Decision time- which bike should go??

[TonyB]

In the not too distant future I'm going to have to make a decision about racing. I'm interested to hear people’s thoughts on what I should do.

Background:
My wife was made redundant some time ago, making me the main bread winner- we were about equal up till then. She now has a part time job but is bringing in about half of what she was. I used to fund my racing from my small parts business, but that revenue stream has dried up. SO. Bike racing is becoming too expensive, even at the modest level that I race at. My guilt levels are increasing. To top it off, we just forked out about $14k to fix the roof....

I currently have a 99 FXR150 bucket racer, and a 99 Ducati Monster M750 F3/BEARS racer. The Ducati didn't cost as much to buy as you might think, but I have definitely poured a few $ into it. It still needs more $ spent on it, whereas the emergence of the MotoFXR series here in Canterbury means that a standard FXR is a handy bike to have.

The FXR can race in Buckets...and that’s it. I definitely enjoy riding it, and lets face it, its the cheapest motor sport there is. It handles as well as the majority of buckets, and the only limitation is the rider (and the fact he doesn't want to modify the engine). However, I know from experience that I don't feel like I'm getting value for money just having the bucket at a race meeting- there’s no way I’d go to a street race with just a bucket. The second class citizen thing irks a bit as well.

The Monster can do MNZ F3, and BEARS F2 & Super Stock Ltd, and it gives me a bike that I can race in two or three classes at any given South Island street race, as well as multiple classes at the BEARS Sound of Thunder. That’s why I bought it- one bike to maintain, loads of classes to race it in. The Monster has some issues though- as you’d expect because its intended use is as a slightly sporty cruiser. I’ve sorted the brakes, the ground clearance issues and the front forks (to a point). It has a woeful rear shock, and the clutch has slipped a bit in the past, and may be starting to do it again….have you SEEN the cost of a Ducati clutch kit??? It could do with some decent carbs. The tank is mostly bog and I had to have a liner put in it to stop it from leaking. Realistically it would be fine with just the shock and the clutch sorted. But that’s still quite a bit of money, which my roof now has…

So the way I see it, I have three options:

Option 1: Sell the Monster and just race the Bucket for a few years.
Pros:

I would get more money for the Monster.
Racing would become very cheap.
I could develop the FXR a bit for very little money- hopefully become genuinely competitive


Cons:

I would probably (OK definitely) not sell the bike for what I’ve put in, and it might take a while to sell
It would be hard to replace as the carbed 750’s are quite sought after now.
The $x,000 that I would get for the Monster would disappear in a puff of smoke, never to be seen or recovered. In short, that would be the end of BEARS/ SOT’s and Street meetings. It would be years before I could justify spending that kind of money on a bike again.


Option 2: Sell the FXR and put the money into the Monster
Pros:

I get more racing this way- still get to do BEARS/ SOT’s and Street meetings
I would then have one multi-class bike to prepare and race- would hopefully improve my riding more than just riding the bucket (more races)
The FXR is easily replaced if I want to get back into buckets


Cons:

Racing wont be dirt cheap, as the Monster would use more consumables. Temptation is always there to up the ante and use tyre warmers/ wets etc…lets face it, you have to if you want to be competitive
The money from the FXR wont cover everything I need to do on the Monster.


Option 3: Sell them both and buy something else!
No Pros/ Cons here. I could maybe get a Motard, which can then double as a dirt bike…but then any Motard I bought would be cheap, uncompetitive and possibly prone to breaking down. I could maybe get a more suitable race bike, like a 750SS, or maybe a pre89 that could do double duties. Any suggestions?

The thing for me is that I’ve come close to sorting the Monster, and it frustrates me to think that I might have to sell it before getting it right. All it needs is an Ohlins to make it handle- at the moment its obvious that its not right, because when I just sit in the seat and tour around it feels bloody awful. I’m quite attached to the thing, and it got me some good results in the 08 BEARS Winter Series (a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the three classes I raced in…that would be because they banned Motards that year)

There are other options of course, like mothballing the Monster for a while, but I think I’d have trouble justifying that. There are other issues as well, like the fact that I only ride motorbikes at race meetings- I find it difficult to jump on a bike and go hard out when I haven’t ridden at all since the last meeting 1 month or more ago.

