Ducati Sporting Club UK > DesmoDue Race Series > DesmoDue - General Questions and Chat > Conversion cost

[Jolley]

Originally Posted by steeevvvooo

Dynojet + dyno set up £150
Fairings £200
Tyres £150 (would need a new set regardless of buy/build really?
Cheap shock recon + fork set up £200
TOTAL £900

Obviously other bits such as rear sets, clip ons, race pads, master cylinders etc but in terms of the main bits, does the above seem sensible? Do I need anything else?

Seriously considering the conversion route at the moment…

I would say you are looking at:
Dyno run £50 - if it is upwards of 47bhp, why waste any more money?
Fairings £150 off of ebay, plus £50 on bits and pieces to make up the brackets
Tyres £50 for a set of scrubs from last year if you really wanted to save
shock/fork £????? I personally think this is where money should be spent..... and one of the things that makes an already (well) prepped bike a bargain by comparison. For instance, my relatively cheap set-up of wilbers fork springs and bottom of the range wilbers shock was still probably in the region of £600
clipons/rearsets/sharkfin/crashbungs/pads £500
levers £up to you how flashy you want to be, from leave as they are to top of the range Brembo.
So a total (which I think is a realistic, achievable one) of around £1,500. Any less than that and I really don't think you'll be happy with the result.

So, with bikes either on the market (or will be in the next few weeks) from Craig/Bradders/Neal/KevP/Phil/Hugh, plus the ones in the classifieds from prices of £1,500+, I know what I would do. Look at it this way, you can buy a prepped bike for the cost of converting a road bike.... so you have the cash you saved from not buying a donor bike to spend on upgrades to the bike you bought (most racers would tell you what they would change to make their own bike better - so you would know exactly what to do). However, just be careful that the bike you are buying is the bike that was raced, and not a frankenstien of bits.

Originally Posted by Cranker V2

Crash protection is something I never really considered during the rebuild of mine last season. It has cost me a fair few quid this year and DNS's.

I'm not quite sure how that works. I only tended to bend levers/clipons/pegs, which you would do with or without crash protection?

[bradders]

Originally Posted by Jolley

However, just be careful that the bike you are buying is the bike that was raced, and not a frankenstien of bits.

this actually is a fantastic point; many have bits removed, sold one whatever and they are not as they finished the season

[Cranker V2]

Ron,

it was my two offs at oulton that hurt the bike really, front wheels besnt, 2 discs bent, 2 throttle assemblies , 2 brake levers, 1 brake master cyclinder, 2 rear sets, 1 can, 1 link pipe, 1 upper fairing, 1 side fairing...............Ouch..

[steeevvvooo]

Originally Posted by bradders

this actually is a fantastic point; many have bits removed, sold one whatever and they are not as they finished the season

decision made... buy it is! (unless yours is a frankenstein?! )

[bradders]

ha ha nope mine is EXACTLY as it finished Castle Doom...nothing fancy here; just functional

[Bionicle]

Originally Posted by Jolley

I'm not quite sure how that works. I only tended to bend levers/clipons/pegs, which you would do with or without crash protection?

Crash protection did not help me much when i had my Snetterton off in 2010

[Ghost]

Originally Posted by Bionicle

Crash protection did not help me much when i had my Snetterton off in 2010

Oooh that still makes me go cold.

[Gbyte666]

You just have to hit the Giant Castle Coombe airbag wall and land on your feet like I did while my bike stayed upright. Wasted money my bungs

Craig

[Jolley]

BTW, my Frankenstein comment wasn't specifically aimed as a dig towards anyone. I know Kev and Phil will be selling slightly revised bikes, but they will no doubt be well prepared and still have the strong engines they had.

Similarly, it is a common misconception from newbie racers that championship position is a direct indication of how good a bike is. TBH, it isn't true. I would have said, purely from a machinery point of view, that Alan/Kev/Hugh/Phil had the lighter more powerful bikes. Neals was also a very light bike, but one of two bhp down on the others. Mine, despite finishing 2nd in the championship was heavier and less powerful than most. For example, it was 20kg heavier than Phils/Neals when I set the Anglesey Lap record (and I "only" had 48bhp). What I am trying to get at is don't automatically go for the bike that finished highest up the table. It will no doubt be a good bike, but there could be a much better bike back in 10th (that has actually been thrashed less).

Again, I am not trying to promote or scupper any sales here... just pointing out what maybe isn't obvious to the newbie racer.

[Jolley]

Originally Posted by Cranker V2

Ron,

it was my two offs at oulton that hurt the bike really, front wheels besnt, 2 discs bent, 2 throttle assemblies , 2 brake levers, 1 brake master cyclinder, 2 rear sets, 1 can, 1 link pipe, 1 upper fairing, 1 side fairing...............Ouch..

I'm not sure crash protection can prevent bending a wheel

I do run crash bungs, but not the front wheel mushrooms. I have lowsided mine three times this year, flipped it once, and ran over Neal/Neil, and the worst I have done is smash a screen, bend some bars and levers, and smash the lid off the brake reservoir. I have scraped the front wheel nut (3 times now - this year and last), but it still works fine. I think crash protection or not, it is as much about the luck of where you fall and what the bike hits...