How to make a Ducati Panigale more ride-able

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After doing an ECU flash (upgrade 9), I was still very unhappy withe the “city” riding abilities a Panigale comes up with. Disappointing, but that’s maybe the difference a customized map via dyno runs can make. But since even this isn’t a 100% solution, I was looking for alternatives- and I found a logic one. It turns out to be cheap and simple as well.

Coach's Ducati OK, I use to have almost no free-play in all my bikes, so that there is no fiddling around the point where/when the throttle valve opens up. That makes it more predictable at the brake to throttle transition around the apex, and for city riding, where you constantly operate the damn thing on that edge.

Before you refer to any manufacturers manual… let me tell you that I don’t care about their purpose of such a big free-play in the throttle/cable- because it makes lots of things better and your right hand and nerve costume will thank you for it as well.

Now, a row 4 cylinder is almost a Lamp against the Panigale, which loves to open her heart at any occasion. There is much more torque to play with at that low throttle position, and that free play makes you sweatin’ like a dog, so let’s get this solved.

Coach's DucatiThe Panigale, and many other modern bikes, are ‘fly-by-wire’. Means- the throttle is all electronically, and no more via cable operated. These $30 bux spacers (pics) eliminate the free play on the “Joystick” almost at a 100%, and they are super easy to install. I took it out on the street today and the difference is just amazing… almost from Mr. Hyde back to Jekyll

So… if you have cable… turn that free play out by let’s say 80%. If you are flying by wire… research for spacers. If you have Mr. Hyde dressed in Ferrari red sitting in the garage… then this is what you need to do!

Headcoach Can Akkaya

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How to reduce rotating masses: Part 4

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The one sided swing arm of the Panigale hosts the rear brake rotor and the sprocket carrier (which gets its own post later). I’ve replaced the rotor with a way lighter one and the brake pads to Bikemaster sinter metal pads. This stuff is affordable and never lets you down. At that point I’ve checked on the wheel alignment to see if the swing arm is bend. That went well so I can move on to center the two sprockets for a flawless chain run (next update)

Headcoach Can Akkaya

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How to adjust the ride height on a Ducati: Part 3

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Ducati Update 3

Some stuff around the swing arm and rear sets has been done. A carbon cover for the looks (the tire huger goes soon), and the toe protector makes truly sense. Rear shock pos changed to ‘flat’, and preload adjusted (gotta get familiar with the electronic setting system though). The rear sets journey was interesting. The challenge… to keep the expensive, but hell of smooth Ducati ‘PULL’ quickshifter- BUT use it in a MotoGP shift pattern system. Funny is, that Ducati offers a 4 page long description to just turn this around on the stock rear sets- but doesn’t even mention that a ‘PUSH’ quickshifter would be necessary. Thats about 300 bux extra, and I go… no. So I went to see if there are rear sets which allowing all kinds of constellations in the leverage to keep the pull shifter. I found a nite set in China for 120 bux incl shipping and they work smooth as hell. The pegs are quite short though, so i had to find washers which allow me to adjust their length a bit. What I extremely like with these rear sets is that they are fully adjustable since the stock sets are way to far in the back and making tired real quick. Those going all in the front and up… as I was use to on my prototype race bikes :-)

Headcoach Can Akkaya

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How to build your own fender eliminator: part 2

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Ducati Update 2

Unfortunately it needs a license plate to run this bike on some public roads, cuz’ I’ll use it to teach Road Skill 1on1 students. So, since the ugly and way to heavy holder is out… I’ve build my own fender eliminator with a few simple things: The license plate, a piece of Lowes aluminum sheet, and a plate light from BikeMaster Products. The cost… about 10 bux!!!

Headcoach Can Akkaya

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What Racing Taught Me

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Latest article about Can Akkaya: http://www.asphaltanddirt.com/2017/04/06/what-racing-motogp-taught-can-akkaya/

Written by book author Aaron Heinrich, Asphalt & Dirt: Life on Two Wheels

 

 

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racing intelligence

How to find Sponsors to Support your Racing Career

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This question hits racers, teams, managers and event organizers every year. Stuff like this is off topic for the public of course, so this article is not addressed to you- but maybe interesting enough to get an idea what’s going on in motorcycle racing for example.

