Sharing lessons learned and photos from my recent upgrade to a '08 1098S. Lots of little things/lessons one would never know. If I can save others some time and money, all the better. I recently sold my 1098R, because I didn't want to ruin the integrity of the bike by making changes/upgrades, but it was killing me. I like making the bikes I own suit me, to my liking. So I sold it completely stock to a friend. This allowed me to pick up 1098S with low miles in great shape. Bought it from Ricky Hendricks Motorcycle dealership here in Charlotte, NC. Rumor has it, it belonged to one of the Hendricks Motorsports NASCAR Drivers... Perhaps that explains the low miles? Anyway it's clean and it was cheap so I don't mind taking parts off it, throwing them in a box and making upgrades. This all started because I took it out to the local track and being an ex-racer I had a scintilla of what if should feel like, having owned a 996 is the past and right out of the box the 996 handled pretty well. Not the 1098! As you may know it will not turn in slow speed corners, it was unnerving! Felt like it would fall over. After the track day started reading how to make the 1098 work and thus started a stupid build that it almost complete, at least enough for this thread. One more thing, I find it terribly ironic that I'm in Charlotte, NC. I've moved here in 2010 from Southern California for work. I actually loath NASCAR, with it's Competition Yellow (Which Means that Dale Jr. is a lap behind) and my first flat was right across the street from the NASCAR hall of fame. So looking out my living room window, I could see the big neon NASCAR sign prominently in my field of view. I'm a much bigger fan of F1, MotoGP and WBSK.
First things first...Spring rates. Being of mature age and not as slender as I was in my long ago youth, I knew it had to be sprung properly. Diving badly under braking on the street, knew it would be worse on the track. Standard 1098S and R's come with Ohlins forks with 9.0Nm or 9.5Nm here in the US. That's too soft for me so I ordered new front springs in 10, 2x10.5, and an 11. Also realized I needed to upgrade the rear spring which led to the realization that I needed to upgrade the whole rear shock. So Dan Kyle supplied me with a DU788 with a 21040-34/100 spring (I weigh 225/230 with gear). So on the bike they went along with a Ducati Corse Slipper clutch for shits and giggles.
More notes on Ohlins Shocks. So after buying the DU788 from Dan Kyle Racing and talking to them at length, I was informed that there was a newer TTX MKll that had upgraded steel valves instead of the aluminum ones which apparently expanded when they got hot, racing, but probably not track days. If you know Ohlins and to their credit, they do constant development and it shows up in their products pretty quickly. What was developed in MotoGP can show up a year or two later on the stuff you buy. But.... you can go broke trying to keep up! Here's a photo of me playing the Ohlins game... the stock shock, the DU788 (I managed to skip buying the MK ll) and the latest (shortened) TTXGP that only works with the more flat Corse derived rocker. Notice the length of the bottom of the shock, they are progressively shorter with the latest TTXGP the shortest of the three.
After much discussion with DK racing over about three months time, I decided that the new flatter rocker would be the way to go. I could actually build my bike with the same components that were developed for Bayliss and Checa. So I decided that the DU343 TTXGP shock and short adjustable link would be added to get the bike to handle correctly. Throw in one ride height tool and we "Should be good to go"... Attached is a photo of the 5 axis milled Corse developed rocker (The DK version was 3D scanned and recreated for a lot less that the Factory Corse part). It is a thing of beauty! I had it sitting on my coffee table for the better parts of 5 months.
Looking good mate. I thought it was only the TTX II that had the adjustable preload? Both of them in your photos have the preload adjuster. I remember when I fitted a TTX I to my 848 a few years ago, the difference was night and day but I was coming from the std Showa unit which was crap. Any more upgrades planned after sorting themsuspension and slipper? Ian
Recently discovered that the swingarm used on the race bikes, original 1098RS and latter versions is a lot beefier and longer than stock version by about 35mm. In an effort to recreate that I bought two 1098SF swingarms and took one to a local M/C fabricator and explained what I wanted/needed. I also provided him with a stock 1098S unit so he could see what needed to be done and measure the differences. I asked him to cut and weld space to create the clearance for the exhaust right behind where the swingarm mounts to the frame on the right side. Needless to say that was a futile effort. Reminds me of the old saying "if you do something and want it done right, do it yourself". (Especially when fabricating something that has to be functional and well as pleasing to the eye). Then I decided to graft the correct bend from a stock swingarm and have it welded to the 1098SF swingarm. (See pics) It was a fair amount of work, be prepared if you intend to undertake this yourself. I would never try to dissuade anyone from this, but a machine shop or a relationship with one close by would be a GREAT help!
Photos of the donor Swingarm. I tell ya, I thought long and hard before cutting this! Ever wonder what it looks like inside the 1098/1198 swingarm? Actually it's fairly straight forward, not to much reinforcement, buttressing or ribbing. Took forever to get the donor piece off the donor swingarm. The races where the pivot bearings go must be 6061 as they were very hard to cut through. Once the donor piece was removed from the swingarm, I then had to grind it, sand it, file it, it, grind it some more, sand it... you get the idea.
