I crashed. My dream motorcycle lay in a jumbled heap along side the Blue Ridge Parkway just four days after completion of performance modifications costing over $5,000.
There was no one blame except myself. I had just passed a particularly pokey couple in an aging sedan. I was grumbling about them when I should have been paying attention to the curve just ahead. I downshifted too far into the curve and caused the rear wheel to begin an unmistakable, sickening, slide out of control. I chose to try and ride it out on the shoulder of the road rather than to press further into a blind curve and risk a perhaps even greater, more threatening, surprise.
Somehow, as we rolled onto the embankment, the bike and I started to tumble. We parted company and rolled almost in unison along the side of the road. When my rolling stopped, I mentally checked myself for signs of injury. Finding none, I looked to my Ducati. It had not faired as well.
Pieces of windscreen, rear view mirrors, panniers and luggage lay where they had been ripped off the bike as it toppled end over end. Virtually all of the body work was cracked or broken. Tuffs of grass stuck out from various places making it look like the scarecrow's costume in the Wizard of Oz.
The bike started out as a 1998 Ducati ST2. However, an obsession with building the quintessential mountain touring bike had led to a collaboration with Bruce Meyers owner of BCM Motorsports of Laconia, New Hampshire. As Bruce completed his magic, the bike was transformed from an ST2 to a Super ST. His modifications resulted in an increase in horsepower to 93 horsepower (as measured at the rear wheel). Torque was increased to 69 ft/lbs @ 6500 rpm. Braking was also improved dramatically to keep pace with the development of the engine.
My first test ride on the Super ST was overwhelming. Although in my mind I knew what Bruce was building, I wasn't prepared for the physical reality of it. I was shocked by the incredible thrust of the bike when I just thought about twisting the right handgrip. I wasn't prepared for the speed with which the formerly mushy brakes now brought the bike to an immediate, but smoothly controllable, halt. Bruce's work exceeded all my expectations. This bike, which I now owned for less than six months, had already changed my attitude about riding to say nothing of my riding ability. Little did I realize how much more change lay ahead.
The four days I had the Super ST were pure joy. The first two days were spent testing the bike in Laconia and then riding it to Fort Royal, Virginia, the northern entrance of the Skyline Parkway. It was a time of familiarization, some turnpike riding, some off the beaten path "blue highways". The third day, however, was, without question, the best day I ever spent on a motorcycle.
I awoke before dawn with eager expectations only to be met by a cold, dark and dreary Sunday morning in October. As I rode to the entrance of the Parkway, the rain started and quickly turned into a torrent. It was miserable. As I turned onto the Parkway, however, the road ascended above the clouds and I suddenly found a beautiful day and dry roads. The rain which I was cursing just minutes before had turned into an ally by keeping Sunday traffic to a bare minimum.
I felt like I was in a travelogue on one of the most beautiful roads in America, with breath taking vistas that demanded to be stopped for and admired. At the same time, I was on a souped-up Ducati, riding smooth, undulating twists and turns on a perfectly paved, un-trafficked road. It wasn't hard to not stop.
Hour upon hour I reveled in Nirvana, stopping only long enough for the fuel needed to prolong the high. Smiles, giggles, laughter, whoops of joy, and an occasional moment of terror as I sped down the road on corners abutting sheer drop offs and sure disaster. To say the least, I was riding faster than I was used to doing. But I felt safe. My senses seemed so much more acute than normal. I was minutely aware of the bike, the road, and myself.
In those four days, the twelve hundred miles I traveled from New Hampshire to deep into the North Carolina mountains, gave me an opportunity to thoroughly evaluate the bike. It was clear that Bruce had given me all that I had asked for, but it was also clear that there was more that could be done. With my heighten sense of awareness, I began feel the rate with which the suspension recovered after hitting a bump or pothole in the road. It needed to be tightened up a bit, just as the Michelin Macadam tires seemed to be sliding a little too easily in power turns.
