[Dhruv Shetty]

Hey @no_fear, i have been following all of your threads and it is so nice to see these beauties in the right hands, especially the F4RR and the 1199R. The post about the maintenance and love has really inspired me to take care and not cut corners while maintaining my humble Duke 390 (1st gen).

[alphadog]

It is really nice to see the effort you are taking to maintain and ride the beauty. Thank you for sharing your experience. It is arguably, the best looking sportsbike. It is a pain indeed when one has exotics and getting spare parts becomes a huge hassle. I suppose, for a true enthusiast, it is worth the effort.

You had mentioned in your past post, that you have got a V cross and were planning to install a motorised bike lifter onto the rear bed. I have a couple of big bikes and a V cross, and wanted to know, if you have managed to get that done. If so, could you share the details please.

Cheerio!

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by alphadog

You had mentioned in your past post, that you have got a V cross and were planning to install a motorised bike lifter onto the rear bed. I have a couple of big bikes and a V cross, and wanted to know, if you have managed to get that done. If so, could you share the details please

@alphadog

Yes I use my V cross frequently to carry bikes. Currently it can fit 2 big bikes. For a motorized bike lifter, I talked to several companies and tried out some prototypes but they won't work given the cab bed length. I need to do some major works, including extra battery, hydraulics and electronics to fit everything. I will have to sacrifice cab bed space and only carry 1 bike to accommodate the extra stuff. This defeats my purpose of having the Isuzu. I have attached a picture to show how limited space is available. I cannot install anything underneath the chassis as I do not want to compromise on ground clearance.

I recently drove down to Mumbai and purchased 2 Ducati 848 evo and hauled them back to Delhi on my Isuzu. It was a good experience using the truck for long drives. You can see in the pictures, there is hardly any space to install any equipment after 2 full sized bikes are loaded up on the cab bed.

[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by no_fear

@alphadog

I recently drove down to Mumbai and purchased 2 Ducati 848 evo and hauled them back to Delhi on my Isuzu.

Seriously bro, are you planning to start a vintage dealership of sorts for Ducati? It seems you are gunning after each of their models. .

Really appreciate your dedication. Next time on my bike ride to Delhi would definitely like to meet you. Maybe you can give us oldies(age-wise) some tips about maintaining these bikes.

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by Vasuki

Seriously bro, are you planning to start a vintage dealership of sorts for Ducati? It seems you are gunning after each of their models. .

Really appreciate your dedication. Next time on my bike ride to Delhi would definitely like to meet you.

that is not the plan. The 1098, 1198, 848 are awesome bikes which are getting rare in India. I love Ducatis and I prefer to save the ones that are worth saving. I have been eyeing the 848 Evo for a long while and got the chance to get them.

Anytime you drop by in Delhi, let me know. Happy to meet you.

[Vasuki]

Good news for you and we will be able to see these beauties once again.

Maybe MV Agusta will reach Indian shores once again.

Link

[no_fear]

@vasuki,

Highly unlikely MV will come back. My brother knows the bosses and he was working with them to bring back MV to India last year. Unfortunately that didn't work out. MV has stated that without an assembly plant in Thailand / India, the new bikes will be cost prohibitive and won't sell.

Now if KTM helps MV to manufacture in India then it's a different story. But the chances are slim.

I hope I am proved wrong and MV comes back.

[virajvroom]

Originally Posted by no_fear

@vasuki,

Highly unlikely MV will come back. My brother knows the bosses and he was working with them to bring back MV to India last year. Unfortunately that didn't work out. MV has stated that without an assembly plant in Thailand / India, the new bikes will be cost prohibitive and won't sell.

Now if KTM helps MV to manufacture in India then it's a different story. But the chances are slim.

I hope I am proved wrong and MV comes back.

Just bumped into this thread somehow. The Italians never get old!

As you rightly shared. Pierer Mobility/KTM team is astute and tough to convince. They haven't even introduced their 790/890 platform in India. The chances of even the Lucky Explorers making it to India are slim.

[no_fear]

This thread has been dead for a long while. So after almost 1.5 years of owning the F4, I decided to carry out some major works on it.

