I'm way late to this party, and I didn't read every single word so I'm probably repeating something.
Seems like a bad idea to me to use aftermarket crank bearings. With those you really don't know what preload to use, and you might need wacky shims (I think you did?). Glad to see you got stock ones. You know they are going to work. The extra money is worth the peace of mind and not having to do it again later.
Then again, the Ducati spec for crank preload is stupidly high, in my opinion (if you do the math on metal expansion). Apparently others agree. I set my 996 around .008". Also, I saw you measuring case halves like the manual says, that's hooey. Just borrow skinny shims and measure end float (I think you did this), then do the math from there.
I had to change the steel case inserts for the main bearings on mine. Putting in the bearings was a total snap though. Set the oven for around 300, put the cases in there a half hour or so. Put the bearings in the freezer overnight. They literally drop right in, as everyone is saying.
Are copper base gaskets really a good idea? Seems like they could deform slowly over time? Head gaskets seem like a decent idea, although I still used stock ones.
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