I tracked my Monster (with a 944 kit and Flat Slide Carbs) years ago because it was only bike I had at the time. It was fun, because I had not ridden a real track bike. The sound was cool going down the back straight at 130 mph with open exhausts. I was just getting back into track days. I used to race AFM back in the 70's with skinny tires and low power and spindly frames. As I pushed the bike harder and harder I noticed the suspension was limiting the bike. A little wallow here and there and to go really fast you need more weight on the front wheel. I found this out after buying a 916 and taking it to the track. Big difference. The bike was much more stable and with race tires, the lean angles obtained were fantastic. It was designed as a race bike. Front wheel loading built into the design.

So for me to go back to a bike that is designed for street use would not be fun. But if you are on the up swing in the learning curve, a monster can be very fun on the track. And really having fun is what it is all about.

 

I just recently rediscovered track riding, on my Monster. Yes, lots of suspension mods but the bike handles superbly. My body won’t let me enjoy my 999 because of the racer ergonomics and the more upright Monster helps me out there.

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I will track my 821 in 2019, for sure. Such a fun bike to throw around, to me anyway, that it seems wasted on the street.

 

I recently traded my 959 Panigale for a 1260 Multistrada Pikes Peak. Consequently my Monster 1200R will be used for occasional track outings.

 

My first Ducati was an 851, I finally rode it on the track. I tested Gravity with it and decided I needed a dedicated track bike instead, just in case. Well at the dealership we had a wrecked 1997 M750 that someone had ridden into a stone wall. $500 later I had the start of a great adventure! Because it had no front end left I swapped in a carby 900ss front end with a set of valved and sprung 41mm showas, the same forks as my 851.

Plenty of people will tell you a early monster has the same frame as a 851 and I can tell you they only have slight similarity's. Since I was sort of re-creatinig a 2-valve 851 (or so I thought) I used many parts for the chassis that would be right at home on my 851. Being a starving motorcycle mechanic I had more skills than money so each year I attempted in making the bike just a little bit better.

Year one was getting it running and rolling on track. I used supersport forks and trees the same as the 851 and a single brake as I only had 60hp. I liked the 916 tail and was given one by a customer so I had to try and fit it for a better track height seat. Now I have to mention being a starving motorcycle mechanic I had to figure out how to slip another bike past the significant otther so I made the seat unit height adjustable with a 3 inch range. I could drop it for her and "surprise" I made you (us) a bike! For lights it was a acerbis dirtbike headlight that was not very bright but it was a start.

I needed/wanted to get used to the bike as I never owned (or wanted ) a monster so I wanted to work the bugs out on the street before taking it to the track. The 97 m750 motor is a great motor trapped in a set of engine cases that are far too fragile so making the motor stronger was not an option. This turned out to be a good thing. ... sort of. The 60-65rwhp forced me to get better in the corners and on the brakes as I did not have the luxury of power, many great battles were had where I would out break a friend and get re-passed on the straights only to re-pass going into the corners. Great fun. Do not think a low HP monster will not be entertaining it is just a different game.

Year 2 saw mostly cosmetic upgrades as well as refinements. I rattle canned the orange bits to see if I liked them after the rectifier gave the frame an acid wash, a friend painted the bodywork. I painted the engine. A new set of rear sets and better headlights made from projector beams sourced from ST parts. It was starting to get a reputation as "that bike" though I got many what is that bike?

Year 3 and I started with a crankshaft, next thing you know I spent more on the motor build than the whole bike to date. A custom long rod , de-stroked 853 2-valve motor with a close ratio gearbox. No cams or porting but I did dual plug the heads. Gains were better than the 750 but not earth shattering. But my goal was to essentially have a oversize 750 and it fit the bill just fine. I did gain a 6 speed and dry clutch rattle so that made me faster right there. Sorry I do not have any photos of this version on the computer.

Year 4 was a aluminum swingarm and rear shock, my sachs Boge that I had highly modified worked fine but I got my hands on a Penske and built/converted it into the shock this bike deserved. The swingarm was mostly for cosmetics but it made it one step closer to the 851 so I had to do it.


Year 5 saw two major upgrades.
1. Keihin FCR carbs- these things are almost a must have just for the fun factor, sadly they are pricey now so start saving. I switched from the bank of oem carbs to the split singles to gain some top end power and well... they just look cooler with pod filters.
2. I used to work with Doug Cook who was a good friend and awesome welder/pipe builder, he was itching to get his hands on my bike for years as there was a exhaust he wanted to try. I specified only a couple things (undertail and megaphones) and let him have at it. To say the routing was a challenge was an understatement but I think it came out great, and the sound of twin megaphones out of the little 853 is not too bad itself.

Year 6 saw a change to the front as I had been mounting GSXR1000 forks on customers Ducatis I decided to try one myself. I also changed to a 5.50" rear wheel at about this time.

Now I have lost track of the years and it has somehow gained magnesium wheels and the engine has grown from the 853 to a 944 and currently has a 985 motor. I have not run it in a few years as I built a supersport 750 carby and that has become my track bike most of the time. This one has become to pretty and with parts I could not replace if I did something stupid.

