Man brother, Ducati should hire you as their stylist ! I was thinking of swapping out my 3 spoke wheels on my 2001 ST4 ( I don't know if they will fit or not) with GT1000 spoked wheels, but I really like the Marchesini's you put on your GT!
My Bling and Black GT1000... Lots of Pics! VIDEO ADDED!
61 - 80 of 82 Posts
Joined
·
1,496 Posts
Thank you for the kind words!
I would NOT recommend you putting GT1000 OEM spoked wheels on your ST4.
The rims are made of steel and the extra weight in the outer part of the wheels can significantly reduce the bike's performance:
1) You need more power to build enough rotational kinetic energy to put those wheels in motion, so the throttle response will be slower.
2) Brakes will not be as responsive because a considerable amount of brake power will be used to reduce the rotational kinetic energy on those heavy wheels spinning.
3) Direction changes will also be harder to make due to the gyroscopic effect that increases with the amount of mass spinning.
4) Both front and rear suspensions will get a harder time keeping the tires in contact with the ground because every street bump will put all the additional mass in motion.
GT1000's OEM spoked wheels are beautiful, but I'd only recommend them if you are fond of low speed riding.
Having said that. If you still want to go that route, be aware that the front 4 piston calipers on the ST4 would be too big for the GT1000 front spoked wheel. You would need to replace them with 2 piston calipers like the ones you find on 620cc Multistradas (another performance downgrade).
Joined
·
1,199 Posts
Joined
·
1,496 Posts
Thanks!
I filmed it here: Jiquipilco
Fortunately there are many similar places to ride near Mexico City
Joined
·
1,496 Posts
Yes, it took some time. But it was really fun to do!Video came out great, Jorge! Really nice production! I'll bet that took some time in shooting and editing. Great job!!😃🎬
Thank you!
Joined
·
696 Posts
ha ha ha...great video!
Joined
·
1,496 Posts
Thanks!
I custom made several devices to get some particular camera angles I wanted.
I fabricated a special rig attached to the helmet for those front takes.
You can see it's shadow on the road between 1:02 and 1:03.
Joined
·
1,199 Posts
It is beautiful in Mexico. I met a girl from Colima a few years back while she was here in Atlanta interning with CNN. We started dating and it turned out her dad was the Mayor of Colima and they ran a family hotel in the downtown area. I always wanted to ride my bike down there from Atlanta. It would of been one hell of a trip. I decided not to after I visited and we went to Manzanillo for a week. While there her dad received a call and he was notified that some men had kidnapped a worker of his and stole there huge excavator. This was another family business, not related to being Mayor. They wanted him to pay a ransom in order to get the machine back. Don't know whatever happened, but realized that a trip down to where she lived was just too dangerous to do by myself.
Joined
·
1,496 Posts
I fully understand you. I once had a bad experience as a Mexican when traveling around the US when I went through Alabama.
Unfortunately although most places have more good people than bad, if you put yourself in a vulnerable position in foreign land, bad people may want to take advantage of you.
Riding in Mexico is a great experience, but I do recommend you doing it with Mexican friends that can provide wise advise about the safe way to approach local situations.
Please let me know when you'd like to come around. I'd be happy to ride with you.
Joined
·
1,496 Posts
Thanks!
I am glad that you have been able to enjoy San Miguel de Allende!
My wife and I love It.
Joined
·
1,496 Posts
Thanks for the kind words!
It was a bit of both. I took them to a shop to polish but they did not go deep on the details. Unfortunately I don't know any polishing shop nearby that would do the kind of job I required. I've seen ads on the web from polishing shops in the US but they charge a lot of money for a high quality job. So I had to do most of the detailing at home. It took time and elbow grease, but I managed to achieve the look I was looking for.
It was the same with the wheels, they were initially OEM red. So I had to remove the paint, and remove all the coarse finish by hand with sand paper (Coarse, medium and fine) before polishing. I use Eastwood buffing compounds and wheels. They have a videos on youtube about polishing aluminum to get a mirror finish. I also use some polishing drill bits I bought through amazon for the places that are tough to reach.
In the case of belt covers, they were initially anodized black. So I had to remove the anodized layer first by immersing them in caustic soda for a while.
I hope these tips help if you want to go that route.
Joined
·
1,496 Posts
Thank you!
61 - 80 of 82 Posts
