Saturday, January 1, 2011
[DucatiST] Around the World in 80 DOC's
By: John "Don't" Panek
polyjohn@aol.com
Being an owner of multiple motorcycles, I find that one of the most valuable resources available on the internet is a specific motorcycle owner website or e-group forum. This resource brings together a group of individuals that have a similar brand of motorcycle or even model of motorcycle to the one that you may have, as well as sharing some of the same passionate interests as well. Most of the time, it is used to exchange when and where the next group ride or meeting will be. But sometimes, especially when your motorcycle is experiencing trouble, it is nice to know that there is someone that you can reach out to help you if needed.
In October of 2009, many of you may recall hearing about a trip that I took on my 1999 Ducati ST4 to attend the annual Biketoberfest in Daytona , Florida
Once back from the trip and during the winter hiatus, I had MotorCycle Center (MCC), the local Ducati dealership in suburban Chicago, replace the wiring harness as well as do some other required routine maintenance items. During one of the first rides of the year, I noticed that the LCD screen that displays the engine temperature, fuel level and clock was starting to act up, so it was back to MCC to see what may be the cause of this problem. They told me that it could be something as simple as a loose connector or something more serious such as replacing the entire ECU, which could prove to be cost prohibitive to repair. The e-group's responses also verified the prognosis.
While the Duc was in the shop awaiting its final verdict, I feared the worst and started to look for a used commuter bike. I looked on eBay, Craigslist and even local newspapers and I found a deal that I could not pass up, a 100% stock 1999 Yamaha YZF600R with 19,000 miles for $2,100. SOLD!! Almost as soon as I bought the "new to me" bike, the dealership called to say they found the problem. It was indeed a loose connecter that was causing the faulty readings, the connector was cleaned up and reinstalled. Final cost - $85!! With the economy not helping much, I decided to only have one motorcycle on the road this year. The Yamaha got the nod and the Ducati was put into the moth balls for the time being.
As I was going through my emails one day in late October of 2010, I received an email from the Ducati ST Florida
The next day, I called MCC to see if they had any information about this world trip. I spoke to Geoff, one of the store owners, and he said that he had heard about the trip but was unsure of the itinerary. He then looked at the Ducati website and said that it didn't look like Paolo would be coming through the Chicago St Louis Indianapolis St Louis
I then called Ducati of Indianapolis to see if they had any info and they also said to get in touch with one of the local DOC, either IDESMO or the Hoosier Hooligans. Being equidistant to all of the three clubs mentioned, I had previously emailed each club about becoming a member but never pulled the trigger and officially joined one. I again emailed the clubs and shortly thereafter received an email response from Ryan of IDESMO saying he would keep me in the loop about Paolo's trip. The tentative date that Paolo would be in town would be Tuesday, November 16th. A few days before Paolo's arrival, I received another email from Ryan saying that Paolo's trip was delayed one day because of a snow storm in Denver , Colorado
The day before Paolo's arrival into Indianapolis 10:30 AM . Any club members that were available to ride were welcome to join the group and rendezvous with Gateway DOC from St Louis Effingham , IL Crown Point , IN 7 AM , with the temperature reading about 35 degrees F.
When I arrived at the dealership, one of the IDESMO club members looked at my motorcycle and said "Which club are you a member of? This ride is supposed to be for Ducatis only so why aren't you riding your Ducati?" I explained that I am not officially a member of any Ducati club other than the ST e-group but that I do own one. I also mentioned that I am a member of both ABATE of Indiana & ABATE of Illinois
About an hour into our ride to pick up Paolo in Effingham, IL and just as we were nearing Terre Haute, IN, one of the motorcycles experienced the first and only "Ah Oh!!" moment of the entire trip. We were traveling on I-70 westbound doing about 65 mph when one of the motorcycles mysteriously stalled. We all proceeded to pull over to the shoulder to see what had happened. It was soon discovered that after passing a slower moving vehicle traveling in the right lane and just as we started to merge from the left lane back into the right lane, Phil accidentally hit the cut-off switch on his motorcycle. After a few seconds of troubleshooting, we resolved the gremlin. Then after a few minutes of hitting Phil upside the head, we were back on the road.
