[iblastoff]

2021 Mr Clean!

My plan:

- add the oem fork gaiters

- switch out the exhausts for lighter ones. either do a full 2-1 TEC stinger swap (although tbh a little weary of their QA and general build quality) or just spend the extra $ for the S&S dual cones. i think both s&s cans together are lighter than even one of the stock ones which is great. i'd still prefer a 2-1 purely cause the area i store my bike in my garage in is pretty tight.



- get rid of stock mirrors and swap them with a set of rizoma reverse retro mirrors i have laying around from my previous bike.





- replace all the turn indicators with bullet style ones





- clean up the rear tail light area. maybe something like this from BAAK




i'd love to powder coat the rims and spokes. just black them out completely. its a shame the UK variant already has this.

i havent had a chromed out bike in a long time. is there anything i should know about keeping the tank on this bike clean and maintained?

i'm also not used to having non-adjustable shocks but we'll see how these feel.

also for the break-in period..the manual seems pretty crazy to me. it says dont exceed 55mph for the first TWO THOUSAND kms??? that seems nuts and im assuming just overly conservative. as long as i'm varying the speed, RPMs, gears, and not going crazy with the throttle i'm assume i'll be fine? i've never actually owned a new bike before.

i'm also still up in the air about whether to sell my current bike or not. its basically everything i want (2016 ducati scrambler). has good usable power. only weighs like 172kg after my current mods on it. looks amazing and rides amazing. only thing is...crazy high maintenance costs. im approaching my 2nd desmo service on it and im not looking forward to it.

so enter the Mr Clean! should be generally cheap to maintain but still look fantastic. anyway i'm looking forward to getting on it!

[whippers]

Welcome to the club. I thought 2021 spec bikes include gaiters but maybe yours was built in 2020?

[iblastoff]

Welcome to the club. I thought 2021 spec bikes include gaiters but maybe yours was built in 2020?

i have no idea. the one i'm getting is definitely 2021. i'm in canada so im not sure if there are different variants for us.

[CPJS]

Well done in choosing the fastest model. A polished stinger system will set it off nicely and a centre stand will make it easier when polishing those crankcases.

[Starpeve]

Well done in choosing the fastest model. A polished stinger system will set it off nicely and a centre stand will make it easier when polishing those crankcases.

And add unwanted weight…

[Hoiho]

2021 Mr Clean!

My plan:

- switch out the exhausts for lighter ones. either do a full 2-1 TEC stinger swap (although tbh a little weary of their QA and general build quality) or just spend the extra $ for the S&S dual cones. i think both s&s cans together are lighter than even one of the stock ones which is great. i'd still prefer a 2-1 purely cause the area i store my bike in my garage in is pretty tight.

i havent had a chromed out bike in a long time. is there anything i should know about keeping the tank on this bike clean and maintained?

Congrats, they are a sweet wee bike.

Find a chrome treatment that isn't abrasive. Autosol etc are full of abrasives that will wear the chrome in no time.
Even Maguires Metal Polish has aluminium oxides...

Mate's Tec 2:1 has been very reliable and wasn't hard to fit (helps to have a helper). Headers are almost black with baked on road spatter, but that's the look he wanted (not my cup of tea).

[NVDucati]

Find a chrome treatment that isn't abrasive. Autosol etc are full of abrasives that will wear the chrome in no time.
Even Maguires Metal Polish has aluminium oxides...

I notice that you purposely use the term "chrome treatment" as opposed the word polish. Good for you! That is a important distinction. I've noticed previously that you know about these things. Perhaps a new thread by you on the topic, so as not to hijack this thread. (I use Pledge)

[Jack Straw]

Congrats. There's nothing like bringing home a new scooter.  Have fun.

[iblastoff]

I GOT IT!!!!

the break-in period certainly isn't fun. i'm still trying to get used to keeping it under 4000rpm when my current bike basically runs at a MINIMUM 4000rpm or its considered lugging haha.

random observations:

• the ergonomics initially felt aggressive but you sorta learn to not lean as much into the handlebars and it becomes alright. I can definitely feel slight vibration through the throttle handle though. its not bad or anything but i dont feel this on my ducati at all. maybe i just have to further loosen my grip a bit.

• the pegs feel high but you also get used to it. i think im gonna have to lower the foot shift lever a bit, as the angle to kick up from so far back makes it feel like i have to kick up higher than i need to.

• the engine/pipes are VERY quiet. theres this odd 'ticking' sound when riding and i'm not sure if thats normal or not. the engine is REALLY smooth though, and sometimes i find it hard to tell how fast im actually going cause it just sounds the same at different speeds haha.

• dont like that the speedometer shows MPH as the bigger outer circle and KM/H as the smaller inner one. i live in canada and i wish it was the other way around!

• I LOVE being able to find neutral! haha. it reminds me of my previous suzuki bike that shifted like butter. a lot of ducatis are notorious for not shifting into neutral (despite properly setup clutch) and mine is no exception.

• weight is definitely an issue. i can really feel it when lifting it off the kickstand and when trying to back up the bike into a parking spot. cant wait to start shaving weight off of it starting with the pipes.

• manoeuvrability (weaving left and right) is not as easy as my ducati. but this may just be me being more used to one bike then the other.

