[allinbalance]

Well, @no_fear, even though you flunked science in school, I guarantee you that you are a true engineer at heart, a gearhead in soul and a rare human being overall.

In you, we forum brothers, see a kindred spirit - a perfectionist, for whom beautifully built machines, created with ultimate human ingenuity and technical elegance - need to and must be preserved and protected so that they live on! Your effort does not need any certificate, but the writing skill that you have - simply puts the spotlight on your achievement. Keep at it, and we will wait for more!

[aneesh2M]

Great work. What a beauty and was a pain to see such a beauty in a sorry state. the snap of white oil drained from the engine broke my heart. lovey to know that the beauty is revived and ready to roar. please keep posting the updates. would love to know the progress of the bike.

[dsuman]

Woah!

Truly amazing and hat's off to your dedication and perseverance. Your write up felt like "your loved one was in a hospital and on an operating table. You stayed by its bedside and eventually helped it walk on its 2 feet and come home"

I am sure there were moments where you would have felt enough is enough. But your love for Bikes gave you the needed strength to cross the finish line.

Have a Happy Riding.

[shivs2003]

Great Job Boss!

You are a true petrol head!

If I'm not mistaken, I have seen these tail lights, possibly around South Delhi/GK?

Either way, this was a great thread for me to read (even though I'm not avid bike fan), it got the engineer in me very curious!

[AtheK]

On a lighter note, I was telling about this thread to my Wife and all that no_fear accomplished.

She said, good!! but tell me one thing, is he married?

I was like, No.

And she was like, Ok, no wonder, that is why!!



Arya, you have been warned!!!

[saurabh2711]

Originally Posted by no_fear

How I found and saved India’s only 2014 Ducati 1199R – a story of unlikely rescue, revival and restoration

I'll be honest - I have nothing useful to write about, but only my well wishes for you for your splendid efforts.

First things First - Your thread stood by the claims that you made : This is nothing less than a Holly/Bolly-Wood thriller. Hats off to your writing skills.

Just adding few thoughts that are now actually engraved on my Brain
There is a massive difference in "Simply Buying & Riding/Driving" against "Owning & Mastering" any Vehicle. You Owned it & if I may say so that you have now mastered it. You now definitely know "In & Out" of the beast you OWN.

What an effort - "invested" in a beauty (read- Beast) that you love. Hats off dear. Hats Off. Great, Great Job Indeed. I am sure that this abused beauty is now in the best of the hands that one can ever imagine.

Please do share some Videos - when you take it on road. Eagerly waiting for it.

Last but not the least - I am going to find you & sue you. Because of your thread - I missed to update an important presentation for my call.

Worth mention I went with an attitude that is your TBHP handle - "no_fear". God Bless You. Ride safe.

[no_fear]

Wow,

I did not expect the thread to have such strong positive feedback. I am delighted that all of you enjoyed my build posts. When I first started writing this thread, I was not sure where it will end up at. There were a lot of dark days where I contemplated selling the bike, or just walking away from the project. I am glad I persisted.

The thread is already 4 pages long and I don't think I can thank everyone individually, but to all of those who commented - I really appreciate your words and thoughts. It means a lot to me. Thank you for the encouragement and the well wishes. I hope to keep the thread going.

Before I enjoy all the adulation, I would like to make a few things clear. After I posted this thread, it was circulated among several rider Whatsapp groups. Some of them have used this thread to cast Ducati in a negative light.

That is very disheartening. This thread is about rescuing a motorbike that was misused in the past. It is not a reflection of the build quality or the brand. In fact this thread is a testament that Ducati makes awesome motorbikes and made a spectacular sports bike, that in spite of all the mishandling and poor treatment by its previous owners, still survives and runs.

Please do not trash talk the brand. I am a die hard Ducati enthusiast and I love Ducati, warts and all. But above all, I am a motorcyclist. I love motorbikes, be it any brand. This thread is an awareness to treating bikes kindly and with care. Let's stay positive and look at the brighter side of things.

Back to the thread.......

@Athek - I am still single. Biking keeps me single because I do not get time for social activities.

@SNS_12 - I am thinking of specializing only in Italian exotics for the time being in my new endeavor. But I will slowly start looking into Japanese bikes once I reach scale. It is a very tricky market and trust is zero.

