[Feli]

I've been reading and contributing small posts to these forums for a while now, but haven't had a chance to post about my own bike.

I originally had an order for an Urban Enduro (my wife placed the order for me secretly for a Christmas present after hearing me ramble about it non-stop since he release). It was my favourite bike for the looks, but I struggled with three key things:

1. It had tubes on the beautiful spoked wheels, which were also 6 kg more than the alloy wheels.

2. It was $2000 more expensive than the icon

3. It is still nowhere to be seen, whilst icons have been arriving for a while.

After dates slipping bit by bit from an original date of mid-February, I had enough when my dealer said it was now expected end of May. So I took the opportunity to grab a cancelled order of a yellow Icon instead and got my bike, but in a different colour, and with less add-ons a couple of weeks ago!

Mods so far:

- Termignoni Race Slip-On: I currently have the baffle off, and it sounds sweet! I installed it myself on day 2 so I had a chance to try all configurations - stock, termi with baffle on, and termi with baffle off.

- Titanium brushed vinyl wrap (work in progress): this is the first time I work with vinyl wrap so I've started with a tank pad and a tail stripe. I've also tried to do a stripe on the front guard but this is level "expert" and I'm not there yet despite borrowing my wife's hairdryer

Once I have it down path I may do the whole tank and the side panels in a contrasting color.

- Battery trickle charger: I've always had that in my bikes as I don't use them THAT regularly unfortunately.

Parts ordered:

- Philips Xtreme Vision 130+ headlight bulbs: keen to improve the lighting and make the headlight more white too.

- Front windshield: I've ordered the front fairing from the Scrambler line that's clear / tinted dark instead of the yellow one out. Keen to get some wind protection and I like the looks too.

- Heated grips: very keen to have this on now that [insert John Snow's voice] "winter is coming"

Other parts I'm strongly considering:

- High mount front mudguard from Urban Enduro - I will do this if I get good at vinyl wrapping, but I don't want a black / mismatched front guard.

- Scrambler bash plate: I like the look of it, don't think it'll have any use for me.

- Exhaust tape - black: pretty keen to get this but someone pointed me to a website with pros and cons of it and says it can help damage your engine (?!) so I need to look into it further.

- Mirror and indicators - just cosmetic stuff, when I find the right bits.

Things I love about the bike so far:
1. The sound! Sounds like an axe murderer, and I love downshifting and rev-matching it.

2. The looks! I especially love the wheels and rear tire, the side panels and the tail.

3. The weight and handling! It feels so athletic and is so chuckable. Note I've adjusted the rear preset to a lower level and it's made the bike heaps more comfortable.

Things I don't love about it so far:
1. Accessing the rear tire valve to inflate is very painful and in some cases not possible depending on the nozzle of your fuel station.

2. It would be nice to have more info on the display - I'm hoping Ducati launches an add-on gauge to sit next to the offset speedo, containing: fuel gauge, proper tacho, gear indicator, GPS, etc.

3. The accessories are not here yet - I was hoping to walk into a Ducati Walmart of parts but I can hardly find anything for it on shops or eBay.

4. The grips get pretty uncomfortable with my summer gloves - they have this strips on one side and are quite painful with pressure.

Anyway, just thought I'd share my progress so far and I'll keep posting here as I progress.

 

[Smifff]

Feli,

I really like the titanium stripe and I agree with point 2.

Nice photo's and great write up, looking forward to seeing more

 

[simon]

Great write up Feli. I really like the stripe, and it has inspired me to do the same in white on my red icon. You say you have reduced the rear suspension setting and it is better. I have thought about this, as I find it quite jarring on poor surfaces; I weigh 155 lbs/70 kg, are you around the same weight?

 

[DaveK]

Icon vs Classic pricing

Add the price of the exhaust to the Icon and you are at roughly the same price as the Classic. It is just a matter of picking the features that suit. I think you did a great job with the tank stripe. Tell us how and what you used.
Thanks

 

[kirkgarcia]

About your point talking about the spoked wheels. Is there much difference between those wheels and the Icon ones for scrambling in dirt, like slight off road?
BTW, great post, I will be making some of those mods also.

 

[outofthebox]

Feli, thank you for this post. It's fascinating and those titanium vinyl wraps go so well with the overall design. As I await delivery, I have been planning some mods too and some of mine are common to yours. I have a few questions and hope you will be able to take out some time to answer them.

- Termignoni Race Slip-On: I currently have the baffle off, and it sounds sweet! I installed it myself on day 2 so I had a chance to try all configurations - stock, termi with baffle on, and termi with baffle off.

Did you do the accompanying ECU flash update too? Mind sharing the steps involved in that update?

- Battery trickle charger: I've always had that in my bikes as I don't use them THAT regularly unfortunately.

Is this as simple as adding a pair of suitable wires with an SAE2 connector across the battery terminals or did you have to do anything additional?

Parts ordered:
- Philips Xtreme Vision 130+ headlight bulbs: keen to improve the lighting and make the headlight more white too.

Is that the only available option? I use the Xtreme Vision in my car and they are a great improvement over the stock headlamps. For the bike, I have been mulling over a Cree LED based solution but haven't come across a plug n' play solution yet. Does the Scrambler use a standard H4 socket?

- Front windshield: I've ordered the front fairing from the Scrambler line that's clear / tinted dark instead of the yellow one out. Keen to get some wind protection and I like the looks too.

