Strengths: There seems to be more of a DIY mindset than on other Ducati forums. Some of these clowns over at other sites wouldn't know how to change their own fairing off if you put a gun to their head. There also is less of the Ducati-elitism on display here than most places catering to Ducatisti. At some point elsewhere it always seems to end up in a dick-measuring contest. Without the moderation, there is peer pressure to remain true to the spirit of this site, otherwise you hear about it pretty quick.
Weakness: Ducati specific seems to be pretty slow these days. Maybe the guys that have to go to the dealer to get their blinker fluid replaced have us outnumbered...
Strengths: There seems to be more of a DIY mindset than on other Ducati forums. Some of these clowns over at other sites wouldn't know how to change their own fairing off if you put a gun to their head. There also is less of the Ducati-elitism on display here than most places catering to Ducatisti. At some point elsewhere it always seems to end up in a dick-measuring contest. Without the moderation, there is peer pressure to remain true to the spirit of this site, otherwise you hear about it pretty quick.
If a quick boost of traffic is what you care about then I have a few suggestions but sadly that would involve moving away from tech-related topics and saturate the forum with braindead Starbucks friendly topics and "my Ducati is cooler than yours"-type of picture based thread wars instead.
But wait... that's exactly what ducati.ms is like! And we sure don't want another copy of that site, do we?
I'm afraid I don't know how to improve Speedzilla or gain a higher number of actively participating members but I do know what I hate about ducati.ms and that is all the nonsense chit chat from people who know frighteningly little about their own bikes.
I really enjoyed Speedzilla a few years ago. Aside from the occasional (unnecessary) flame war there was plenty of activity on the site and lots of knowledgeable people willing to share their insight with others.
Needless to say, establishing a forum consisting of meaningful and sober tech based articles and threads takes a lot of effort and perhaps the "old gurus" belong to a dying breed?
I can't help but thinking part of the reason for ducati.ms' success at the expense of Speedzilla is due to a shift in the Ducati customer base.
I think it's safe to say Ducatis have become cheaper over the years and with a steady increase in build quality more people can afford Ducatis that no longer have to be meticulously cared for by their owners in order to run properly.
When a bike can be trusted to start whenever you need it to the immediate need for a deeper technical knowledge disappears, I guess, and perhaps that explains the lack of interest in technically oriented topics on any Ducati message board?
And, judging from the topics discussed on ducati.ms, I think it's safe to say a growing number of new Ducati owners buy their bikes first and foremost in the hope of making a lasting impression on their neighbours.
They wouldn't know what a workshop manual is if you hit them over the head with one so why would they gravitate towards a quality driven, technically oriented discussion forum?
A Starbucks inspired nonsense bullshit forum, on the other hand...
I actually would like the old quality back. I am not interested in the latest blinker technology, the coolest saddle bags and the neatest rim stickers. I think IŽll just follow the idea of creating a tech heavy subforum and see how it goes. Maybe you guys want to take part in the whole thing and start posting good stuff again.
I would love to see how to articles. I've never seen a valve job done on a Duc; would love to see how to do it... Or install a clutch, set your sag, etc, etc.
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Current Ride:
2006 Ducati 999S Mono in black.
To add, a cross reference library for Ducati parts such as bearings ect. would be nice...
Quote:
Originally Posted by drthompson65
I would love to see how to articles. I've never seen a valve job done on a Duc; would love to see how to do it... Or install a clutch, set your sag, etc, etc.
-I will say this: The Ducati "elitists" don't ride much... but seem to post and remain active on forums... That's something you're not gonna be able to control. They wanna ask questions without researching, don't wanna do the simple things like clean/inspect their own ride or even change their own oil..
Yet they'll jump on the Newest "Bling" bandwagon and wax poetic about their billet butt-plug that give's them an extra 4hp.
Not sure how to help the situation, but I hope it works out. I enjoy lurking here when i'm not riding the crap out of my bikes ( I don't own a car.... FTW!!)
Last edited by Lawbreaker; 01-08-2012 at 02:55 PM.
Reason: typo
Strengths: There seems to be more of a DIY mindset than on other Ducati forums. Some of these clowns over at other sites wouldn't know how to change their own fairing off if you put a gun to their head. There also is less of the Ducati-elitism on display here than most places catering to Ducatisti. At some point elsewhere it always seems to end up in a dick-measuring contest. Without the moderation, there is peer pressure to remain true to the spirit of this site, otherwise you hear about it pretty quick.
Weakness: Ducati specific seems to be pretty slow these days. Maybe the guys that have to go to the dealer to get their blinker fluid replaced have us outnumbered...
That'd probably be the case if there were any dealerships in CT; the ones in Central FL are almost non-existent with one exception. I like Ducati's growing popularity... but it has it's drawbacks... see a lot of t-shirts, shorts, do-rags & teva's on the Diavel cruiser crossover crowd. Maybe Ducati has discovered higher profit margins selling the lifestyle & clothing like the American counterpart. The latest batch of motorcycles they're building seem to be pretty impressive though.
I would love to see how to articles. I've never seen a valve job done on a Duc; would love to see how to do it... Or install a clutch, set your sag, etc, etc.
Now I feel a little guilty for not posting more. I do everything myself, but other than taking notes, do not like juggling a camera while hands are covered w moly or asbestos. Was going to post my MPL Tuning parts slipper clutch install, which I documented some, but was not satisfied w the results. I put a few miles on it, it was not right, re-arranged it, put 1200 miles on it, but it is not done right yet. Now looking at it again. Never slipped, but worst, not full disengagement and now it is back to squawking on engagement.
I will probably need to adjust my personal preferences on this forum so I will know when someone is paying attention as I do not look at it regularly, and am not really familiar with the nuances of forums in general. e-mail notices?
The valve jobs DIY is probably not shown because it is a standard procedure, but I see very few people understand how to ck valve adjustment on the desmo. That would warrant a DIY vid. I think I developed a good procedure and set of tools for that. Unfortunately, as my next interval is coming up, I will have to relearn. I have one of the old style heads (996) that is akward to deal with. I may be getting some of what I call the improved valve keepers from MegaCycle this time.
Had hoped to avoid that but am keeping the dinosaur though I ordered an 1199.
Anyone that has tips on the MPL, would love to here from them. As indicated above, I am not done w that yet.
Now, to ck the preferences, Cheers, Rad
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