When you start amateur racing, then there is a bunch of stuff going on in your head, also this… dreams, hope, wish-thinking. Yea, I know, I was there too so give me a break. So what’s happening from September till March is that thousands and thousands of athletes worldwide are looking naively for monetary support by RedBull with a 10 years contract… literally.  So here is what I’ve learned as I walked from the slowest amateur racer to a professional racer who almost made it to MotoGP.

Yea, I can hear voices saying again: ‘that was long time ago’, but believe me… nothing has been changed much. Well we have the internet and social media and blogs now too, and it seems that this should help to get to potential sponsors- whil I actually believe it makes it harder FOR the sponsor to pick the right horse since everyone tuned to a keyboard jockey and blows up Youtube with gazillions of gigabytes of more or less senseless 20 minutes track sessions. Am I sound mean? No, I just try to open your mind for whats wrong and whats right, so stick with me and let me show you first where all the wish-thinking like this brought us…

There is that couple who of course believe that their son is the next Marc Marquez. That’s totally fine of course, but blaming the entire industry for making all those mistakes in regard ‘our future talents’ is not quite correct. A promising lap on some go kart seems to deliver enough arguments for getting a Monster Energy contract, but this demanding attitude produces two psychological dead end roads…

  1. amateur racers getting the idea that racing without sponsors is not going anywhere and give up
  2. potential talents are not even start to race without having sponsors

I received a call from a Mom, asking me to support their kid by paying their racing fuel. After I told her that I competed against 120 racers to even qualify for an amateur race, and that I didn’t had money for racing fuel either… and that I also had to use slick tires in rain, and also that I kicked ass anyway, and that exactly that’s why I got my first check from a sponsor… she hung up on me. What’s that called… to much reality check?!

It takes many years of sweat and blood to make people believe in a racer. There is a relationship growing which builds something very important… a shield of loyalty, which kicks in when your results are not good sometimes.

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Man… 2015 was kinda short, wasn’t it?!

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Only one more month to go and we welcome a new year. Lots of things around Superbike-Coach happened in 2015, and it seems that it will keep going like this also in 2016. But let’s reflect this riding season a little bit first, which kind of ended with a dramatic MotoGP World Champion title for Jorge Lorenzo- even with a little support.

If you maybe think I am a Rossi, Lorenzo or Marquez fan- you would be very wrong. When I am watching a race, then it’s about their performances, which is not restricted to one single racer. I herd Rossi fans saying that Lorenzo does not deserve the title, which is non-sense because Jorge’s performance in the qualifying are showing that he would have make it with or without Marquez. In other words… he really earned that title because he made less mistakes. In fact, Rossi couldn’t go the pace of the trio ahead, which was going slower as they could go- so I don’t see why all the pain and the hate right now. I feel bad for Vale because I believe that his goal is it to at least equalize Giacomo Agostini’s record of 14 world champion titles, so I hope he keeps going for it.

Let’s see what Superbike-Coach has accomplished in 2015- and still has to with one more Cornering School Day 2 on 12/6/ to go. You can fence our 2015 in with one sentence… all classes Superbike-Coach ran were booked out, and waiting lists were growing on almost each class… and all of it by word-of-mouth!

Let’s think about this for a second what that means… Superbike-Coach must be kinda good, doesn’t it?! A bed of roses- or a walk in the park?… by far not. I can tell you stories what I’ve been through- oh man. I just drop some words… I got threatened, deceived, betrayed, and copied… many times. But I never surrendered and my students are coming back because they know that Superbike-Coach is different- is first hand stuff which makes them being the better rider. Basta! :-)

Our 2016 schedule is filling quickly with all kinds of classes, also two new programs- ‘Motorcycle Preparation Workshop‘ and ‘Track Days’, which is a gigantic risk. Both only once per year for now, so make your plans for it. Superbike-Coach will be also in 2016 different, unique and efficient…. promise!

I wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in advance folks! See ya in 2016.

Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach

 

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