Exhaust. Do I go with the tried and true Termi or the Akrapovic? I decided on the Akrapovic full Ti Evolution system. News flash! they don't make them anymore. Shit. I start looking on eBay and the forums. Nothing. Some slip-ons are available new, but I'm looking for the full system. A few months go by and finally one shows up on eBay for sale out of the Netherlands. Decided to buy it, price was $US 1700. Must of came from a race team because it was beat to shit! The collector was dented, there was discoloration on evey piece of tubing. The carbon canisters were scuffed, old and fading and for sure the bike they were on had been down a time or two. Well this wouldn't do, so started sourcing parts. As it turned out, from all over the world. Found two new end caps here in the US. $90 each. New Carbon Cannisters were located at the Akrapovic factory in Slovenia, bought thru Revzilla here in the US. Took about 6 weeks to show up. New packing material from a dealer in California. Oh, 1198 headers have bolt holes about 2mm wider that the 1098, so if you buy one, make sure you have the correct headers. I checked with Revzilla, nothing available through them, and they have a direct link to the factory in Slovenia. So no more available in the supply chains around the world and they don't make them anymore. Again, shit. So back to reading forums again, and looking, seeking, watching. Finally I see a mention of a race team in Germany that raced 1098's when they first came out back in '07/'08. They had just moved to a new shop and found a set of new old stock 1098 headers still in the original packaging. So after sitting in a box on a shelf for almost 10 years and $360 later they are on their way to the US. Funny how things work out sometimes. Photos attached show the minor size difference between the 1098 and 1198 exhaust ports and the condition of the used exhaust I bought from the Netherlands. It was used and used hard. Also attached is a couple photos of the same exhaust after the rebuild. A sample of things to come.
BTW, I used to live in Bicester, just north of Oxford. Used to work for Reynard Racing cars back in the day. Was looking for specific parts in this forum and just enjoyed the Brit comments, knowledge. We have a fair amount of posers (re: Wankers) here in the U.S. and so decided to join this forum. It paid off, one of the blokes (Lukefrs) helped me locate an integral part of my build. Cheers Robo!
I uprated my 1098SF to an Ohlins TTX on the rear. Agree with Bettes, night and day difference. Not just a better ride, better damping and grip but more feel. I can read the road surface through the tyre yet it doesn't feeling harsh. Suspension shop said I didn't need stiffer fork springs so I didn't go for the cartridge kit, just a K-tech piston kit. The Showa is rubbish because it has a stepped needle so fine adjustments are impossible. The posture of the bike was altered quite a lot by pushing up the ride height adjuster and lifting the forks 10 mm in the yokes. For road riding and the odd track day I can't fault it. That understeer has gone, its much more forgiving on the brakes in bends which means you can brake later, it doesn't snap upright like it used to on the brakes and I've got so much more grip at the back. I am going to service the steering damper and hopefully improve it with good fluid without having to buy a new one. One word of warning. I don't know if the wiring loom is in the same place on the 1098SB as it is on the SF (probably not as the battery is in a different place) but on the SF where it passes along the inside of seat rail it lies very close to the rear suspension rocker. Be very careful that the loom is tied back out of the way and the rocker can move without touching it. It isn't obvious that it will touch when the bike is stationary., Somehow my rocker has been hitting the loom and has damaged the wires inside. I realised when the bike started belching rich smoke. It was unburnt fuel not oil burning and it turned out the front cylinder injector sensor wire had been damaged where it was getting battered by the rocker arm and the front injector was hosing raw fuel into the cylinder making it run massively rich and cracking the piston. Wouldn't be a major job but my engine has been blue-printed and the heads have been skimmed and the squish reset and new pistons come paired with new barrels so I'd have to have that machined as well to match. So Louigi are trying to find me a good S/H piston.
Thanks Gimlet, but the SB loom is near the front, the only wiring near the rocker is the fuel pump wiring and the wires that lead to the rear for brake and turn signals. So I avoided that headache. I too would like to do a mild engine blueprint, Pistal pistons, port and polish but man where do you stop? It's already cost me more that buying a new Panigale R? So maybe after this year is over I'll pull the engine and have it breathed on.
Good plan. If you are looking for more of the same, you are in the right place. :Cigar: If you are trying to get away from that, you may be dissapointed*. :Hilarious: *Everyone knows I'm joking, I love you all.
It involves a moderator, a pot of Swarfega (the type with granules) and a large root vegetable.. :Mooning:
I did it really because the 1098 has a bit of a reputation for dodgy main bearings. Ducati put a new type in the 1098 Testastretta which it turned out were not as strong as the type they had used in previous engines. The SF engine has 1198 crank cases and when mine was split it had the older type bearings fitted, so it looks like they went back to those for the SF and the 1198. But while they were in there they balanced the crank, lightened the flywheel by 30%, skimmed 1/2 mm off the heads and set the squish, ported the heads (though not much had to be done to those anyway) and dialled the cams. Pistons, cams and rods remained stock - but then mine is intended only as a road bike. The heads and valve gear have pretty slack tolerances apparently and there's a lot of improvement to be made there simple by screwing it together properly. It gave a finished result of 162 bhp and 90 lb/ft at the rear wheel and stacks more punch. Price was £3000 Sterling but that was ride in/ride out with them refitting the engine and setting up. With the nimble handling as well its a fantastic thing to ride. If you're going to race it I'd say blue-printing would be a very good idea. Better to do it to a sound engine than wait till something goes wrong.