So what do you think? I’m interested to hear your opinion.

[White trash]

Sell em all. Bikes are over rated anyway.

You're welcome.

[Str8 Jacket]

Can your FXR be road legal? Mine is a 'Commuting Bucket Racer' saves me heaps of $$. Though I also have a streetstock 150 as well.

Bucket racing is fun and riding on the road is overated IMO but with the FXR you can always have fun without the added $$ and stress of speeding tickets. It's a "win win" situation!

I am paying of a shit load of debt off myself ATM and have paid over $15,000 of it off in the past 3 years with only prob another couple of years I will be debt free if I can just swallow my pride and keep riding what I can afford. People mock me but bleh, what do they know! ;)

[KS34]

Holy crap, you have put alot of thought into this. there is always the.. buy a dart board... put up your options...close your eyes.... do your best!:2thumbsup . Seriously its head or heart stuff isnt it. Alot of us face or avoid the same thing. Head says sell up and wait till things settle down and the monies are in the bank, heart says sell the bucket and live hand to mouth, in the middle it is sell the duke have fun on the bucket and work your way back to a bigger bike when you can. I feel for you, alot of people are in your situation and alot of us are only a CEO's bad day away from it. Good luck with what ever you decide. Ken.

[Skunk]

I'm biased but I say sell the Monster and do Buckets.

Reason: it saves the most money.

[Wingnut]

:cool:Sell em both. Try something new. Get an Aprillia Super motard and still do bears as well!

[R6_kid]

Sell them both then get a perm.

[mossy1200]

Advertise both and let fate pick.Fate may choose both or one or none.Lets face it if you cant pick which way to go your stating you have no personal preference.If you do have a preference then you will do that no matter what we say.

[Kickaha]

I'm biased but I say sell the Monster and do Buckets.

Reason: it saves the most money.

Same option I would go for

With BEARS and MCC you can do at least a meeting a month plus still do the street meetings, ok the amount of racing you get to do in any given day is less but the cost is also substantially reduced

With the money the rear shock and clutch kit will cost you can do about 10 years Bucket racing

[Squiggles]

The bucket would get you two sets of tires maybe?

[Yow Ling]

Keep the Bucket, there is more prize money in FXR Racing series than most other classes.
You already know the answer you are just hoping that heaps of deluded KBer are going to say keep the Monsta.
How much does it cost every time u use the Monsta ? $300 $400?
How much to run the bucket $60 or $75 including entry and transponger.
The monster is the bike equivelent of a boat, a hole in the water where you throw money
Keep the FXR Douglas

[TonyB]

Thanks for the replys. Funnily enough, at times I completely agree with White Trash.

Yes it is head and heart stuff, but there are some 'head' reasons for keeping the Monster; much more racing, can I get back what I've put in etc. However if it comes down to a choice between the Monster and not racing at all, its a no brainer.

I kinda knew anyone from the bucket community would say "keep the bucket", but trust me it doesn't cost anything like $300 a round to race the monster! Yes it is significantly more expensive, but I get to race multiple classes so the cost has to be looked at from that point of view. The Monster has never had a mechanical breakdown of any kind (minor electrical faults yes:whistle:), so all the money I have spent has been put towards consumables and developing the bike. Plus a while back I sold some of the spare bits off it on trademe and made enough money to buy a good bucket...

At the moment I'm not particularly happy with the results I'm getting on the Monster, and I think ultimately it will come down to whether or not I can afford to actually finish the thing and make it competitive. Realistically I don't think I can, so its probably neither head nor heart. Just reality.

