Track 1 Hyper 0 - Ducati.ms

colacin · Jul 24th, 2008, 1:53 am

Fresh from my runaround last week with the dealer over a fueling issue, I took my hyper to the track on Saturday. It isn't much of a 'track' per se, but it is all we have in Singapore. It's very short and very tight- designed mainly for small supermotos and karts.

http://www.singaporecircuit.com

Nonetheless, another guy had taken a hyper there before, and one of the guys from the Duc shop was going to be down there with his KTM supermoto. I needed to wear the little squigglies off my new tires so I decided 'why not'.

Anyhow- the track feels even smaller once you are on it, and the tight turns really slap you in the face and remind you the hyper has no ground clearance. I spent the better part of 2 hours grinding all the foot controls down and even got the sidestand in on that game.

I was a bit tired (32 deg Celsius ~85% humidity) and out on my last few laps. On one of the faster right hand turns i leaned it over and was on the footpeg pretty fast (the toe peg for the brake was already gone at this point). The back started to slide a bit, which made my foot (out moto-style) hit the ground and give me a bit of a jolt. Then the back hooked up and high-sided immediately. I was launched and the bike bounced pretty hard on the left side and twitched a bit before ending up pointing the wrong way on the track. There were no others on the track at the time, so no worries there. I was surprised how easy it was to pick the bike up and by the fact it was still running.

Surveying the damage pretty quickly showed nothing mangled too badly and what appeared to be mostly cosmetic. Joy of joys, the side-mounted Termi wasn't scratched, but I new all the bits and pieces were going to add up.

I got the bike back to the 'pit' (the facilities are rustic, and that is being generous) and had a better look. The left footpeg was stuck pointing the wrong direction and we had to pound out the pin and stick a nut and bolt in place to keep it on. The back lights still worked, even though they were smashed - LEDs are handy like that. The bike was rideable so eventually I made my way home.

Damage pics are below. Here is where I need some help-- do I need a new frame? My initial reaction is yes. The forks came around so hard they bent the steering stop and the triple crown whacked the frame. There is a pretty good dent there now and the steering stop no longer stops the steering, the fork tube hitting the frame does.

Presently all attempts to attach the photos are failing... I will get them posted later when I get home.

freezer16801 · Jul 24th, 2008, 3:32 am

In the US, the bent steering stop would total it. Not sure how you will do over there. I can't wait to see those photos.

colacin · Jul 24th, 2008, 6:21 am

Still can't get the upload to work... so here is a link to an album. It's just easier that way.

http://picasaweb.google.com/nickcolacino/Hyperdamage

**TAftonomos** · Jul 24th, 2008, 9:18 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by freezer16801

In the US, the bent steering stop would total it. Not sure how you will do over there. I can't wait to see those photos.

A bent steering stop will TOTAL a bike? Sheeot, that happened on a previous bike that had a tip-over in the garage.

georound · Jul 24th, 2008, 10:45 am

Sounds like you had fun at the track. I'd fix what ever really bothered you (tailight, seat, etc) and have someone heat up the steering stop to see if you can bend it back. Maybe even have some one weld on something in its place. I'd be slowly build up speed to see how the frame handles at speed and sweepers. Not sure if you have anyone there that can measure the frame....I can't imagine the cost of a new frame, may 2 or 3 thousand dollars. It'd be interesting to know if it's the same frame as the multistrada.
My pet peeve is guys that take their bike to a track, total it and then claim a dog ran out in front of them on the street.....not sure if you are considering the insurance route or even if that's an option in Singapore.
Or maybe, you could find someone to weld you up a titanium frame!
As far as totalling a bike in US, can you imagine the number of hours at a Ducati dealership to change the frame? Add parts that are scratched.....it can easily total a bike.

happyfunjuice · Jul 24th, 2008, 4:09 pm

agreed - those steering stops aren't too beefy. I wouldn't worry too much about the frame, but you might want to loosen up and retorque the triple trees and axle - check that stuff is still straight and that you don't have any unusual play in the steering stem.

Sorry to see you scraped it up - glad you weren't injured!

Nice work lightening those pegs/foot controls too ;-)

tunefx · Jul 24th, 2008, 10:18 pm

Take two colacin and you'll feel better in the morning!

Glad you are ok! Sounds like you've created a reason to give NCR a call and create your very own Leggera!

colacin · Jul 24th, 2008, 10:40 pm

If I add up all the damages and fix it locally, the total would be about USD8k and if I buy everything from the US it would be about USD6k. That would be replacing everything that is damaged, including the frame, sub-frame, and stuff which is really just cosmetic. The latter figure includes a rear sub-frame from Shift-Tech instead of Ducati, though.

The frame is about 2500-3000 to replace, so not cheap, but it is a different one from the Mulitistrada, even if they are quite similar overall. I have sent a note to NCR to see what they would charge for a Ti frame from the Leggera but no response yet.

The cost for taking off and putting the parts back on will be cheaper over here because the hourly rate for labor is lower, and if I do need to rebuild the bike I might take the opportunity to go for some other mods like the cam kit and the Nichols flywheel.

An observation regarding the expense of aftermarket rearsets- they might look expensive at first, but replacing the stock items from the hyper with Ducati parts will cost well over $600.

All of this will be paid for out of pocket- I don't like the practice of insurance fraud even if I really don't like the insurance business that much in general. Additionally, I would need police reports of the accident, etc., and that would open up a new can of worms.

As for damages to the rider, well, nothing that doesn't heal for free. I was wearing a motocross-style setup and just have a few bumps and bruises. I have been hurt much worse by spills from my mountain bike.

freezer16801 · Jul 25th, 2008, 4:10 am

I expected worse. The frame sliders looked to have saved some of the bike. My painter would def. be able to fix the fairings. It might be your chance for a tri colore.

husky · Jul 25th, 2008, 4:39 am

If you went past the steering stop that explaines why your front fender does not match up with the wheel. The lower triple clamp is more than probably twisted. This happened to me on my Husky. If you loosen the lower clamp from your forks you will see the fender and wheel lign up. Good luck!