I had parked this because I had (mistakenly) assumed this was only in yellow colour. Now the screen is back on my shopping list if a clear/tinted version is available. Will be very interested in your feedback about it's actual effectiveness in typical highway/urban riding conditions. Please do share your thoughts as and when you get to use it.

 

[reulini]

- Termignoni Race Slip-On: I currently have the baffle off, and it sounds sweet! I installed it myself on day 2 so I had a chance to try all configurations - stock, termi with baffle on, and termi with baffle off.

Did you by any chance measured the dbs with baffle off and on? Do you think it would be necessary to wear ear plugs with baffle off on a long ride?

 

[Feli]

Feli's Scrambler - mods & project

Thank you all for the nice comments - happy to keep sharing and helping build the community!

Great write up Feli. I really like the stripe, and it has inspired me to do the same in white on my red icon. You say you have reduced the rear suspension setting and it is better. I have thought about this, as I find it quite jarring on poor surfaces; I weigh 155 lbs/70 kg, are you around the same weight?

I'm actually 90kgs and I thought I'd need to drop it more but turns out it's great now, also, people with 1200+ kms have posted saying the suspension and seat both get better win more saddle time.

Add the price of the exhaust to the Icon and you are at roughly the same price as the Classic. It is just a matter of picking the features that suit. I think you did a great job with the tank stripe. Tell us how and what you used.

Thanks

Yeah sad thing is I had the termi ordered already either way, so it's still a saving but the way my brain works in reality it just means I feel I should find more bits to put on it hehehe.
The tank stripe I did using 3m DesignerWrap which I bought in an accessory pack and comes with a cutter and a sqwigee but then I also bought their "knifeless tape" which is an awesome new product: you just stick that on the edges of the shape you want plus a bit of excess, then the wrap on top, then pull this dental floss-like string from inside the tape and it cuts the vinyl wrap in super smooth lines. So I just put the knifeless tape on the tank first in the shape of the stripe and then applied the wrap and pulled the tape.

I'm finding it hard not to get folds on the wrap when working on a more curvy area like the front fender.

About your point talking about the spoked wheels. Is there much difference between those wheels and the Icon ones for scrambling in dirt, like slight off road?
BTW, great post, I will be making some of those mods also.

No idea to be honest - some say it's better for being tubeless and therefore repairable, but others say the alloy rims cannot be fixed like the spokes one can. I like them both!

Feli, thank you for this post. It's fascinating and those titanium vinyl wraps go so well with the overall design. As I await delivery, I have been planning some mods too and some of mine are common to yours. I have a few questions and hope you will be able to take out some time to answer them.





Did you do the accompanying ECU flash update too? Mind sharing the steps involved in that update?





Is this as simple as adding a pair of suitable wires with an SAE2 connector across the battery terminals or did you have to do anything additional?





Is that the only available option? I use the Xtreme Vision in my car and they are a great improvement over the stock headlamps. For the bike, I have been mulling over a Cree LED based solution but haven't come across a plug n' play solution yet. Does the Scrambler use a standard H4 socket?





I had parked this because I had (mistakenly) assumed this was only in yellow colour. Now the screen is back on my shopping list if a clear/tinted version is available. Will be very interested in your feedback about it's actual effectiveness in typical highway/urban riding conditions. Please do share your thoughts as and when you get to use it.

Did you by any chance measured the dbs with baffle off and on? Do you think it would be necessary to wear ear plugs with baffle off on a long ride?

I haven't done the ECU flash update yet as it comes with no instructions except for a sticker saying you need to use the DDS for it - I googled that around and it's essentially the Ducati dealer's computer.

There are multiple options so long as you go H4 it should be straight forward. I considered LED but read poor reviews on their output. I also considered a HID kit and even a new headlight but decided to start simple as the Philips have great reviews and are cheap and easy.

I didn't measure the DBs but I am in the process of compiling a video of the work gone on the bike so far with some riding with stock, baffle on and baffle off. It's A LOT louder with it off, but despite my brand new earplugs I've so far opted to ride without them to enjoy the music! I'll be taking the earplugs on long rides but even without an exhaust I would as the wind noise bugs me.

 

[albie]

Looking good. Love the titanium colour

 

[Doc59]

Feli, that does look good, looking forward to seeing it in person on a ride one weekend.

That knifeless tape sounds interesting, is it just for straight lines? I'll have to google it, I put homemade white contact numberboard decals on my SV650 and had to use thin pinstriping tape around the edges to hide the scissor marks.

I had the same feeling about the handgrips but must have got used to it since I didn't notice it the last few rides.

 

[Feli]

Hi Doc, yeah hopefully our baby starts to get into a routine soon and then I might be able to leave the house for more than an hour or so at a time and come for a ride!

The knifeless tape can do curves as well - check out this video showing what it can do. It is a bit tricky to start the cut I've found (and can ruin your whole application and send you back to step 1) but I'm learning it!

http://youtu.be/fuz-Rx8p5kg

 

[DaveK]

knifeless tape help

There are very helpful video clips on YouTube (search "3m knifeless tape"). They are 3M produced.
The tips for using knifeless tape and how to pre-stretch film provide answers to the issues of following complex curves and applying film along small curved surfaces.

 

[Feli]

Some more titanium wrap in the tank pads and front fender, I've also added Full Throttle logos and handlebar...

 

[Meancatdaddy]

Some more titanium wrap in the tank pads and front fender, I've also added Full Throttle logos and handlebar...

Looks Sick!!!