TOO MUCH "SOUL"

[forester]

On our recent MDW ride in Reg. 4, there were 17 participants, including 1 pillion rider which means 16 motorcycles including the following:

-A Honda ST1300;
(3) Yamaha FJR1300s
-A Suzuki SV650
-A Suzuki SV1000S
(2) Suzuki V-strom 650s
-A FZ1
-A Kawasaki Ninja 600
-A Kawasaki Concours
-A BMW K1200st
-A triumph Sprint ST
-A triumph Trophy 1200
-A Honda PC800
and finally,
A Ducati Monster 695.

This ride consisted of 310 miles each roughly on Saturday and Sunday of mostly twisties with a good deal of stops, views, etc.  

There was only 1 minor mishap, which happened to the rider on the monster - and to his defense, anyone could have hit this gravel because there was a tree shading it making the gravel tough to see in the intersection of the road.  Anyway, the crash happened on Sunday - the rider was fine with a small laceration to a finger and it didn't even affect his leather, but did tear up the North Face coat he was wearing.

Surprisingly, this bike wasn't even marred at all with the exception of a barely bent shifter and a small scratch.  Not even the bar ends got scratched.  Now you tell me there isn't some mojo associated with this ride!!!  

Earlier on Saturday night, his tail light went out and I rode to the store and got him an amber one that replaced his clear one without a hitch. - keep in mind, this is a 2007 model.    We rode home that night in complete darkness through some fairly technical roads (at a slow pace)  - about an hour of riding - and I was joking with him that as long as his front headlight didn't go out we'd be fine.

2-3 hours after his little gravel introduction, his headlight started to dim and another rider made a comment to him regarding this.  Later, at the ride's end, he and other riders were examining his headlight and the H-4 connector had actually melted!    I've never seen this happen before, but the thermoplastic was melted at the connection, which was the reason his headlight failed.  A couple of the riders fixed it because someone had some quick disconnects handy in their kit and he was good to go for at least the hour ride home in the dark again...

We had been teasing this rider about his Ducati having a "soul" after (unbeknownst to him) previous ST.N discussions on whether or not a bike can have "soul", etc.

The other riders had discussed this matter and we have all concurred that the Ducatis have TOO MUCH SOUL since they're so smoking hot on their own that they can melt thermoplastic connectors and resist scratches resulting from a smackdown on the pave.    I was wondering what you other Ducati riders have to say about this?  

Take a Duc on a decent S-T ride and this is what you get (note bewildered rider wondering how this could happen to such an artform made in a spotless manufacturing facility with white floors by white-gloved master artisans:



Said Ducati rider after being teased about his overly soulful ride:


I will not talk about his nickname now that we have coaxed this member into joining STN, but I'm sure he will appear soon.  

[Niner]

What am I, chopped liver?  There was a Honda PC800 there too!  That cavernous trunk is why I happen to carry all those tools and spare parts - never know when you'll need to make a quick connection!

I also think the reason people were saying he had a "dim" light is that there's a parking light, and you could see that was lit even if the main bulb wasn't on.

Glad wee were able to get everything up and running again, though.  I also won't blame Ducati for the broken light - I suspect the fall had something to do with it, and given how little else on the bike was hurt, I'd say it still came out pretty well.

HenryB

[forester]

What am I, chopped liver?  There was a Honda PC800 there too!  That cavernous trunk is why I happen to carry all those tools and spare parts - never know when you'll need to make a quick connection!

I also think the reason people were saying he had a "dim" light is that there's a parking light, and you could see that was lit even if the main bulb wasn't on.

Glad wee were able to get everything up and running again, though.  I also won't blame Ducati for the broken light - I suspect the fall had something to do with it, and given how little else on the bike was hurt, I'd say it still came out pretty well.

HenryB

Dammit!   My apologies!

[cliffst]

too much 'troll'

posts like this lead to stupid comparisons and defensive statemets. it's just a motorcycle. shit happens.