Should you take a monster to the track?
Oh yes, and it matters very little which one it is. they all take tweaks to make them great track bikes but . The fun part is the journey to make the bike a good old friend who you always smile when you get asked the question.

is anybody racing or tracking their Monster?

Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

 

My first Ducati was an 851.........

Should you take a monster to the track?
Oh yes, and it matters very little which one it is. they all take tweaks to make them great track bikes but . The fun part is the journey to make the bike a good old friend who you always smile when you get asked the question.


Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

GREAT STORY!

 

Love it. Great story.






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the only modifications to my monster is the rear shock Olhins and a pair of supercorsa Pro....

some video in action last year :

 

I just got home from a combination Jennings, Fl track weekend with the Monster and a trip down to the Daytona 200. The Monster handled the track in Jennings beautifully. Again, I had no complaints other than a quirky quick shifter. I think I've decided that the Healtech quick shifter is fine for the street but the adjustment on the sensor is too inconsistent for the track. I've already ordered a Translogic unit to replace it.

 

Funny I forgot about it until watching the great videos!

Bcm motorsports used to have monster trackdays where 80% of bikes on track were monsters (instructors and a few "specials" were allowed to defile the day). It was fun to have mostly monsters but I did enjoy regular days where you get to surprise a few superbike guys. :wink2:

 

I hope everyone watched the MotoAmerica races at Road Atlanta this weekend. Michael Barnes destroyed all the Suzuki SV650s in the twins class on his Monster 797!

https://www.roadracingworld.com/new...ews/motoamerica-more-on-quarterley-racing-fielding-michael-barnes-in-twins-cup/


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I did a track day with Michael at Homestead Speedway last Sunday (so a week before) when he was shaking down that Monster for the first time. We shared a garage and he was next to me and it was interesting to get his reaction. Incidentally, I was on a race prepared monster 696. They make great track bikes.

Here are a couple of pics of the one I was one.

 

Awesome!


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We also have to be careful not to attribute too much to the bike vs the rider, If Barnes was on one of those SV650's would the results bee different? A couple years ago the locar racers were all hot to change to 1100 evo monsters because the class fast guy was winning on a race prepped 1100evo monster. I had to show them that in most cases the 1100evo was barely faster than a stock 1000ds in either the monster or supersport. The motors when built were still close in power so no huge gain other than weight with the evo from what we saw.

The monster evo chassis is heavier than a early supersport of monster chassis all due to the cast rear section being a boat anchor. Geometry is no better than a supersport /early monster and suspension needs help on all of them so it is not cheaper or better.Keep in mind the cantilever design of the rear on the 696,796,1100 monsters is a price point design without linkage like a early monster has so it is a less sophisticated (non-superbike) design. For me it boils down to the tank shape being better or worse for the rider as well as availability of parts. If I had one I would certainly have fun with it but I do not see them as a massive improvement just a different starting point.

I have a 1100evo we are building in shop right now to see if the motor will out perform the 1000 builds, fingers are crossed.

 

Keep in mind the cantilever design of the rear on the 696,796,1100 monsters is a price point design without linkage like a early monster has so it is a less sophisticated (non-superbike) design.

So true. Suspension without linkage is actually really hard to tune for high lean angles, particularly if your track has bumpy turns. When the pace picks up, rears start to chatter out from under you. It takes a LOT of work to make that not happen, and many people fail and just reach cornering limits a little sooner. You end up going around corners like this:

Ultralight racers on RC390's and R3's know all about it. I raced a Ninja 300 and thank god it had a decent proper rear linkage suspension. No issues with a proper set up Ohlins rear shock.

A Monster 797 didn't win the twins class at MotoAmerica, Michael Barnes did. He's just an awesomely fast old man which inspires all us other 50 year old guys.

I got my 696 for street duty but that said I still do have the urge to give it a little whirl at the track just for the hell of it.

 

if you look at those pics I posted, you can see and they're all at the end of corners. My 696 was super at flying through the turns but I kept getting held up by people on much more powerful bikes (like that 200+hp Aprilia RSV4 Limited) and I would pass them at the start of the straights but they would rocket past me by mid straight. So FYI, maybe an 1100 would be a much nicer bike for all around tracking that a low hp 696. But I did love how the bike felt and rode. The balance was spot on.

Being a contrarian by nature I would argue maybe the guy on the RSV4 was on the wrong bike if you were passing him at all. Power levels on track day bikes are all about what game you want to play. I very much enjoy taking the under powered small bike and trying to get as close to 100% of the potential. Small bikes force YOU to get faster in the corners and braking zones. High HP bikes allow you to learn braking from high speeds and working to NOT park it in the corners.

Both are fun and I would imagine if you got past the liter bike earlier in the tight section you might not have had him pass you even on the straight.

 

Both are fun and I would imagine if you got past the liter bike earlier in the tight section you might not have had him pass you even on the straight.

