Salt Lake Motorsports

.

On Saturday Todd Kunkel Purchased this 2010 Street Fighter… We would like to welcome him to the Ducati Family!

Street Fighter

Ducati Superbike 2010 backstage video

T from Salt Lake Motorsports is back again. He describes the popular Termignoni on a couple of our Ducati motorcycles and explains the ease of the slip-on system. T also gives a quick rundown of our motorcycle service specials.

Ducati North America has announced the delivery dates of its 2010 model line-up to the US dealerships, with the bulk of the new Ducati’s arriving in February, and the Multistrada 1200 in April & May.

Hypermotard 796: $9,995 – December 2009
Hypermotard 1100 EVO: $11,995 – February 2010
Hypermotard 1100 EVO SP: $14,995 – February 2010
Monster 696 ABS: $9,995 – February 2010
Monster 1100 ABS: $12,995 – February 2010
Monster 1100S ABS: $14,995 – February 2010
848 Dark Superbike: $12,995 – February 2010
1198S Corse Special Edition Superbike: $24,995 – February 2010
1198R Corse Special Edition Superbike: $39,995 – February 2010
Multistrada 1200S Sport: $19,995 – April 2010
Multistrada 1200S Touring: $19,995 – April 2010
Multistrada 1200: $14,995 – May 2010
Multistrada 1200: ABS: $16,495 – May 2010

Hello Again everyone. Its been a while since I last posted. Since summer is here in full force we have been incredibly busy at the shop. I want to tell you about Sas-Tec, a company I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with. As you know (or you should know) we carry the full line of Rev’it gear; from jackets to pants to technical clothing and even socks. I have been using Rev’it products since we first started carrying them. One of my favorite jackets is the Rev’it Cayenne.

The Rev’it Cayenne jacket is an Enduro style jacket great for all day rides in almost any weather. I have personally worn the jacket in temps as cold as 17 degree’s and as warm as 102 degree’s…which was yesterday! The original armor is good and does an adequate job of balancing protection with comfort. In learning about this years Rev’it line I learned the new Cayenne jacket uses Sas-Tec armor. I had not heard of this armor and researched the company and product. This armor is very high-tech and very much what I would call “reactive armor”. It is soft and malleable under normal circumstances. However, when impacted the material instantly becomes harder by a multiple of times offering fully certified CE protection levels. I wondered if this new high-end armor would work in my older style Cayenne jacket.

I contacted Sas-Tec via email and received an immediate response. I was contacted by Business Administrator Stefanie who remained in contact with me the whole time. I explained my reason for the contact and my desire to upgrade my current Cayenne jackets armor. Stefanie asked me many technical questions and inquired about the current size of armor in the jacket. I answered her questions and sent a photo of the old armor and with in a week Stefanie sent me various sizes of armor to evaluate. I was sent two sets of shoulder armor, elbow protectors and a back protector.

I put the new armor in my jacket with not problems. I made only minor adjustments to the armor to fit my current jacket’s “armor pockets”. Stefanie had instructed me that if needed, the Sas-Tec armor could be simply “cut to fit”. That’s what I did. I used the armor for the first time on a commute ride; 60 miles round trip with temps over 100 degrees on the way home. I used the armor again this morning. I rode my KTM 690 EN from my home at an elevation of approximately 4500 feet to the top of Francis Peak at almost 9500 feet. Here is a photo. Sorry about the quality, I only had my phone.

Although the weather was hot today again the Sas-Tec armor worked flawlessly. I was able to stand up in an attack position for some parts of my ride and the armor moved with me each time. It never felt “in the way” or bulky but I knew it was there just in case I needed it. What a good feeling to know your protected but not feeling like I was in my road-racing leathers.

Many companies are making upgradable armor for jackets and other protective clothing these days.  Sas-Tec is at the fore front of current body armor technology and years ahead in their marketing approach and relationships with their customers. It is rare to find a sub-contracting company [a company who provides a product to a manufacturer] so willing to get involved at the personal level with a vendor who carries the manufacturers line.

I was so impressed with this armor I have ordered another jacket used for Supermoto that uses Sas-Tec armor. I will evaluate that jacket on the track and let you know how it works.

In the mean time, don’t forget; our first Salt Lake Motorsports track day is this weekend at Miller Motorsports Park. I will let those of you who cannot attend know how it went and post a picture or two as well.

Ride safe;

Thorsten

Salt Lake Motorsports is hosting another great event for its customers! Saturday, July 25th is the date for our next Track Day, and if you haven’t ridden on the track yet it’s a must-attend event! Details and rules can be found here (PDF). Sign up today because space is limited! You can sign up in person at 916 S. Main St. or call (801) 478-4000.