Our group was the first to arrive at the agreed upon meeting place of Starbucks in Effingham , IL Gary Indianapolis Indiana
When we arrived at the dealership, there were some more members of the IDESMO club awaiting Paolo and Lidia and some more heartfelt greetings. After Paolo answered what he calls "the usual" questions, such as: How's the bike running?, How's the trip been so far?, How's the weather been?, from the group, he was given a tour of the facility and when he came back to meet with the club, he was given a handful of stickers. As it was continually getting dark outside and the temperatures steadily dropping, Lidia was wheeled indoors to bring her out of the elements as well as for some requisite pictures. Some of the members carefully cleaned an open section of Lidia and applied a sticker to her ever disappearing body. Then it was time for Paolo to freshen up a bit before the club dinner.
For dinner, we met up at Squealer's BBQ in Indy, which had about 25 members present. I invited my brother-in-law Al, who commutes and works in the Indy area during the week, to join us for dinner. And since I would also be staying the night with Al, dinner was on me so how could he refuse. As Paolo talked about his amazing trip, which started on June 13, 2010 in Misano , Italy Ducati Museum Bologna , Italy
When dinner was finally brought out, Paolo shouted "Oh my Lady Gaga!!" He was amazed at the amount of food there was on the tables. After dinner, we bid Paolo a good night as the next day was to be a busy one. I could see that Al, who used to ride back in the day, was caught up in the adventure too because as soon as we got to our room for the night, he immediately went to the Ducati website to pick out his next possible ride.
In the morning, we again met at the dealership, first to pick up Lidia, then to head over to the Fox 59 television studios for an on-air interview. During the interview, Paolo was asked why he is doing this trip, his response was that we wants to meet with the Ducati family and brotherhood around the world – in a word Ducatisti. He said the roads in America Indianapolis
After the interview, we took a short ride to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where the Brickyard allowed Paolo and Lidia to take a memorable lap around the famous IMS track. Another pat, another milestone. The pair also had the opportunity to "kiss the bricks". Once the tourist type events had taken place we rode back to Paolo's hotel so he could catch up on some much needed personal time to update his website, blog & YouTube videos.
Since I was down in Indy, I decided to ride down to the ABATE of Indiana State Office in Bargersville, IN, not to be mistaken for the State House in Indianapolis, to discuss some matters for the upcoming Officer's Training Fall Seminar with the exec director, Jay Jackson. As I was heading back toward Indy, I noticed that my drive chain didn't sound right. Having adjusted and lubed the chain prior to my trip, my gut feeling was that it was nearing its useful life as well as my comfort limit and I didn't want to risk having a chain failure during my trip. I decided to have Matt, co-owner and service manager at Ducati of Indy, take a look at the chain and he also agreed that the chain should be replaced. As I waited for the new chain to be installed, I recalled reading an article in Hoosier Motorcyclist where the author had a similar breakdown and used the ABATE website to contact the local rep who helped form a recovery crew to help out and get the stranded motorcyclist back on his way. I took comfort in knowing that I could have done the same and called on triple ABATE had I indeed broke down on the open road. Within 45 minutes, the chain was replaced and ready to go and the discount I was given helped soften the bill.
When the motorcycle was complete, it was once again time for dinner, which was held at the Brockway Pub in nearby Carmel , IN.
Our last day with Paolo would start out cold, with the temperature again reading about 35 degrees F. It would stay this way for the remainder of our leg of his trip. Ryan, Rob, Craig and I would be escorting Paolo to Springfield , OH Dayton Columbus Greenfield , IN. Ohio Springfield Ohio
When I checked Paolo's website later that night, he had traveled all the way to Harrisburg , PA New York City
Lungo Vivo il Ducati Fratellanza!! Long Live the Ducati Brotherhood!!
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