It would have been very easy to pass him in the corners but in the group I was in, they asked to not pass in the corners and only on the straights. As a result, I tried to time my run through the corners so I could go by on the straight as soon as we would enter the straight.

 

I have heard of handicapping but that is more like kneecapping a rider.

 

:smile2:

They did offer to put me in the other group where you could pass anywhere at any time but I saw some of the shenanigans going on there and opted to stay in my handicapped group and learn to operate as best as possible within those rules.

 

I hate to differ but, it’s never just the rider, or the bike, or the team. It’s when they all come together that you win.

On the first lap it wasn’t just Barnes that blew around the three leading riders on the straight down into turn 10. Even the commentators where talking about his top speed advantage.


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Disclaimer: I didn't see the race. I'm kinda itching to get that streaming package so I can see it. It's weird to me though, in midwest CCS, the couple of guys who run monsters in lightweight have a distinct disadvantage in just about every facet of performance. Barnes team must have worked some serious magic on that bike.

 

50 is not old! Wait 10 years and see if you agree. :laugh:

I have done a few track days, but not with the Monster.
Decided a few years ago I had enough of that, do not need to go 125 mph to have fun.
Do not need to push it that hard to have fun, and there was always "that guy" who did not know his limits that I did not want to be around at a track day. Same reason I mostly fly solo these days. Squids.

Reading stuff like this makes me think about it though. I feel like I'd just as soon spend the time and money on road trips. Maybe if it was Laguna Seca. I have done Big track at Willow Sprigs and liked it. Streets of Willow, bumpy and did not flow well imho, did not care for it. Fontana California Speedway, hated running 100+ next to a wall, then running around a bunch of cones in what was basically a parking lot. Meh. No likee. Not a good motorcycle venue, imho.

Duckman, if you find it hard to get over and hang off, have you considered Armor All for the seat?
I know it is not generally recommended, but what could go wrong? :laugh:

 

No shit! When you get close to 70 tell me about 50 being old.

I got a funny Armor All story. All old farts got stories, right? Back in the early 80’s I read that Roberts and those dudes would put baby powder on their seats. Armor All just came out so I did the seat of my Honda 900F. Next race at TWS, going around the banking at top speed I could not stay on the bike. Seriously. I came in and spit on the seat, rubbed dirt in it, used windex on the ass of my leathers, anything I could.

Never bought or used that shit since.

True story.


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Too funny. :laugh:

 

The streaming package is great! They are still debugging a few problems but overall it worked very well. I enjoyed watching the MotoA event as much as I do Motogp.

I loved being able to see the Twins, Junior Cup, and Stock 1000 classes as much as the Superbike and SuperStock classes.


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I survived one more Trackday at NOLA this past weekend. This may be the last Trackday for a while on the Monster as I’m transitioning over to the Ninja 400. It’s first day will be at Jennings, Fl in about 10 days.

This was also a pretty special day for me because it was my first time on track with my youngest son. He was riding my 690 Duke. This is the first street bike he’s ever ridden and had logged a massive 50 miles on it before we went to the track. He was pretty damn fast right off the bat. Oh yea, he’s been riding dirt since he was 3 but never road street. He says he’s hooked!

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I’ve done many track days on an S4RS. This is at Laguna Seca. It may not be a “track bike” but it’s so much fun on the track.

 

I've been racing this well built M1100 Evo in this seasons FMRRA series, and I planned on doing the CCS races at Daytona (only got 4 laps before they cancelled the event). I'll be heading to Roebling Road in a week and a half to FINALLY get back on track again.

 

Very cool bike! Love it!


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I'm planning on swapping out my shock to a Penske, or finding an S model Ohlins, then either changing the spring or putting a cartridge in the front. After a few track sessions working with Dave Moss and another guy, I got the bike to lesson the rocking horse, and at least squat evenly. My lap times went down, but I'm still not comfortable pushing it at full anger. I think the basic platform of the 1100 is a great track bike, as it's light, got a good amount of power without being overwhelming. Just needs better suspenders. Probably should've just found an S model 1100, but I'm a sucker for the Evo. I can tell you this, I get a lot of comments aboot how my bike sounds at full pin on the front stretch at Chuckwalla. Those Comp Werkes doggies like to bark, lol. And in the end, it's not how fast you are, it's how cool you look and sound

 

Still looking for an S model Ohlins rear shock? Getting ready to part out my 2009 Ducati Monster 1100S at the end of this month.

 

I did my first ever track day at NJMP in 2018 and took my Monster 695 I had at the time because it was the only bike I had that was trackable. First impressions - Lots of looks and lots of "what is that thing?" LOL. It's no sport bike but it faired well and I learned a lot. The track exposed the bikes limits though - stock under sprung suspension and the low exhaust. As far as power, these L twin engines are known for their down low torque regardless what it is so use it to your benefit.

Edit: The power output on the 695 may not be ideal for track use depending on your level of experience. I personally found it to be fine but then again I took what I had in my garage at the time.