Ducati Sporting Club UK > DesmoDue Race Series > DesmoDue - General Questions and Chat > Maybe time for a change

[mat2hew]

in my honest opinion though, I've been about bikes for over 20 years, probably the first 15 of those I didn't know my arse from elbow. But the things I've learned since I started racing... what I never learned was how to be fast... I always was.

for years I'd been watching people paying suspension 'experts' money to click a few nobs and turn a few screws and thought it was a load bollox. until one day a friend wasted his money and said it was so good he'd pay for the bloke to look at my fireblade, it was amazing, I couldn't believe how much better it was.

the first couple of rounds this year I thought it was me, not pushing, being careful and being out of practice. I have drawn on my years of experience and decided that a lot of my lost speed is my new bike a bit this year is not set up properly, maybe the bike makes more difference than I previously believed.

[bradders]

Not as experienced at racing, but it made a world of difference to me. To the point of I started taking liberties a little, and a couple of visits to the med centre, but all driven by confidence in the bike working so well under me.

SS very different to a monster chassis too imo having ridden both

[bally71]

Spent my first couple of years on stock suspension .. all it did was wreck my confidence in the front end .. the standard ss springs are awful and every time i started to push a bit i ended up on my arse.

That said i've raced with guys who can seemingly jump on any old pile and still go fast.

The one thing i can say for certain tho is that there's not that big a difference between the front riders and mid pack in DD .. I was running at the pointy end at oulton (3rd) and donny (4th) after the crash at cadwell on the sat i only buttoned it off a little bit for the races on the sunday but was fighting for 16th

[bally71]

Originally Posted by mat2hew

I have drawn on and decided that a lot of my lost speed is my new bike a bit this year is not set up properly, maybe the bike makes more difference than I previously believed.

If you believe it .. it's true

*legs crossed sitting in a room of candles*