WAHOOO!!!!

[gtoddh]

I Took delivery today of my new 2001 Yellow Falco!

I was able to put about 30 miles on it before I had to go to work. What a bummer. And to top it off I'm going away for the weekend until monday night. I can't even believe I've got to leave my Falco at home and can't ride until monday night!

I'm sure I'll have many many questions in the upcoming weeks. I'm counting on all your wisdom and experience to guide me! I'll try searching for the info I seek, but please don't scold me if I ask a question about a topic that has been recently covered.

What I would first like to ask is what rear and/or front stands most of you use? I'm thinking of ordering the Handy Industries front and rear stands for only $99. That to me is a great deal, but is it one of those "you get what you pay for" type deals? Do any of you have direct experience with them? If you don't suggest them can you suggest a reasonably priced alternative? I plan on doing quite a bit of my own maintenance(learning as I go, no doubt) and want to have a good stable platform for the bike.

Thanks for all the info I've gotten so far from all of you, and for all the info I plan to get while I get acquainted with my new beautiful yellow mistress.

Todd Huestis
gtoddh@hotmail.com

[Aviator]

the handy stands are fine IME
I owned a pair for quite awhile and never had an issue with them, get a set of frame sliders and get a spooled stand, flat pad stands don't work well on the falco.

For a hundred bucks you can't go wrong with them

[Prov431]

Good luck with your new Falco. Hope it gives you lots of satisfaction as mine has done for me!
Regarding front and rear stands, I personally wouldn't use anything other than Pit Bull stands.
Spooled rear / Fork lift front. They are by far the most rock solid and trustworthy stands Ive ever used, and BTW a large majority of us racers use them, so that should give you an idea of their usefulness and stability.
I'd stear clear of any "sweat deals" and buy a set of Pit Bulls once and have them last longer than your bike! Falcos can also be lifted from under the steering stem, but I went with the fork lift so I could use it on my other bikes as well without having to change out pins. Only disadvantage of not lifting from the steering stem is that you cannot work on / remove the forks, which most people dont mess with anyway.
My official advise is DONT STRIP OUT THE UPPER OIL DRAIN PLUG HEX SOCKET!!!!! ITS CHEAPLY MADE AND A BITCH TO GET OUT ONCE STRIPPED! (Ask me how I know this!)
-Dan
01 Falco
00 Ducati 748

[gtoddh]

Av - I sent an email to you, at least I think it was you, earlier today through eBay. Perhaps it wasn't you. Anyway, please send me an email directly. Or better yet, if you want please IM me at either gtoddhnc on AOL or gtoddh@hotmail.com on MSN. I'd like to speak to you more about the Handy Stands.

Thanks,

Todd

[exdukenut]

Welcome aboard fellow Falconeer. You will luvvvvvvv the bike. Just take your time running it in, and learning it.

Have you ridden twins before? If so you know that you need to be smooth.

Other than that, sprocket change, exhausts and rear shock is really all you need to change at your leasure. I've gone further than that, but hey, I've got an understanding wife!:cool:

Take it easy on the roads, and enjoy a very underatted bike!

[crackerguy]

I use the Handy stands as well.

If you are looking for bang for the buck they are hard to beat, I have been very happy with mine.

Oh yeah, congrats on the new bike.

[UnsavedOne]

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy your new Falco as much as I enjoy mine. When you feel like you need to start dumping some cash in extras, let us know and no doubt you will get every option known to man.

The suspension is the only real weak point in my opinion and the bike is so easy to ride hard that you will probably find that out sooner than later. I should be getting my forks back today and I already got my new shock on. I just can't wait until the weather breaks and we get some riding time!!!:rollin:

[gtoddh]

Exduke - this is my first twin. I've ridden I4's and a VFR before, but the twin is a whole different beast! It's certainly going to take some getting used to. I was only able to put about 30 miles on the bike yesterday afternoon. Now I'm stuck in winter hell in NJ. The temp is around 30 or so and there's friggin snow on the ground!

I can't wait to get back to Raleigh so I can ride my bike!

BTW - I've named my new yellow girl "The Italian Bird" after Alotta Fagina from Austin Powers International Man of Mystery. The name fits in more ways than one!

Todd

[cstarrett]

Pick a gear and let the torque work it's magic!