a huge chunk of weight off of the
bike. The paint was done up by Ducman to replicate the HM Plant team's
scheme. The only difference between
his bodywork and their bodywork is
the holes for the lights have been
added. So you could say that the
bodywork is an exacl replica of the
team's livery.
Another big-ticket item is the magnesium swingarm, which is right out
in the open for the world to see, but
you have to know what you are looking at to appreciate what it is. It's
mated to a custom Ohlins shock that
has a custom linkage made for the
one-inch-Ionger swingarm.
The upper and lower triple clamps
are magnesium as well, as are the
rims. The forks are 1999 specification
Ohlins Superbike units with titanium
nitride coating on the sliders. They
really make a huge difference; the
damping characteristics are just
amazing, the feedback is so good.
The thing that makes them feel so
nice is that they are set up to feel
plush, yet the spring rates are stiff
enough not to bottom out or blow
through their travel.
As I said above. the Ohlins rear
shock just felt perfect at Willow
Springs, with a plush yet firm feel
with perfect damping characteristics.
The added displacement is the
only thing that is completely hidden
from prying eyes. In addition to the
97ccs of additional displacement,
trick internal parts such as a lightened flywheel and pulleys and
upgraded computer chip in the ECU
help make the bike haul some serious
ass.
The bike was built to showcase
many of the products that Ducman
sells in its shop, and I'm pretty sure I
don't want to know how many thousands of dollars and how much labor
went into these two bikes. Oh, to
dream. Look for this bike in the
upcoming film Biker Boyz where it
was used in some of the scenes. For
more information on Ducman go to
its website, www.ducman.com. The
shop's address is; 14726 Goldenwest
St., Suite I, Westminster, CA 92683.
Telephone number is 714/903DUCATI (3822).
eN
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