When the Super ST first took shape, my focus was on response rate. I wanted a bike that would go from 20 to 100 in a heartbeat and return even faster. My search for the perfect mountain bike didn't look beyond response rate and a few comfort considerations. It cost me dearly to learn that I needed more than my right hand to control a light, powerful bike at speed.
The stock ST2 is not a particularly powerful bike, but its suspension is in beautiful balance with its power capabilities. In the initial modification of the bike, I had neglected to also enhance the suspension to keep pace with the heightened power curve. Charging down the Blue Ridge Parkway one is quickly, and emphatically, reminded that the ability of the bike to quickly rebound after hitting something which affects the "set" of the bike's suspension is singularly important.
Now, as I stood over the broken pieces of my dream bike just outside Asheville, North Carolina, I realized that the time to complete the building of the perfect mountain bike had come a little sooner than I had expected.
It took three weeks to get the bike transported from Asheville to Laconia. In that time and well after, countless hours were expended thinking, researching, planning what would be done with the bike.
BCM Motorsports is well known for building custom Ducatis, particularly road racing bikes. Among motorcycle racing circles, Bruce is also a much sought after advisor as well as constructor. He designs many of the parts that go into his machines. He is also a practical man who takes a calm, carefully considered approach to his work.
When I suggested a new Ohlins suspension, Bruce would remind me that it was a touring bike not a Grand Prix racer. When I suggested Marchesini wheels, his suggestions were more practical - and less expensive. Sometimes he won, sometimes I did.
The damage to my bike turned out to be virtually all cosmetic. New parts were ordered, and custom Super ST decals ordered. The fairings and panniers were sent out to Bruce's painter to change the silver color to a deep lustre red finish. A few carbon fiber accessories were ordered to further visually distinguish the bike and Bruce's crew tended to the little bit of work on the mechanicals.
Heavier springs were installed in the shock and forks to improve the suspension. Michelin Pilot Sport tires were mounted to increase stickiness. Arrow carbon fiber slip-ons were installed to replace the aluminum clad Ducati Performance slip-ons that were damaged in the accident. Electrical sockets were installed in the instrument cluster and under the seat for radar detector and heated jacket use respectively.
When the time came to reassemble the bike, a 40 litre Ducati top box was installed, the Ducati pannier liners were discarded in favor of those by RKA and a removable Corbin back rest was fitted for those few times I ride two-up.
My great bike is now even better. I am confident that my Super ST is the best bike in the world for my version of mountain touring. Am I done fiddling around with it? Of course not.
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Performance modifications by BCM Motorsports (www.bcmducati.com):
Custom 966 engine
Custom programmed FIM chip
Upgraded suspension system
Cast iron brake rotors with Dunlop racing pads
CRG adjustable brake & clutch levers
Steel braided brake & clutch lines
Yoyodyne clutch slave cylinder
Arrow carbon fiber slip-ons
Michelin Pilot Sport tires
Ducati touring wind screen
7/8 inch bar risers
Throttlemeister throttle control
Heated grips
Electric sockets on dash & under both sitting areas
Corbin carbon fiber seat with removable back rest
Ducati 40 litre top box
Marsee tank bag
Helen Two Wheels cargo system
Motobags under-seat storage bag
RKA pannier liners
Throttle Rocker
Custom deep lustre finish
Custom Super ST decals
Ducati carbon fiber accessories:
Rear mudguard
Side panel air vent insets
Enclosed Clutch cover
Foot peg guards
Front sprocket casing
Instrument holder frames
About the author:
Dan Moricoli is a marketing executive whose business requires constant travel. He keeps bikes in various locations around the country for use on long weekends, or extended wanderings, as his schedule permits.
His current inventory includes the Ducati Super ST which is kept in the Eastern United States. He also owns a highly customized BMW R1100 GS which is kept in California and used for dual sport touring the West. A BMW R100 Classic is kept in Florida for leisurely touring from his winter home. A Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy in Chicago for that city's version of café racing at the Highland House on Sunday mornings.