolutely no run in. I was mighty impressed, so much so that I rode in the rain all the way till home. Rains kept the bike also very cool in city traffic.

Switched to Centauro NS 120/70-17 and 190/55-17 recently on my RSV4 and I eco your thoughts on the rubber! Its just superb VFM considering the current pricing of other brands. Took it for some corner carving session literally right out of the box and came out mightily impressed. Never had even a single instance of the TC kicking in or lack of feedback! This was on dry tarmac and am yet to test it in wet.

Some friends rode with these in track and came out impressed as well. Overall very satisfied with these and is looking forward to see how long these grip levels are retained and how long these would last. Wish they also had 200/55 too.

[kiredd1005]

Originally Posted by AtheK

I returned home and requested torque block guys if they can deliver tires home, which they did and I decided to get them swapped at Indimotard. I had a very good experience with them and fortunately they now also have wheel balancing machine at garage itself, so no need to run around. They were very professional and swapped the tire in a very short time and all was done. I will let the pictures do the talking.

Just curious, I only see a tire changing machine but not the balancing machine. Perhaps you missed uploading the photo? What make is the balancer?

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by kiredd1005

Just curious, I only see a tire changing machine but not the balancing machine. Perhaps you missed uploading the photo? What make is the balancer?

Oh yes, you are right I missed it, here it is attached. Sorry no idea about the make mate, says something like ATS Elgi on the machine

[AtheK]

It's been a year last servicing was done, and that meant it was time for yearly service and try to make some tweaks to some of current consumables to see if they make some difference.

The bike has been running well and hence did not need any special service, what we did was the basic servicing with usual fluids change and replacing consumables. It was a straight forward exercise and we were done in few hours. One thing that anyone who has been reading this thread knows, is the heat from the bike. I had last year done a coolant flush and used Engine Ice, but had very quickly realised it probably is not the best choice for 959, it heats up very quickly and cools down quickly too, but the bike gets very very hot in city traffic.

Add to it, Engine Ice needs to be replaced every year, so I decided to change it. Coolant was flushed and I have decided to try Maxima Coolanol this time.



Now it's raining and I did not get a chance to take the bike out, so review about this is on hold.

Next major Change was Airfilter, I have been running stock airfilter and wanted to change it. I decided to go with Sprint Airfilter this time, the best thing about Sprint airfilter is that you don't need to oil it every year, you can just blow dry air and fit it back, so it is literally zero maintenance.



Notice how the stock paper one is crumpled and reduces air flow, this should make air flow better and make the engine run better. Again, review to be published in due course of time after some rides.

Other then that it was run of the mill stuff with new engine oil, I retained shell which is OEM, oil filter used was hiflo followed by cleaning of brake pads and internal components.



This concluded the yearly maintenance, and bike was ready for phase 2, which was to drop it to friend place and get it detailed.

I will let the pics do the talking from here.

A mandatory wash.



Looks nice!



Bit of paint correction job.

Before



After



Some Buffing and couple of ceramic Coats later.















This took care of the bike and got it back to it's own shiny shelf, to my credit, not much work was needed and things were easier for my friend. I won't let go of a chance to win some brownie points!!

This though brings us to most difficult part of the ordeal, since it has been raining non stop in Bangalore, we had to figure out a way to get bike back to my home, this while making sure that the bike does not get dirty again. We got a window after three days when we got some dry roads in the morning and bike was ridden back in early hours back home. Now i am itching to take it for a long ride, but the weather keeps playing spoilsport, hopefully it clears up soon and I can take it out to test how is the bike performing with new coolant and the air filter.

The earlier upgrade to get underbelly exhaust is getting a bit tough, so what I am thinking instead is to get a decat pipe and remove the catcon altogether, this I have heard helps with reducing the heat as well. This is something which I am actively exploring.

In the meantime I ended up picking another partner for mark 13, details about which I will pen down in another thread soon.

Signing off for now, with couple of final pics, and will write about my experience with coolant soon.

[AtheK]

Let's begin with wishing everyone a happy new year, and a photo from the ride on the first day of the new year, notice the new tank pads.



It's been sometime I posted in this thread, so let me update the thread with two posts.