[gav]

Well, I think if youre going to keep and race the Monster, you might as well keep the FXR as well. It costs nothing extra to race the bucket, and has no real running costs, $10 of fuel would last you 3 meets. You would gain more in race craft and have more fun at a race meet than the possible $1000 you might get for the FXR.
The only option to save money is to sell the Monster and just race the bucket.
Or sell the Monster and buy a Pre 89 400/600, for around $3000 maybe? Whats the Monster worth? $5000 maybe?

[TonyB]

Well, I think if youre going to keep and race the Monster, you might as well keep the FXR as well. It costs nothing extra to race the bucket, and has no real running costs, $10 of fuel would last you 3 meets. You would gain more in race craft and have more fun at a race meet than the possible $1000 you might get for the FXR.
The only option to save money is to sell the Monster and just race the bucket. Its hard to argue with that logic, but the bucket would go (along with some other stuff) to fund the bits for the monster

Or sell the Monster and buy a Pre 89 400/600, for around $3000 maybe? Whats the Monster worth? $5000 maybe? Yeah but then I have a 20+ year old bike that I'm thrashing, which will probably cost a fair bit to maintain and will still need suspension work.

I can't help looking at some of the euro motards on Trademe...
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-228104394.htm
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-246098904.htm

Is something like that going to be more trouble than its worth...and can I actually adapt to it and ride it??

[AllanB]

Tony the choice is simple.

Get a live-in girlfriend who is earning good coin to help support your addiction.

There are many positives.

Your wife will have someone to go shopping with and you can stay at home and work on your bikes :2thumbsup

You'll save on winter heating bills - go to bed early and snuggle up between the girls :2thumbsup

You'll have your own personal pit crew and a choice of 2 brolly-girls - most excellent in freaking out the competition on the grid - "shit he must be good, he has a brolly-girl" :2thumbsup

I could go on, but Mrs B is giving me the eye......:dodge:

[mossy1200]

I kinda knew anyone from the bucket community would say "keep the bucket", but trust me it doesn't cost anything like $300 a round to race the monster!

How can you say its cheeper than $300

I use $300 in tyres plus fuel, $100 entry plus transponder ,garage hire ,hotdogs, oil,filters and sundries.
This is just racing one class.

Is this the passion talking or the accountant?

[Dreama]

Doesn't sound like too many of the answers you've been getting are from Duc racers.
So yeah, I'm biased too .... keep the Monster. It's a no brainer ... and you know it but just need another Duc racer to justify the joys of racing Ducs.
Shit ... you even live in an area where BEARs is alive and strong and you can get plenty of racing on it. Just sacrifice quantity for quality ... the SOT is awesome and you guys down there even have your own BEARs winter series.
And you're right ... the money from selling the monster will be gone in a flash.

Anyway ... here is an extract from the Duc Racers Justification Bible :

We all know that the Ducs are a tad unreliable so there's the perfect excuse : because the Duc isnt always ready or going you actually SAVE money because you are'nt really racing .... you get to go to the race meetings, hang out and actually be a racer without even racing.
This has lots of merits .... it's the perfect excuse for getting beaten by your buddies on the rare occasions when you actually do race because we all know we need lots of track time to improve .... you save on tyre bills .... you save on crash repairs .... you minimise the chance of becoming a dribbling brain dead crash victim .... you become an extremely skilled mechanic and the guys in the local bike shop smile alot when they see you ... you're partner is happy because you're not really racing much and spending all the food money ......
Mate ....... it's so obvious I can't believe you need to even ask all those other wankers racing those high powered, super reliable, tyre munching cash gobbling jap things.

Keep the Monster bro,

[TonyB]

How can you say its cheeper than $300

I use $300 in tyres plus fuel, $100 entry plus transponder ,garage hire ,hotdogs, oil,filters and sundries.
This is just racing one class.