Samco hose upgrade

Heat is our enemy in India. The MV runs much cooler than my other bikes but I saw the radiator pipes showing cracks. I decided it was time to swap the oem hoses for Samco. Sourced red Samco hoses for the F4, along with clamps and got to work on completely swapping out all the oem radiator pipes. Post work, the bike runs significantly cooler. Currently Delhi is hitting record temperature highs - early 40s is easily reached by 11 am. I took the RR for a few rides in the morning before the weather gets crazy, and the bike performed beautifully. Engine temperature has easily dropped by at least 10 degrees.

A few pics of the Samco hoses









Coolant added after Samco hose fitment




STM Slipper clutch


I had spoken in my previous post about swapping the entire OEM clutch assembly. When I bought the bike in 2020, the clutch already had some issues. It always nagged me but getting the OEM clutch assembly was a challenge as the supplier had stopped making them. So with the help of my brother, I chased STM, New Fren, FCC and after a span of almost one year managed to source the entire assembly. STM only makes these clutches for the high spec race models for WSBK / BSB races so they were only able to make these, once they had enough orders from race teams.

The F4 comes with a normal clutch, so the slipper clutch had to be synced with the engine and that took a lot of electronic fiddling and mapping to get the sequence correct. Since there is no dealer, I had to use aftermarket software to get the engine mapped correctly. It was a hair tearing experience, but the end job was sublime. The F4 is a whole different machine now. Gone are the jerks, the lurches, and the glitches. The bike moves like silk and can put to shame any of the new gen Ducatis.






Tappezzeria gel cushion seat cover

Tappezzeria is a relatively unknown brand in India. Luimoto is everyone's favorite and most riders in India use them for the saddle covers. I got to know Tappezzeria when I saw the brand and its products at Eicma. My curiosity piqued, I ordered a cover for the F4, since the oem seat is quite rubbish. Tappezzeria suggests to remove the OEM seat and install the cover. But I just installed the cover over the current seat. And this is a game changer. With the gel cushion, I feel like I am sitting on a comfy sofa, while cruising at 100 kmph. It's a sublime feeling.




After almost 2 years of ownership, with the latest bits added on my F4, I have finally reached the level that I want the bike to be at. I won't stop customizing but I can say that for now I am quite happy with the interim goals.

My V4S and MV close up shot taken last weekend

[SnS_12]

So what all is included the STM slipper clutch kit? Does it come with its own clutch and pressure plates or its only the bell assembly with the single centre spring?

Also, with the Tappezzeria seat cover since you have fitted it over the OE seat how much has the seat height gone up by? Finally, does it come as a set (front and back) or you can choose to buy only the front?

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by SnS_12

So what all is included the STM slipper clutch kit? Does it come with its own clutch and pressure plates or its only the bell assembly with the single centre spring?

The STM kit comes with the drum, pressure plate, primary & secondary springs, washers, bearing, hub and nut.

FCC makes the OEM clutch plates - but they stopped manufacturing. I sourced them from New Fren through my brother. New Fren has also stopped manufacturing the plates now.

Clutch bell / outer assembly - this is OEM. Sourced by my brother directly from MV.

Originally Posted by SnS_12

Also, with the Tappezzeria seat cover since you have fitted it over the OE seat how much has the seat height gone up by? Finally, does it come as a set (front and back) or you can choose to buy only the front?

Technically - you are supposed to remove the OE seat cover, but I didn't. Tappezzeria seat cover height is about 15 mm so it made no difference to me. It comes as a full set. If you need to customize or ask just for the front, you have to ask Tappezzeria directly to make a custom set for you (they usually don't make custom sets). I ordered a few more for my Ducati 848, 1198 and the Hypermotard.

[RohanDheman]

Originally Posted by SnS_12

Also, with the Tappezzeria seat cover since you have fitted it over the OE seat how much has the seat height gone up by? Finally, does it come as a set (front and back) or you can choose to buy only the front?

I also got this recently for the S1000 from Lanesplit. Normally they sell this as a pair but since i have removed the rear pegs and set, upon Lanesplit's request, they were able to make one just for the front seat.

[icemann_636]

no-fear, I'm a newbie here on this forum and I just came across this thread, awesome write-up, this thread is a reflection of so many things, your love & passion for motorcycles, dedication & perseverance for solving problems, I am sure it was an emotional roller-coaster but I am sure at the end of the day it's all worth it!

I really want to own a 848 Evo/1098/1198, hopefully I will be able to find one soon

Cheers!

KK.