First one being around a long ride I undertook on Mark 13, although I have been doing the regular breakfast rides, it has been sometime I took the panigale for a longish ride. There was a long weekend on 26th so I thought of doing a long ride to Bangalore - Rameswaram - Yercaud - Bangalore to celebrate both the Independence day and also Upcoming Second Birthday for the bike. Few other friends were heading to this circuit so I decided to join them. While I was very excited and looking forward to the ride, unfortunately I was sent a meeting Invite for 27th Jan, which I had no chance to decline and had to attend it on Video. With the plan cancelled, I got back to daily work schedule, albeit with heavy heart.

As luck would have it few other friends decided to join this set of friends in Yercaud over the weekend with an overnighter plan, and I gladly decided to join them, so in the end it was all good as I was able to take the call and also ride out.

Six of us started in the morning from atibelle toll and first stop was to have breakfast, stopped by at an empty looking place for breakfast, and helped ourselves to some nice idlis and vadas and recharged we moved ahead.

V4 and 959 resting while we helped ourselves, for the ones who have been following this thread, this V4 is the same from the first post of this thread, as luck would have it a close friend has since picked it and is having some pretty good time with the bike.



We marched ahead and stopped in between for a quick photos of the bike at this scenic point.





The rest of the ride was pretty normal with bike behaving nicely though heating up a bit more then I was expecting, probably because of the change of the temperature, but we moved on and checked into our hotel.

Riding gear taking some well deserved rest after all the heat and dirt they had to endure during the course of the ride.



View from the room



The pool at resort, it had already started to get a bit cold so no one took a dip. No idea whose Idea was to have a serpent watching the pool, looked out of the place.



The highlight of the trip was Lunch at a place called Sweet Rascals, this place is run by a gentleman with a nice sense of humour and also a biker. He has around 6 exotics in his garage and is a very jolly person. The place serves food only on order basis and takes around 1 hour to prepare the food. Since we reached before our other friends riding from Rameswaram, we placed order for everyone and got around talking about our all time favorite topic, which is ofcourse "Bikes".

The place is filled up with humourous quotes, few of which I have captured here for your viewing pleasure.

The food that we ordered, notice the handwriting of the owner.



The Quotes

















The food was lip smacking good, and I suggest anyone travelling to Yercaud should try to add this place for lunch or dinner plans. It is totally worth it, the food was so good that we just attacked it and I have no photo to share of any dish. We ordered a host of mocktails and host got them all together, they looked so good and we were already full, that we finally did end up taking one photo.



Rest of the night was spent talking about bikes and life and catching up with friends, It was an evening well spent. Next day few of the guys wanted to start early, but we decided to take it easy and decided to leave after having breakfast at the resort itself.

Taking in the view before starting back for home.



Saying a prayer for safe return home and also striking a pose at the same time!



One final click in the mountains and a stop over at Cafe Coffeee day on the way back home.







The rest of the ride was pretty good but the bike did feel a bit hot and with me wearing riding jeans instead of riding pants, was feeling the heat a bit more near the thighs, though I marched on. Once I entered bangalore, that is when the nightmare started with the piled up traffic and people returning back home after long weekend, though we were early and did not find much traffic on atibelle toll (One of the worst nightmare), the interiors had lot of traffic. As luck would have it, I got stuck in a very bad traffic jam and the temperature increased really quickly and in no time started showing "HI" which means 120+ degrees and that meant bike will stop anytime. So I parked the bike in front of a bakery had some refreshment and let the bike cool for sometime, traffic was only getting worse. Started after sometime, and in another 15 minutes speedo was displaying "HI" again, another stop and a coconut water this time. I did not want the bike to overheat and stop, had to do the same circus couple of more times before I got some free road, with the heat on thighs only getting more pronounced.

Reached home safely parked the bike home, with trip meter showing exactly 473 kms done and an average fuel economy of 19.9 Km/l which is really good. Once I got home, only then I realised that i had a blister on my left thigh, and the right thigh also was tender, this heater of mine just does not want to be in traffic. I have since ordered thigh support which when worn under the jeans shields the thigh from heat and really helps while reading. I tested this in peak bangalore traffic and have had good results, this will become my go to equipment going forward when I know I might encounter traffic.

All in all except when in traffic, I love every minute I spend on this bike, and we complete 2 years together on 14th, I have got some birthday gifts for her which were installed yesterday followed with a birthday ride today, details about all that coming up in next post soon.

Thanks for reading.