To restore or to modify?

[McJim]

Hi all,

looking for a bit of advice from those who have been down this road before. The Duchess has taken a bit of a beating and the missus is very sore.

The bike is a 1997 Ducati 600ss - fully faired beastie. It has been for a slide and an abrupt stop into a concrete kerb.

Damage is as follows:
LH Fairing=broken
RH Fairing=slight scraches
Top fairing=smashed
Screen=smashed
LH footpeg and gear lever=Snapped
Rear brake lever=bent
Sub frame=bent and torn (I presume the sub rame is the flimsy array of metal that holds the instruments and top fairing)
Sidestand=snapped
Headlight-totally shattered

I have no choice but to buy a Ducati LH rearset and gear assembly and a sidestand.

But I can choose 2 courses of action after that.

1/ Streetfighter style: Headlight, bar end mirrors, aftermarket indicators and the job is done.
or
2/ I buy a new subframe, screen, top fairing, Ducati indicators and pay good money to have the side fairings repaired and resprayed.

I'd be grateful if any ideas could be backed up with supplier details too!

[Subike]

Street it, look around for all those little bling bits that others have put on similar rides over the past few years, sort out things that would be seen as being you. Even ones others have not yet used on a duke
There are so many ways you can do it, suttle or over the top.
But the end result will be Jims bike, not just another tidy Duke

[James Deuce]

Aww no!!

Restore.

Crazefox won't be able to T-Cut that but I bet he can repair it as good as new. PM him, and get some big boxes and a lot of bubble wrap.

[idb]

Hi all,

looking for a bit of advice from those who have been down this road before. The Duchess has taken a bit of a beating and the missus is very sore.

The bike is a 1997 Ducati 600ss - fully faired beastie. It has been for a slide and an abrupt stop into a concrete kerb.

Damage is as follows:
LH Fairing=broken
RH Fairing=slight scraches
Top fairing=smashed
Screen=smashed
LH footpeg and gear lever=Snapped
Rear brake lever=bent
Sub frame=bent and torn (I presume the sub rame is the flimsy array of metal that holds the instruments and top fairing)
Sidestand=snapped
Headlight-totally shattered

I have no choice but to buy a Ducati LH rearset and gear assembly and a sidestand.

But I can choose 2 courses of action after that.

1/ Streetfighter style: Headlight, bar end mirrors, aftermarket indicators and the job is done.
or
2/ I buy a new subframe, screen, top fairing, Ducati indicators and pay good money to have the side fairings repaired and resprayed.

I'd be grateful if any ideas could be backed up with supplier details too!

I'd go for 1/ Jim and maybe fix it up later when you can or want to afford it.
You might even decide you like it.

[Eurodave]

Just out of interest I make all the fibreglass bodywork for the 92 900SS & Superlight too. This includes both the half & full fairings,tinted windscreen,Superlight solo seat, the sidecovers & also the mudguards / huggers are available in carbon too.........

just bear in mind that most bits are identical to yours but there are slight differences to your bikes full fairing sides,ie no little scoopy thingos on the sides by your knees

[MSTRS:Me]

Insurance? Write off? If so, buy back and use your contacts to restore, and you will have change from the payout. Otherwise, use your contacts and do the best you can afford.

[jim.cox]

Stink McJim, thats a real bummer. Hope you was insured?

Me, I'd restore it.

While street fighters are fun, they aren't worth anything.

DucatiSpares in Dunedin should have most of what you need...

[Winston001]

Your bike was absolutely mint and even after the bin, doesn't actually look that bad. I know the Flat Red style looks mean and would work but you are a fastidious chappie and I reckon you can put it back to SS configuration with a bit of patience and help. As I said, its a project, celebrate the fun you'll have.

However the first step is to get it running and to that extent the bare essentials are all that is needed.

[James Deuce]

Hey Chickadee, are you OK?

I'm with Winston. Get it going and send all the bits off for repair. I reckon you could get fibreglass replacements for stuff that is truly destroyed.

http://www.justfairings.co.nz/cms1/i...index&cPath=14

$750 for the full front fairing.

Get decals from MSTRS, and get crazefox to paint them. Save up by selling kids or something.

[McJim]

I really need to find a straight sub-frame and new cluster. The fairings can be replaced (top fairing) and repiared (sides).

The problem with restoration is I need to go genuine Ducati for the sub frame, screen, top fairing, instrument cluster as well as the side stand and rearset. $$$$$$

[James Deuce]

Do what you can do and don't obsess right now.

Send the front subframe off to a reputable frame straightening organisation for repair.

Instruments are one of those things you will readily find on Ebay and Trademe.

Try and turn it into a fun thing (I like spending) but take your time and never spend more than you want to. You can do it!

[slowpoke]

C'mon man, it's your golden opportunity: build something different. Let your imagination run riot.
I'm constantly disapointed by the lack of individuality displayed by most motorcyclists who's only thought is to buy a stock standard motorcycle or crash it and thnk only of returning to stock. God forbid it should even have non OEM paint (shock! Horror!).
I look around at some of the sublime Ducati "specials" (NCR, drool) and look at the opportunity you've got and think it's a no-brainer, but that's just me. Think "less is more" and start lopping off everything non-essential, peruse Ebay (UK and US) and buy a few trinkets and I reckon you could make something minimalist and amazing for not a lot of dosh.

[Winston001]

C'mon man, it's your golden opportunity: build something different. Let your imagination run riot.
I'm constantly disapointed by the lack of individuality displayed by most motorcyclists who's only thought is to buy a stock standard motorcycle or crash it and thnk only of returning to stock. God forbid it should even have non OEM paint (shock! Horror!).
I look around at some of the sublime Ducati "specials" (NCR, drool) and look at the opportunity you've got and think it's a no-brainer, but that's just me. Think "less is more" and start lopping off everything non-essential, peruse Ebay (UK and US) and buy a few trinkets and I reckon you could make something minimalist and amazing for not a lot of dosh.

You are singing McJim's song and here is the sort of thing which gets the blood flowing http://jvb-moto.com/rocknroll/?page_id=39

However McJim is one tidy fastidious guy and his 600 was absolutely showroom-floor mint. It was probably as valuable as it could be as a pristine example of the 600SS so IMHO he is a person who could restore it faithfully rather than take shortcuts.

That doesn't mean not trying something like the Flat Red in the short-term but stock Ducs in great condition always attract buyers in the longer term.

[Crisis management]

Bad Luck Jamie, I hope your wife is ok and her ego not too bruised.

Me, I would modify the bike rather than restore it accepting that I would lose on resale at some point but this can be argued back and forth when really you have to want to modify it.
If hot rodded Dukes don't turn your crank then restore it. (you don't need to do it all at once, get it rideable and do fairings etc as funds permit)

Anyway if you need anything from auckland found, scrounged or whatever send me a PM.

Cheers
Iain

[FROSTY:Me]

Mate you know what you are going to do. you will restore it --simple.

Why not do BOTH.
Strip all the bent n busted bits off.
Talk to your fellow KBers and see what we can russle up to get it back on the road in fighter form for ya.
Realisticly ya need headlight,Indicators,headlight/indicator mounts Some sorta speedo and a mirror. -beside the repair you're gonna do anyways.
-I can donate a mirror -possibly a headlight.
The secret is that its a temporrarry solution so you dont butcher any brackets you will need for the restoration.

THEN--over time track down /fix the bits you need to make it mint again