That's a very good point actually.

Fork protectors will cost you less than £20 and a set of frame/fairing bungs can't be more than £50? That would certainly help you get out in the next race and reduce replacement costs.

I'm currently converting a 620 sport from road to race. If you have a half decent starting bike you should be able to sell the stock fairings, seat, exhausts etc etc which should claw back some of the costs. I'm planning on the bike plus £1500 - £2k to make something half good. ( maxton forks, upgrade the brakes lines, brake and clutch master cylinder, clip ons, quick action throttle, fairings, PC3, race rearsets and exhausts. Well I might be kidding myself but hopefully minus £500 or more for the road parts sale.

An oil cooler's a good idea to get heat away from the vertical cylinder, and with proper piping, no jubilee clips!

pete

I dread to think what my bike cost to build, or rebuild!

If I had my time again, I would definitely buy a bike ready built and then fettle as I went along.

This is not just a ploy to sell my bike!!!

Where DD all started for me can be found here

http://www.ducatisportingclub.com/sh...skidlids+diary

My aim was to do it on a shoestring budget
Sadly all the pics have gone as the DSC have changed server a few times since then
Though there are still some in my Gallery
http://www.ducatisportingclub.com/vb...do=hall&u=6793

I think DD has come a long way since those days Kev! there were a few exceptions but some of the bikes looked like they had been salvaged from scrap yards & little done to them.

The standard today is far far better & most look like proper race bikes this is all reflected by the money & care that has been lavished on them.

Also they are going quite a bit faster than in 2005 so need to be safer handle & stop better.

Just my take & I'm not knocking anyone or there bikes.

DD's Brilliant let's keep up the standards:)

I agree Chaz DD has developed and as I often say to those contemplating racing for the first time and aren't sure if its for them, just get out there without spending to much and if you decide you like racing spend a bit more.

Often a converted road bike and a trailer towed behind a car is the starting point, futher down the line its a well sorted bike and a Motorhome towing the trailer.
Thing is its hard to enjoy it if its crippling you financially. Many have started at the budget end, DDers like Bradders, Scott, Sam West, Jimbo, Dean Russel and many more started out with very basic race bikes in recent years and once hooked on the racing have put more into their bikes so as to get more out of the racing.
on my bike I'm still running the same seat unit, tank, rearsets, frame and yokes from my original 2005 bike. And over the years I have steadily uprated various parts with the biggest changes coming when I moved up from Class B to Class A,

Next year will be my 8th year in DD and my 15th year of racing all self funded, not a single £ coming from anyone else and if I hadn't treated racing in DD as a budget series I would have had to pack racing in before now.

I'm not sure how much money this Seasons Class B Championship winning bike has had lavished on it although I'm pretty sure Ghostie lavished a fair bit of care on it, maybe it still fits the bill of looking as if its just been salvaged from a scrap yard, its all part of the attraction of DD

WTF Kev!!!!!:devil:

Its without doubt cheaper to buy a pre prepared bike, but just think of the fun you are missing out on preparing your own. I thought this was part of the atraction?!

Maybe for some, but not everyone. In the first race in 2005 there were quite a few brand new bikes (bought specifically to race in DD!) which had been "shop prepared"!