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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128389
Though it had nothing to do with power output, we
did make one more performance-oriented modification
to the bike, and that was to take one tooth off the front
sprocket, going from the stock IS-tooth to a 14. The
999 has always seemed like it was geared too tall for
basic street riding, although it is perfect for the track.
Launching the bike from a stoplight is an exercise in
clutch mastery. With the bike's dry clutch and a tall first
gear, it can get tricky at times.
Southern California Ducati in Brea, California,
installed the exhaust system and countershaft sprocket
for us and also installed the cool carbon-fiber heat shield
in the photos. We then picked up the bike and took it
straight to Kerry Bryant at Area P/Silent Sport North
America in Anaheim, California, to do some dyno runs
and see if the Termignoni system lived up to its reputation of getting more quack from the Duck.
As we got a little behind the gun on this project and
weren't able to get a baseline reading on this particular
999 before the Termignoni Exahaust system was
installed, we are forced to compare it to the numbers
from the 999S, but they should be accurate to within a
few horsepower, seeing as how both bikes use the exact
same engine tuning specs.
After a few runs on the dyno and after a slight ignition problem that we've yet to completely trace, we
came up with some pretty solid numbers. How does
132.33 horsepower and 72.S4 ft.-Ibs. of torque sound?
Believe me when I say that it sounds amazing, both figuratively and literally. The boom coming out of the rear
of the 999 is wonderful - not too loud, but enough to let
you know that the bike means business.
Out on the road, the 999's improved performance is
instantly apparent from an acceleration standpoint. Not
only does the new, shorter final gearing improve the
bike's ability to get off the line with authority, but the
power keeps on coming as it accelerates through the rev
range. Leaving stoplights is far easier for the rider and
should be easier on the clutch as well, because it really
doesn't need to be slipped at all anymore. Oh, and did I
mention the sound coming out of the Termignoni
silencer? Pure heaven for fans of the Ducati exhaust tone.
We still need to figure out why the bike falters slightly near redline (our ignition-related problem), because
we're confident that the bike should be able to pull 13S
hp on the dyno with the problem solved, but we'll have
to get back to you in an update on that later. We have a
sneaky suspicion that the new ECU, which appeared to
be slightly damaged in shipping, might be the culprit, but
we'll have to get it tested to be sure.
All in all, we couldn't be happier with the performance gain from our 999. The extra eight horsepower,
more torque and the shorter gearing have transformed
our bike into a urban rocket ship. The few revs we've
lost through the gearing will hardly be missed on
Southern California's tight canyon roads. For more
information, go to www.ducati.com.
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112004 Maxxis EnduroCross"
Indoor Off-Road Race
(#04025)
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Davi, David Pemon. Russ Pearson, Geoff Aaron, SuM! Hatch, David Knigh, Paul Edmondson, MikaAhola, Nathan
Woods. Cole CaJkj", Ulnc:e Smail Paul Krause, Homero Oiaz. Nathan Kannoy. Brian Garrahan, Patrick Garrahan,
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