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Regrettably, Craig has had to relinquish the running of this group, so the DOC is on the lookout for a successor. If you have a serious interest in the models, and want to help us develop this group further,

Meanwhile.........

Hi, my name is Craig Mansfield-Perry.

I have owned bikes for over twenty years, with Ducati's being my pride and joy for the last 10 years.

I started off as with most young lads of the 80's with Japanese fours, which for those of you that can remember had engines that were much better than the chassis in which they were placed. Now if only they had steering dampers in the 80's they would have been fantastic.

Eventually, I got bored with the go-faster, how-much-bhp-can-I-produce race that ensued between the big four and decided that I wanted something a little more sophisticated and something that handled well.

I purchased a 1993 907ie, don't laugh, and it served me very well during it's 10 year life taking me all over the UK, and even down to WDW, all without a hitch I may add (bang goes the reliability stories).

Eventually in February 2003, I paid the ultimate price of visiting the local dealer "just for a look darling" and 30 minutes from putting my leg over the 749 demonstrator it was "OK, where do I sign up". 3 months later, my 749s Monoposto turned up at the dealer, 3 days before I was due to go to the BMF. I haven't stopped smiling since and the bike never ceases to amaze me, even turning out to be quite a good long distance bike as proved on the recent WDW2004 trip.

I would like this focus group to be a good way of getting all 999/749 owners together to discuss any niggles, modifications (not just adding carbon) and to share general experiences of our bikes to the benefit of all. Perhaps, we could even try to organise the odd ride-out.

 

749 Hotrod

Well, I have decided that as the 749 has lost more money than Yucos, I can’t
afford to change to the 999S next year, so I contacted Sigma Performance to
see what they could do. After a little wait, they provided me with the
information in the attached email. I thought I would share this with the
DOCGB to see if anyone else is interested.
Sorry for the delay, it does mean however that you are the first to know of
two new big bore kits we are building for the 749 models
 
We think your 749 makes a better base for a quick, fun, bike than either a
999Bip or a 999S because of the way it makes its power and its desire to
rev. The short stroke of the smaller engine gives the bike its own revvy
character.  It’s nice to have a modification that keep the same revvy feel
but really boosts the midrange and top end power delivery while
simultaneously letting you use less revs for the same power as before, it
all helps reliability.
Our Full Monty service is designed to give your Ducati a far more accurate
quality of build than can easily be achieved in a mass production process.
It is a perfect substitute for that big first service and makes sure that
all the major settings that affect good performance and throttle response
are as accurately set as we can manage.  To do this both cylinder heads and
barrels are removed, the valves and their seats are thoroughly cleaned, and
the clearances and timings reset.
 
Our 749 Big bore conversions achieve a very strong balance of power and
improved usability; they can be fitted at the same time as we carry out the
Full Monty.
 
All the parts in your engine that have to transmit the power are used in
other models in the Ducati range with at least 130 bhp going through them
(for instance your gearbox is the same item as the one in a 999S, or even
the 999R.) so the mod does not put unacceptable strain on anything.
 
On the power production front our new pistons are almost exactly the same
weight as the ones that are in there now, the 749 rods (which are the same
part number as 999Bip ones) are perfectly capable of dealing with the
additional power.
 
I set out below what I think is the best way forward and why, you will also
find attached a quote for the full work (assuming only a couple of shims are
required and no other horrors are found).
 
We provide 3 modifications for the 749 Bip or 749S,
 
1)      There is the standard Full Monty rebuild, our basic semi blueprint
of the engine and chassis. This can include a new computer with improved
fuel mapping if wanted.
 
2)      Alternatively we can add bigger capacity cylinders and pistons at
the time to the Full Monty treatment.  The first choice is a 95mm bore and
exchange cylinders making the engine an 833.  This option is the same cost
as our 853R kit.  We expect the 833 big bore engines to add up to 10 bhp at
the top end, most of the benefit though will be the midrange improvement.
The computer is required to provide alternative fuelling for the modified
engine.
 
3)      The third option is the full 100mm rebore; making the engine 923cc.
The 923 should add a further 5 bhp at the top but even more to the midrange
There is a price difference as the larger 100mm bore requires replacement
100mm barrels to make it work. Again you will need the computer also.
 
The 749 has a very small bore over which to fit the same valve sizes as the
999. In normal use this means that the cylinder wall effectively blanks off
a substantial part of the breathing capability of the head. We can slightly
modify the combustion chamber to improve low valve lift breathing
 
The mods do not affect the crankcases which are identical to the 999 version
of the engine and are already able to take the larger bore sizes.
 Running in a newly bored out engine for road use will require about 300
miles; the build is based on a total of four full days spent on your
machine, we like to have 10 days but if you want it done in a specific 7 day
period we will try to oblige.
 
If you are determined to spend more then there are two other simple ways to
spend a little more that will get you round a circuit better than merely a
higher more concentrated HP level, fit the correct spring to the Ohlins
Shock (see suspension tips and John Cornwell interview in tech) and / or fit
an anti-hop clutch (see Slipper Clutch in tech).  Both will radically speed
your corner speeds and confidence levels, both will let you use all the
power you have got much more effectively.  There is no additional charge for
fitting or setting up if these items are ordered with a Full Monty.
 
All servicing can be done by your normal dealer (as long as he doesn’t play
with any of the fuel injection settings).
 
The costs for the 749/833 (in brackets the 923) are as follows;
 
£995 ‘Full Monty’ (see Tech section 998 for specific comment) i.e. the
labour for one of our basic ‘blueprint service’ jobs, over 30 hours of work
put into your bike, getting all the important settings ‘just right’. We
pride ourselves on building a good motor. We do not charge extra labour when
we build an 833/923 because we have to take the barrels off any way to do
our Full Monty.  If you are going to build in an 833/923 kit it should be
done at the same time as the full Monty as most of the work would have to be
redone if you later decide to bore out the engine. The Full Monty includes a
full fork service (including modifying it for serious track use), chassis
setup (race or road) and advice on spring rates.
 
£775; 833 kit with Exchange barrels and matched weight 95mm pistons.
 
(£1450 923 kit with matched weight 100mm  pistons)
 
£330; approximate cost of all
gaskets/oil/antifreeze/shims/consumables/belts/oil filters/fuel and air
filters for a Full Monty, does not include major items like a new clutch or
rockers should they be required.
 
£100 cylinder head mods to allow the 833 to breathe really well.
 
£450 Ultimap UM59 Computer for the new setup; we can change fuel maps to
take full advantage of a larger bore exhaust system.  This computer is a
completely reprogrammable replacement for your standard Ducati Computer.
 
Best estimate therefore for the 833 is Total £2650 plus Vat (the 923 is
£3325); this is the fully running, roll out of the door price, including all
the setup and servicing.  It may change if there are an unusual number of
offset keys or shims needed, but most are around this price.
 
If you want the valve gear (opening rocker and cams) Superteched it is an
additional £150 plus VAT.
 
To book we normally need a deposit of £300ish……
 
I am now saving for the 923 kit……………..now how do I tell Bennetts about this?
Kind Regards
Craig Mansfield-Perry