[kiran_aithal]

'Persistence, perseverance' ... Your love for bikes is out of this world and you are one committed person... the thread does not justify the amount of hard work that you have put in.
I am not (yet) a bike person, but writeups like these will possibly make any lay man start loving and respecting super bikes and its true owners.. Hats off to you!
Good luck with 1199R. As they say 'Enjoy the fruits of your labor' ...

[Electromotive]

You deserve a Bharat Ratna for this accomplishment and a Booker Prize for the write up.

Very very few people would have the tenacity and perseverance to follow through and manage an endeavor such as this, that too with the obstacles posed by covid. You must be very good at your business. Congratulations! Ride safely and responsively.

[shastryBLR]

Totally did not expect a thriller like this when I started reading this thread.

With a write up as meticulous as this - can we know the total damage to Wallet? Even better if you can share a detailed list.

Congrats on your restored 1199R! The only one in India!

[PraNeel]

Originally Posted by no_fear

Bike rebuild commences
..........
I hope you enjoyed this build thread. I will continue to update the thread as I revitalize the 1199R. Despite the massive challenges, I actually enjoyed this experience. It has given me an idea to start a bike rebuild series. Let's see what the future holds in store.

I just can't fathom the courage you had to muster to repair an engine for such an exclusive and elusive bike.
Your fairness and honesty to deduct the actual repair amount and pay the second owner before the bike was functional is GOLDEN
Your patience and meticulous approach to repair the engine, nursing the second failure and putting so much effort and passion to revive the bike - LEGENDARY
The post kept me glued to read it till the end and what you have achieved might not be doable by all, but it shows one thing very clearly we have a lot of talent in our country.
If you can put this on YouTube I am sure you will turn into a YTC (YouTube Celebrity)
KUDOS and

[Sen]

Man, I can say all I want that I once loved bikes (my poor Duke 200 is sitting in my garage since my accident in 2019, gotta service and ride it again sometime soon), and I'd be called a poser every day and would accept it.

I could feel your passion for bikes in every word. Props and hat tips to you for your passion and for rebuilding and restoring that beast to its unadulterated glory. The comments about how stuff works in India and penny-pinching rings true, and people wonder why there's always a brain drain from India to more fortunate countries.

Forget preventative maintenance, it's apparently a hard pill for Indians to swallow that a simple oil change on a cheap car or bike can cost 2-5k excluding other charges. I get that our starting salaries are shockingly low, but the mentality here to not treat stuff you don't own with respect is just..sad.

Thank you for the amazing read and for doing what most couldn't or wouldn't. Bravo.

[VijayAnand1]

The magic of right contacts, ceaseless importunity, grinning against Murphy's Law, a resurrection that's worth it. I have been following many of yours and Rachit and Krishna's posts as a silent spectator, but this one deserved a pat on the back. Keep the rubber side down, always and heartfelt congratulations on saving a supermodel destined to Kamathipura.

Good luck.

Cheers!
VJ

[abhi_tjet]

What a wonderful thread it was no_fear. A bollywood movie can never be this good. You, man, are truly passionate and it shows in every sentence of this rebuild thread.

You bought the bike from Bangalore, transported to Delhi for check up and sent back to Hyderabad for rebuilt! Hats off.

Long live the 1199R since its saved by you.
You are bang on correct on the observation in terms of 'we' people are not good in maintaining the assets/infrastructures.

All the best for your new venture.

[vsaravind007]

One of the best bike restoration threads on the forum! Excellent work no_fear! Happy motoring!

[drift87]

Cannot fathom the level of dedication, perseverance required for executing a rebuild/revival on such a motorcycle. And such a brilliant write up, enough to motivate a whole new generation. You are gifted in many ways brother.

[GoBlue]

There is a recent movie quad-logy in which the villain uses this line to describe the hero: “John is a man of focus, commitment and will. I once saw him kill three men in a bar…with a pencil. A effin’ pencil!”.

You sir, are a man of focus, commitment and sheer will. And we have seen you restore an exotic Italian motorcycle remotely over video calls!

Respect to you for having successfully undertaken this ‘mission impossible’. The sheer ecstasy of having watched the bike come to life once again must have been soul quenching, to say the least.