Is this the passion talking or the accountant?
Um, lets see. I use street tyres which at absolute worst last 6 months, I use pump gas, my entry fee including transponder is $55, I don't hire a garage. I'm doing this on a budget already. I calculate, based on 3 years experience riding this bike, that at worst it would cost on average $200 in total per round, including all maintenance and fuel to get to the track, which is 20 mins from my house. Thats based on not developing the bike any further and sticking with it as it is, and its based on the more expensive entry fee for a MCI round, but with the extra racing I get at a BEARS full track round.


Tony the choice is simple.

Get a live-in girlfriend who is earning good coin to help support your addiction.

There are many positives.

Your wife will have someone to go shopping with and you can stay at home and work on your bikes :2thumbsup

You'll save on winter heating bills - go to bed early and snuggle up between the girls :2thumbsup

You'll have your own personal pit crew and a choice of 2 brolly-girls - most excellent in freaking out the competition on the grid - "shit he must be good, he has a brolly-girl" :2thumbsup

I could go on, but Mrs B is giving me the eye......:dodge:

:not:Brilliant plan! oh, and my MrsB wants your MrsB to kick you in the arse...dunno why...

[TonyB]

Righto, MrsB and I have had a bit of a think, and have come up with an interum plan. We both accept that up to $200 per round, once a month or more, is more than we can stand at the moment. We also both agree that time moves quickly so selling the Monster now, only to find that I can easily afford it in a year or two, would only lead to regret. I would also cry in my beer every time the SOT came around if I couldn't race in it.

So we're going to try the following: I will race the bucket only, but keep the Monster as long as finances allow. It will be pulled out for events like Nelson and the SOT, and hopefully within a couple of years we'll be in a position to race it more often. If this doesn't work, it gets sold.

I reserve the right to change my mind on this at any moment:whistle:

[lostinflyz]

Righto, MrsB and I have had a bit of a think, and have come up with an interum plan. We both accept that up to $200 per round, once a month or more, is more than we can stand at the moment. We also both agree that time moves quickly so selling the Monster now, only to find that I can easily afford it in a year or two, would only lead to regret. I would also cry in my beer every time the SOT came around if I couldn't race in it.

So we're going to try the following: I will race the bucket only, but keep the Monster as long as finances allow. It will be pulled out for events like Nelson and the SOT, and hopefully within a couple of years we'll be in a position to race it more often. If this doesn't work, it gets sold.

I reserve the right to change my mind on this at any moment:whistle:

Mr B.

dont stop racing the duke. Everytime i see you go past me it takes me about 3 sec to figure out what it is, then i think hey thats cool, then i realise i got past, i get sad, then i get pissed and try go faster.

sad story. but anyway i like the plan, its too nice a bike to sell for what youd get for it.

[WarrenW]

Ok as far as the clutch is concerned I would say you are best to import one, usually a darn sight cheaper.
Check this out...
http://www.starcycle-usa.com/servlet/the-50891/98-dsh-01-98-99-00/Detail

I put one into my TL1000S and cured the slippage. Also (excuse my ignorance here) if it is a wet clutch then I have found that even some semi synth oils will cause it to slip and I ould really recommend against fully synth as they have lots of friction modifiers in htem and can cause lots of grief.

Just my 2c worth.

[piston broke]

fark the expense.
ride a real bike,go the bears
2'nd hand tyres from the big boys are a reasonable price.

edit... change your mind,
make the most of everything

[johan]

Hey bro, what part is worn on the Monster's clutch? I've got some spares here that might help you in the mean time.

I also have a Showa shock from a 996 sitting in the corner. I'm not sure it will fit or improve the monster, but I'm happy to send it down for you to play with. I don't need it.

cheers

[gav]

Here ya go, TonyB! F3, Clubmans, Pre89 for $2000-
http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=246713571

[scracha]

Doesn't sound like too many of the answers you've been getting are from Duc racers,

My tuppenceworth.....ignore all the "fuck the jappa's" or "ignore the expense" bad advice & sell the Ducati. Yes, they do give a super feeling when you're riding them but there's nothing more depressing than having a Ducati that you really can't afford to maintain. You'll just end up hating the bike.

SV650 or later (maybe 11 year old) 400.