[basco]

Well I started to get the point of this thread until the person with the Pacific Coast chimed in.  

Soul is not well defined in MC terms unless you ridden a bike with one. And ones that never experienced more than one brand or one type of MC will ever now what this means. About 90 percent (a number thrown out, could be 80 who knows) ride an asian (rice burner for you HD types) motorcycle. You ride it and it has no feed back except for the gauges (technometer, thats the dial with a needle that moves when your engine works harder, as opposed to the speedometer that moves when you go faster). If you wear ear plugs and listen to some easy listening type music while coasting thru the gears, you will never grasp the concept of MC soul. The euro bikes have a better concept of soul. You shift thru the gears because you know when ( that means the bike vibrates enough to let you know when to shift without a technometer). You have to be a complete moran not to know when to shift or just drunk because the bike either yells at you or vibrates the shit out of you and tell you to take your boot and press up while with your left hand and squeeze. That is the concept of soul, good learning everyone.  

[atadaskew]

 I was wondering what you other Ducati riders have to say about this?  

Well I think you have just shown how fantastic Ducatis are!  The dood crashed his bike and the only damage was a burnt out headlight?  Outstanding!

[Niner]

Well I started to get the point of this thread until the person with the Pacific Coast chimed in.  

Hey, my bike's got soul!  It just happens to be the soul of an Accord...  


HenryB

[jed]

My valve guides have lost their soul and are waiting to be replaced by parts with soul from Italy.  Dammit.

[atypical1]

too much 'troll'

posts like this lead to stupid comparisons and defensive statemets. it's just a motorcycle. shit happens.

Exactly.

Hey Forester:

 

[marc11]

but did tear up the North Face coat he was wearing.

Hmmmm, perhaps I wouldn't wonder why a light bulb burnt out after a crash (2007 or not, buld do not like to be dropped when hot) but rather, wonder why that fine Northface jacket wasn't up to the task of road surfing...

BTW, I am still on my stock bulbs, must be Honda brand!!!  Just wondering however, the lens on the taillights are red, the bulb is clear to make the most light pass through the red lens, so, wondering why you would replace his clear bulb with an amber one?  (amber is yellow, doesn't red and yellow make orange?)

[forester]

Hmmmm, perhaps I wouldn't wonder why a light bulb burnt out after a crash (2007 or not, buld do not like to be dropped when hot) but rather, wonder why that fine Northface jacket wasn't up to the task of road surfing...

BTW, I am still on my stock bulbs, must be Honda brand!!!  Just wondering however, the lens on the taillights are red, the bulb is clear to make the most light pass through the red lens, so, wondering why you would replace his clear bulb with an amber one?  (amber is yellow, doesn't red and yellow make orange?)

Good question - it was at night and I just stopped at the nearest gas station - they only had amber 1157s in stock.

P.S.  The northface jacket was over his leather M/C jacket - maybe as an additional wind barrier to keep heat in, etc.

[forester]

Exactly.

Hey Forester:

 

Why you're welcome, Richard.  

[st ryder]

Many years ago, I was riding down a long and dark and winding road late at night, with my then lady friend as pillion, and all of a sudden, my headlight burnt out. I kept going since it was fairly cold and we were looking for what we never found until the middle of the next day, a motel room. After a few miles we came across a gas station that was about to close, but I parked under the lights of the canopy and managed to get to the headlamp, and the connector was fried; actually melted. I sniped the wires and wrapped them around the tangs of the replacement headlamp bulb I was carrying and rode another 1K like that with no further incident. Oh, did I mention, this was on my BMW, a bike with "character."

Well what I disovered the next day was the PO had relpaced the bulb with one of higher (too high) wattage, so even though the low beam was brighter, the high beam, which was what I was using, was way too hot and melted the connector.

Did *you* buy the right wattage bulb? Sounds like a simple case of the wrong bulb. Maybe *you* need a little soul.