Do let me know the details of your venture (via PM). Shall be my pleasure to share with friends who are looking for pre-owned motorcycles.

Looking forward to hearing about future adventures, for I’m sure this, is just the beginning!

[hifisharu]

@no_fear: What a story, what a write-up, I'm hoping this gets made into a Netflix special for gear-heads. You are living up to your handle name, no fear of knowing the unknown and venturing into unknown waters.

In 2014, I was one of the lucky souls to have seen this in it's original form

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ml#post3528011 (India gets its 1st Ducati Panigale 1199R!)

and from the way the original owner rode, the company of his buddies who rode with him and his general attitude, I knew somewhere in my heart that this bike would be destined to life of misery.

What you have managed to achieve is simply superb and a remarkable feat. Just the sheer dedication and attention to detail is stupendous, the bike deserves you and vice-versa



Even being an automobile engineer, I haven't been able to answer these questions, why could Ducati not have used metal gears for such vital components? Sure, plastic ones are lighter, no corrosion etc, but when cost is no-option, why not also improve on such aspects?

A lot of owners, however rich they are, do not want to spend a single paisa on maintenance. For the 1199R, both the previous owners are fabulously wealthy and flash their riches and status on social media. But none spent wisely or judiciously on preventive maintenance. Both took severe short cuts to save pittances, compared to the original price of the bike. This sort of myopic thinking and lack of care for bikes is very common.

This comment resonates so much with me, I see many riders in my small rider community trying to do the same. The labour rates in Germany are quite high, 120euros an hour for my Triumph, but I'm getting assured some level of quality and competence. I see riders with Ducatis and Kawas trying to skimp out on small things are trying to 'fix' it themselves

If and when I visit Delhi, I hope you will give me an opportunity to visit your Motorcycle Orphanage/Sanctuary. Wishing you many many happy miles and smiles on all of your prized possessions

[RiderZone]

If there's one thread on TBHP that deserves a 5 star rating, this is it. What a story mate! I can't really relate to it to be honest, I had trouble justifying 4 lacs for a new motorcycle, so to spend about that much just on repair and restoration is something I'm not even capable of imagining. But hats off to your patience, and your determination to see the project through. This is going to be a legendary thread, people will read it all over the world with jaws on the floor.

[eccentric]

Machines over Mortals!

This is the thread which embodies the true essence of Team-BHP. It really has etched the Indian biking scene into the annals of automotive legacy. It's been so long since I have read such a meticulous, intricate technical post, reflecting the raw passion, fire and desire that a man possesses for his machines!

Wish every abandoned car in the world be saved by blokes like no_fear. Am sure, this thread will be a source of motivation for anyone undertaking a restoration project.

Thank you.

[AZT]

I read every word in detail. Amazing prose and effort. One of the best threads I've seen on TBHP.

May this Ducati serve you well and also the next owners whenever you choose to sell it.

[vignesh.cv]

Hearty congrats to you on owning a very exclusive machine which can be taken to participate in the highest echelons of motorcycle racing straight from the showroom. What a mental machine.

The first pic of the milky white oil in the drain pan felt like a horror story awaiting to be unraveled. While it is unfortunate in the way the previous owners have treated the bike, the reality is there are all kinds of people and hence can end up this way.

Kudos to you to keep the bike and rebuild it. Shows your passion and deserves a lot of respect and admiration. So glad that you went all the way and did the necessary preventive maintenance. So nice to see someone doing things the right way. Sending back a set of steel bolts and ordering Ti bolts from Ducati Italy shows that. I'm sure with the kind of investment and effort you have made, you can be assured no surprises will spring up your way. 165kgs dry weight and ~200hp is the peak of v-twin tech from Ducati. She is a keeper for sure.

My only suggestion is that you visit the track with her to sample what she can offer. I understand your reasons for not taking her to the track, but the track is the only place where she'll show her true self. Wishing you many trouble free and exhilarating miles with her !!

With regards to the plastic water pump gear, I came across this Germany based online store selling steel gears which can be used as a replacement. It seems the OE plastic ones can degrade over a period of time and is considered as one of the consumables for those who use their bike for racing.