@vignesh - I would love to take this bike to the track. But deep in my heart, I do not want to. The bike suffered a lot and I need some time before I feel confident to take it on a track. Regarding the metal gears - it's a must if I extensively track the bike. In this case, as I decided not to track, I didn't consider the option. I am aware of the German company and had looked it up.

@shivs - No I did not ride the bike in Delhi yet. I think its a 959 or a 899 you saw as the tail lights are the same.

@Krishna - I feel the same as you brother. A bike has a soul.

@hifisharu - yes I saw some videos of the first owner riding the bike. It struck terror in my heart. I am thankful it does not belong to him anymore. Regarding the metal gearing, I actually do not know. I suspect its the issue of weight gain vs function vs cost. I will try to find an answer. But I know a lot of other bikes use plastic gears also.

[ahaltore]

Wow!!!

What a post!
What passion!
What perseverence!
What a Love Story!

My Hats Off to you. I do not believe you flunked your science in school at all !

[gthang]

Congratulations on completing your Mission Impossible.

Being a Ducatista is one thing, they need to coin a new adjective for this level of dedication.

Early in the biking game, used to feel similar angst at the way some would treat their bikes. Plenty of arrogant ignorant types in the superbike scene.

But then slowly I realised that biking is about freedom. And with freedom comes choices, and that freedom should be for all. To paraphrase, Ride and let Ride.

Cheers

Ride Safe

[shancz]

What a read, exhaustive and interesting at the same time, not to forget informative.
Apart from the resources, it takes courage and perseverance which can only some from the love of motorcycles. Hats Off

And to all the sceptics/critics(to put it mildly) you encountered, your biking did the talking, whether riding or restoring.

Like you rightly mentioned, biking is an emotion and IMHO emotions are the most powerful.
Hence Proved.

Good Rides

[WCHURCHIL]

Wow! That is one amazing story and I truly can't believe the time and money invested into getting this beauty back on the track. You rightly said that this is the only 1199R in India and it needs and deserves that attention and care.

The sheer ignorance and a stingy attitude to save a few thousand resulted in this beauty in this state. However, I am so glad that you revived it with absolute will and never giving attitude.

The only mechanic who was trained by Ducati to work on these bikes would have also had an experience of a lifetime. I pray that his talents are blessed.

I loved what you wrote about the mentality many people have and the way they abuse the infrastructure and facilities that are offered. This mentality should change for us to be successful.

I am pretty sure that the first two owners will read this and feel ashamed of the way they have treated this beauty. Some people have all the money in the world and do not know the value of things it gets. Can't help much.

Hats off to you on this and have a great journey ahead!

[W.A.G.7]

What a beautiful story! I am glad that you saved that rare bike. This story has all the makings of a Bollywood potboiler in action. I really loved the way you paid attention to each and every minute detail while restoring the bike and also the way you logically eliminated most of the culprits in the coolant/engine oil white chocolate mixture to fix the problem. Wishing you many more enjoyable kilometers with the Ducati. After a troubled and a neglected ownership with two previous owners, the bike finally is in good hands and I am sure it will only get better from here onwards.

Looking forward to reading more posts about this bike (a rarity, if we can call it that) and your wonderful journeys once you actually start riding it.

[Slick]

Amazing thread, a much deserved 5 stars, Not only did you spend a lot of money fixing a very very special bike, you also spent precious time investigating and studying it.

And then to add on to it, you spent some time articulating it and making it an amazing read for us all. This is a brilliant thread, this is what makes team bhp special.
I admire your tenacity & what you have achieved.

Thanks and all the best for the remaining work, do keep us posted.

- Slick

[P72NX]

Amazing story & amazing thread!
I learned things about bikes I had never heard before
Thank you so much for putting this out here. Wishing you many happy years with the 'phoenix'

[r0ckstar.1]

Wow!! What a thread and what commitment to restore this gem of a bike! Hat's off to your perseverance to do whatever it takes. Couldn't stop reading until I finished the thread. This needs to go into Team-BHP "hall of fame" threads (if there is one).

Happy riding and please post some juicy photographs of the bike post restoration. All the best from Bangalore! Cheers mate!!