• removing the bar end caps is a PAIN IN THE ASS. one of them popped off just fine. but the other cap just spins forever. that appears to be a very common issue and i dont want to use a hammer to get the cap off.

• acceleration off the line feels pretty weak tbh. but this might be just me being careful with the run-in period.

overall im loving it so far though and it just looks insaneee!!!! cant wait to start doing some mods to it.

[Starpeve]

I GOT IT!!!!

the break-in period certainly isn't fun. i'm still trying to get used to keeping it under 4000rpm when my current bike basically runs at a MINIMUM 4000rpm or its considered lugging haha.

random observations:

• the ergonomics initially felt aggressive but you sorta learn to not lean as much into the handlebars and it becomes alright. I can definitely feel slight vibration through the throttle handle though. its not bad or anything but i dont feel this on my ducati at all. maybe i just have to further loosen my grip a bit.

• the pegs feel high but you also get used to it. i think im gonna have to lower the foot shift lever a bit, as the angle to kick up from so far back makes it feel like i have to kick up higher than i need to.

• the engine/pipes are VERY quiet. theres this odd 'ticking' sound when riding and i'm not sure if thats normal or not. the engine is REALLY smooth though, and sometimes i find it hard to tell how fast im actually going cause it just sounds the same at different speeds haha.

• dont like that the speedometer shows MPH as the bigger outer circle and KM/H as the smaller inner one. i live in canada and i wish it was the other way around!

• I LOVE being able to find neutral! haha. it reminds me of my previous suzuki bike that shifted like butter. a lot of ducatis are notorious for not shifting into neutral (despite properly setup clutch) and mine is no exception.

• weight is definitely an issue. i can really feel it when lifting it off the kickstand and when trying to back up the bike into a parking spot. cant wait to start shaving weight off of it starting with the pipes.

• manoeuvrability (weaving left and right) is not as easy as my ducati. but this may just be me being more used to one bike then the other.

• removing the bar end caps is a PAIN IN THE ASS. one of them popped off just fine. but the other cap just spins forever. that appears to be a very common issue and i dont want to use a hammer to get the cap off.

• acceleration off the line feels pretty weak tbh. but this might be just me being careful with the run-in period.

overall im loving it so far though and it just looks insaneee!!!! cant wait to start doing some mods to it.

I’d bet that you’ll find it a lot more manoeuvrable in urban settings than your Duke.

[iblastoff]

Congrats, they are a sweet wee bike.

Find a chrome treatment that isn't abrasive. Autosol etc are full of abrasives that will wear the chrome in no time.
Even Maguires Metal Polish has aluminium oxides...

Mate's Tec 2:1 has been very reliable and wasn't hard to fit (helps to have a helper). Headers are almost black with baked on road spatter, but that's the look he wanted (not my cup of tea).

good to know about the 2:1. do you know of any specific cleaners/treatments without abrasive stuff in it? on my previous bike i just use plain waterless wash and wax. maybe i'll just stick with pledge like someone mentioned in this thread.

[iblastoff]

Well done in choosing the fastest model. A polished stinger system will set it off nicely and a centre stand will make it easier when polishing those crankcases.

oh nice! maybe its just the lighting but your 2:1 stinger setup looks cleaner than most for some reason. i also thought the center stand wouldnt fit while the 2-1 was on there? i guess it can!

[PrinceValiant]

Congrats !
Re - bar end caps , pop some electrical tape on them and hold with a set of grips , then undo .
No need to hit with hammers or force off - like I have seen some YTooobers do !

[iblastoff]

Congrats !
Re - bar end caps , pop some electrical tape on them and hold with a set of grips , then undo .
No need to hit with hammers or force off - like I have seen some YTooobers do !

so for my needs i just needed to remove the cap, not the whole bar end, since im using a clamp-on style mirror anyway that fits in the spacer area on the GT.

this following post solved all of my problems:

Hi.  Been lurking here for a while but decided to de-cloak and help out if I can.  Fitted some Puig bar ends recently to my GT. Removal of the stock end caps was easy on one side, not so on the other.  Basically you need to stop the bar end revolving while you unscrew the bolt. Wrap a bit of leather around it and use mole grips? I managed to use the bar end mirrors themselves actually, as the ring at the end was a tight fit on the bar end and enabled me to grip it securely.
Once its off, the GT has a handy nylon collar around the bar which in my case was fractionally too large to fit the bar ends onto, I sanded down the inside of the nylon collar slightly and was then able to use this as a spacer to fit the bar end mirrors very neatly, and re-use the original end caps.

i clamped my new mirror right on top of the bar end cap (since it fits right on top of it anyway) to prevent it from twisting, and then just unscrewed the bolt and done! the poster is right that the OEM black plastic spacer piece is fractionally too large. i ended up having a bunch of old spacers laying around from previous bikes and found a pair that was slightly thinner.

[iblastoff]

and now with the bug eye mirrors gone, the old mirror can be useful for a ram mount if you're so inclined.




my next job is to find the cleanest usb charger plot at the handlebars. i found this hitchcock setup that mounts to the fork tube. might be a bit too costly for me though...

https://accessories.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/accessory-shop/Charging/40583