Ducati spares...hmm....I must give the 748's new owner the hurry up.

[TonyB]

Hey bro, what part is worn on the Monster's clutch? I've got some spares here that might help you in the mean time.

I also have a Showa shock from a 996 sitting in the corner. I'm not sure it will fit or improve the monster, but I'm happy to send it down for you to play with. I don't need it.

cheers

Hi Johan, thanks for your offer! The M750 has a wet clutch- its the fibres that are wearing out. Got anything for one of those?

As for the shock, looking at the Ohlins site I really don't think it would work- the 996 shock is shorter, has different mounting points, and has stuff hanging off it all over the place. The 996 shock also has a much lower rate
http://www.ohlins.com/Our-products/Motorcycle/Products/Hypersport/DU-143/

http://www.ohlins.com/Our-products/Motorcycle/Products/Sport/DU-440/ (http://www.ohlins.com/Our-products/Motorcycle/Products/Sport/DU-440/)

But if you think its worth sending down I'll give it a look. Thanks.

[TonyB]

Ok as far as the clutch is concerned I would say you are best to import one, usually a darn sight cheaper.
Check this out...
http://www.starcycle-usa.com/servlet/the-50891/98-dsh-01-98-99-00/Detail

I put one into my TL1000S and cured the slippage. Also (excuse my ignorance here) if it is a wet clutch then I have found that even some semi synth oils will cause it to slip and I ould really recommend against fully synth as they have lots of friction modifiers in htem and can cause lots of grief.

Just my 2c worth.

Thanks Warren- thats a bloody good find! I'll keep that in mind.

Funnily enough, when I think back....perhaps the slippage started when I started using Elf semi-syn. Will try the recommended Shell oil at the next change. My understanding is that so long as you use an oil intended for bikes, it shouldn't matter if you use semi- synthetic or full synthetic, and its the car oils that have the friction modifiers

[TonyB]

Mr B.

dont stop racing the duke. Everytime i see you go past me it takes me about 3 sec to figure out what it is, then i think hey thats cool, then i realise i got past, i get sad, then i get pissed and try go faster.

sad story. but anyway i like the plan, its too nice a bike to sell for what youd get for it.

lol I didn't realise I'd ever passed anyone :niceone:

[t3mp0r4ry nzr]

sounds like a good plan. If you cant afford it, you shouldnt do it, cos something will eventually give.

you can still have fun racing buckets. When things pick p financially for you you can get back to roadracing.

:niceone:

[johan]

Hi Johan, thanks for your offer! The M750 has a wet clutch- its the fibres that are wearing out. Got anything for one of those?

As for the shock, looking at the Ohlins site I really don't think it would work- the 996 shock is shorter, has different mounting points, and has stuff hanging off it all over the place. The 996 shock also has a much lower rate
http://www.ohlins.com/Our-products/Motorcycle/Products/Hypersport/DU-143/

http://www.ohlins.com/Our-products/Motorcycle/Products/Sport/DU-440/ (http://www.ohlins.com/Our-products/Motorcycle/Products/Sport/DU-440/)

But if you think its worth sending down I'll give it a look. Thanks.

I had a look at those links above and unfortunately I don't think the shock will work.

I'll do some research about the clutch. I think they are using the same 12 tooth clutch plates but I'll double check.

I have a new clutch pack on back order so as soon as I get the new one I'll send down my current one. It's about 10 months old should work just fine for the monster, it's light weight too.

I've got OEM stock plates sitting here too that might be an option.

cheers

[TonyB]

I had a look at those links above and unfortunately I don't think the shock will work.

I'll do some research about the clutch. I think they are using the same 12 tooth clutch plates but I'll double check.

I have a new clutch pack on back order so as soon as I get the new one I'll send down my current one. It's about 10 months old should work just fine for the monster, it's light weight too.

I've got OEM stock plates sitting here too that might be an option.

cheers

That sounds real good Johan. Can't thank you enough! I'll send you a PM