1098s Upgrade - In Pursuit Of Handling In Nascar Country

Hi Nelson,
I did not. Wound up buying an 1098RS swingarm off eBay Germany. But... I'm thinking of turning my current 1098S/RS hybrid into a full RS, that means sourcing an RS frame, engine and front end, fuel tank and other assorted very pricey bits. I have a lead on a factory RS engine, that was used in the AMA series here by Larry Pegram and a Verlicchi RS frame with the larger head tube. IT would be a really stupid idea because the engine alone is more that I paid for my whole bike! And the Adjustable Corse Triples are 52/58 diameter which means that the only forks that fit them are the Ohlins FGR300's at about $11,000!!! Yikes! Then of course the adjustable triple is about $2700. So a Really stupid idea. But when all said and done I figure to build a 1098RS is going to be in the $60K to $75K range. And one of Pegram's bikes with everything is on sale here in the US for $50K (But it does not have the FGR300 Forks as they were illegal in the AMA series)... I'm just daydreaming at this point...

So I may eventually put the SF swingarm back the on S and put it back on the street, someday...

 

Hey Bullit!!
For pre-load I went with roughly what Dan Kyle recommended. I weigh 220 Lbs. so I set it at about a .25" (6/6.5mm) gap showing when you turn the hydraulic adjuster on the TTX GP shock.

I saved the DK notes to a pdf. file and they are attached. (Please note, that I cleaned up some of the verbiage in some places because the version I was working with was not clear. I only made additions to fill in details, but all credit goes to Dan Kyle Racing).

I also added the Torque Values sheet for the 848/1098/1198 with all the nm to ft lb. Conversions (For us Yanks!)

*Special Note: "Most" of the torque values are the same for the 848, but I do not know for sure. If you have an 848, please confirm with an authorized Duc dealer. I know there are certain parts that are slightly different, like the rear wheel bearings/axle is smaller and may have different tightening values, but for the most part I think it would be safe to use these specs.

Cheers!

DJ23

 

Here's the notes on the 848/1098/1198 ride height tool. This is a knockoff off the Corse tool, and I have a similar knockoff from Motowheels here in the US (a Ducati/Italian Bike Specialty Parts Supplier) so dimensions are the same if you source one of the knockoffs or the real deal from Ducati. Again, All credit goes to Dan Kyle and his staff. They have been very helpful in getting my bike sorted out.

 

Was thinking of painting the fuel tank, but it's growing on me...

Photo Op! Just pulled out of the garage (early May) for a photo after having been in there for a year. Still have the street front wheel/brakes on in the photo below.

The CNC Althea Triple Clamps Center Shaft goes all the way through the bottom triple, so I special ordered a short 27mm Pin from Pitbull and Presto! front stand works! Plenty of room to clear the fender and bodywork.

 

Thanks Nelson! Dan Kyle Racing did a 3D scan of the original Corse rocker. They were $1800 US new from Ducati, he was able to sell them for 1/3 the price. And thank you.

 

Thanks Bootsam!

 

Thanks Bootsam!

 

Thanks for the tip EFC, I did (Save as pdf.) and it worked!

 

No worries, happy to share this info. When you get out to YAZ Again, let me know what you think of the changes. I was amazed how much they affected the handling in a very positive way. Looking back on my recent two days on the track it never did anything funny, not in the slightest. It was just planted. I'm sure that's due in big part to the TTX GP and the new NIX Forks, but dialing in all the settings and the offset triples, correct rear swingarm angle, it all adds up.

 

Hey Bullitt,
One more thing, I trust with the TTX GP shock you have or going to source the flat Corse or replica rocker (DKR) version so, when you get it it'll have the needle bearings already pressed in. Use the center location rod from your stock rocker, but you'll notice that there are these little circular end bushings that are "U" shaped and press in to take up any free play. Before I noticed these were missing, I test fit my Rocker about 5 times and could not understand why there was play side to side (about 1 to 2mm). I took a close look at the stock rocker and realized it had these little circular bushings on the outside of the needle bearings. (They press in flush against the needle bearings, pretty snugly, had to tap on them slightly with a flat piece of aluminum and a rubber mallet. I pushed them flat against the outer edge of the rocker and that seemed to work perfect. Once I got them pressed in, voila! No sideways free play on the rocker, and it rocked up and down freely.

It's the little things that will catch you out... attention to detail.

 

Well in a word yes, I already pulled the trigger, but before I bought it, I asked engine guy (actually he's a Ducati crank balancer) here in the US if there was a way to make it last longer, he said yes, set the limiters so it doesn't let it spin so fast. He was just at Laguna this last weekend for the WorldSBK/AMA SBK races and will be refreshing it this month when he gets back, I expect delivery sometime in August. In race trim it spins at 13,300. This destroys the pistons, con-rods, wrist pins and bottom bearings, and is good for about 3 to 5 hours, but... If you set soft limit (spark cutoff) at 10,500 and hard limit at 11,000 (fuel cutoff) he says it will last at least 30 to 50 hours. And all this does is reduce the top end BHP to about 193, instead of 203, but says all the torque is still there. Has a 14.2:1 compression ratio! So 30 hours is about 2 years worth of track days for me, I can live with that. The engine in question is directly from Corse, built for AMA racing. It's the real deal, has the Pankl Ti Rods and bolts, Ti valves, big longer duration profile 2011 late model Cams, Omega 2 ring pistons, hybrid heads, with the big RS Valves, but without the WSBK 52mm intake restrictors. Specs in race trim were 203 BHP at the rear wheel (232 at the crank) when spinning above 12K rpm, but only loses 10 bhp when spinning at 10,500. He says has well over 100 ft. lbs of torque, and I would be a fool to try and ride this without any kind of traction control and referred me to Bike Sport Development Ltd. out of Daventry, about 10 miles east of Northampton for engine management and Traction/wheelie control system. I've looked at the parts they offer and it looks legit, but have yet to contact them. I've also been sourcing parts for the winter build. I have a larger race radiator from H20 Performance as well as a 1098R airbox, with the dual fuel lines, dual injectors, 1098RS throttle bodies (70mm x 46mm) lightweight aluminum subframe (Man is it light!). So hardware wise I only need a few more main items, Verlicchi frame, Corse adjustable rake triples, the elusive RS fuel tank that is very hard to find (I now where one is, but he won't let go and if he does he wants north of $5K! for Christ sakes!) then the FGR300 forks, I cannot find them for less that $10K! Yet...my biggest worry are the electronics, the 1098RS is loaded with electronics unique to the RS, a fuel management box, front and rear cylinder ignition coils and separate harness, special connectors and smart boxes up in the nose section that look like mega bucks to source... if you can find them! It's going to be a fun and challenging project this winter. In the meantime, I'm off to Road Atlanta this weekend (July 15th & 16th) for more track time! Will try to get some video if I can get my GoPro set up. How far down the rabbit whole you gonna go? You're gonna love the new rear suspension! with the Ohlins NIX 30 forks and the TTX with the new swingarm and suspension bits/new geometry, it's amazing.