Okay, Okay…no it’s not a Ducati I’m riding in this picture, its my ‘04 aprilia RSV Mille. Remember, Salt Lake Motorsports has always been and continues to be your source for many exclusive Italian brands. Even now if you are looking for another Italian motorcycle, we currently have several Bimota’s-all with Ducati engines.  

In this weeks blog I am going to try to save you some money and time when you bring your bike in for service. At the same time I am going to introduce a few ideas regarding proper etiquette when dropping your bike off for service. As you are well aware, time is money. That holds especially true for our [or any] service department. We charge “shop time” by the hour and our current rate is $78.00 for that hour. Here come the money saving tips…if you have a fully faired motorcycle (1198, 999, 848, 900ss, ST2-3-4, etc.) you can save some money by removing your fairings before you bring the bike to us for service. Some fairings are easy to remove and others are very difficult and take more time; time that is charged to you. Another issue that will slow down our ability to efficiently service your bike is having to remove luggage, tank bags, non-OEM wiring looms, SAT-NAV’s and other auxiliary items. Of course, we will always be happy to do ALL the work for you @$78.00 an hour.

And now its time for some etiquette training. It is probably reasonable to assume that anyone reading this blog would NOT visit their dentist right after eating a garlic burger; and along those lines, I would also assume you would NOT visit your doctor for a full physical examination right after running a marathon.  In both of those examples  you would of course clean up a bit before the visit [if not, you may want to visit a fetish site...]. This premise holds true for your motorcycle service as well! Why oh why would you bring in a completely filthy bike for service? It is difficult at best and impossible at worst to diagnose a problem on a motorcycle that is so dirty our technicians cannot see what they need to inspect / test. Now before you think I am being way too picky about this; I am not talking about normal everyday dust/dirt and splashes on your motorcycle. That is completely normal and expected by our service department. What I am talking about are those motorcycles that have an inch of oil soaked dirt on the engine from oil leaks, ove zealous chain lube attempts, oil spills, missing parts/seals, etc. Each and every one of you would recognize a bike like this when you saw it. Again, we are happy to work on these bikes for $78.00 an hour; with the first hour or more charged just to clean the bike.

If it seems to you that what I describe is “not that big a deal”. Look at it this way. Each and every bike that goes through our service department is scrutinized for several potential problem areas, normal wear on consumable parts and safety issues. Preventative measures that reduce risk have the added benefit of reducing cost both now at the time of service and in the future because problems will be easier and earlier recognized or addressed. Each repair order when completed will have our technicians recommendations/observations on it and these will be discussed with each customer when they pick up their bike.

Remember too, Salt Lake Motorsports is a Ducati Factory Certified service center that can address any and all issues regarding Ducati motorcycles. We are the only such factory certified dealer in the area and the only warranty service center as well. If you take your 40K 1098R in for service and they over fill your oil and cannot even reset your service light, what are the chances they know anything about your motorcycle and can address real problems, let alone any service campaigns or recall issues. Right Danny?

Okay, here is the last point. When you do bring us your bike for service please don’t lock the steering when you park. As you have surely noticed, for security reasons the key is attached to the repair order and does not go with the bike. We move the service bikes almost immediately into our secure service yard so there is no need to lock the steering. This makes things easier on us and saves a lot of time spent running back and forth for keys.  

Enjoy your Holiday weekend, even though its raining right now, and ride your Ducati. I hope to see you at our Ducati StreetFighter debut this Friday (29th) and for World SBK weekend as well. Send me an email if you have questions or would like a topic discussed in this blog.

thorsten@saltlakemotorsports.com

Thorsten

“These Boots Were Made For Walkin’…” Nancy Sinatra

I Don’t think Nancy ever tried on a pair of DUCATI boots! Ducati Boots were made for so much more than walkin’. Made with the highest quality materials and a superior regard to performance and style, Ducati boots are a must have for any Ducati rider. For a limited time, select Ducati Boots are Marked 15% off at Salt Lake Motorsports. Prices on select boots already reflect 15% discount. Plus, get Free Shipping on your order of $100 or more.

Your guide to enjoying World SBK Weekend 2009. For the second year in a row the HANNspree FIM Superbike World Championship (World SBK), one of the top three racing series in the world, returns to Miller Motorsports Park in Utah! This is set to be an event-filled weekend in the Salt Lake area, coupled with the Ducati Streetfighter Premiere, group rides, specials, giveaways and other events at SLMS. And for you out-of-towners we’re offering Free Shipping on all in-store purchases Thurs-Sat. Festivities start Thursday, May 28th at SLMS on 916 S. Main St. Use the following resources and you’ll be in-the-know come race weekend!

Salt Lake Motorsports Schedule of Events
Miller Motorsports Park Event Info
Miller Motorsports Park Event Schedule
Ducati Streetfighter Website

Map from SLMS to Miller:

View Larger Map