49. The DIAVEL

Name: DucatiFanBoy
Age: 36
Profession: Finance



1. When did your passion for bikes begin?

At about 10 yrs of age, when i rode a friends Luna for the first time ... it felt like magic, from cycling where you often concentrate more on doing the work (pedaling) ... you could now just look around and enjoy the breeze!


2. You've got a love for race tracks and cars too, tell us about it?

I have done a lot of amateur and competitive racing, though all on 4 wheels -- from the national karting races in India to driving supercars on numerous f1 and other racetracks around the world, including the old nurburgring with its 180 corners (unfortunately i had a dull and boring SLK350 with an autobox that day as my drive)


So here is my conclusion .. if you like automobiles (and love your life), a race track is a place to ride / drive them fast ... thats where you explore the limits - your own, the machine's and enjoy the feedback from the tyres and grip levels ... you learn so much in every corner ... the tyre tempratures change, tarmac grip levels change and you adapt your technique! What you experience on the road is a 10% of the excitement .. most of it from just going fast enough to scare yourself / risk your life! Of course riding with a mature group like GODS is an altogether different experience, where you are enjoying the ride within a disciplined controlled set of protocols rather than doing anything stupid like overspeeding / stunting. Its great to be out with a set of riding buddies and it doesnt matter that you dont use even 10% of your bike's power, cos you are on the public road.

And from all that driving/riding I can tell you, that steering a professional rotax go kart with a topspeed of barely 160kmph through fast chicanes and long sweeping corners with the rear suspension fully loaded is by far the biggest adrenaline rush in my automotive life .. way ahead of thrashing ferraris, porsches and lambos on race tracks .. driving supercars and bikes on the road is of course a distant third.

I cannot tell you how excited I am about the F1 track coming up in Delhi .. and I wish a lot of youngsters take to karting and open wheel racing (formula ford and formula maruti open wheel cars) and 250cc race bikes on the track (I will for sure!).



3. What bikes were in your consideration set before you closed on the Diavel?

It was a long 2 year period of jumping through options, from mt01, cb1000r, but pretty quickly through the process I got to a point where I knew it had to be a ducati. Just loved the 848 / 1198 and even booked an 1198 and then decided to cancel it. Current generation 848 / 1198 are just the most amazing looking bikes to me and and some day i'd love to own one of them as a piece of art (till then a scale model would do!). I also briefly considered an SF-S


4. What makes the Diavel so Special?

To be honest, #1 - that it is a bike .. i hadn't been riding actively for many years, so it was just great to be on a bike, any bike!
#2 Looks amazing .. now it isn't a sculpted beauty like the 848 / 1198, but it is one of a type and pretty darn mean looking bike
#3 You have to ride it appreciate how it makes the impossible possible w.r.t. how much easier to ride it is compared to even cruisers, how much faster on the throttle it is compared to superbikes and how stable it is in corners. Don't get me wrong .. a cbr600rr will take the pants off of it in terms of corner speeds and an 1198 will blow it in a high speed run ... and while you can take a diavel to the track, its not meant for it. But it has so far been impossible for 1 bike to do so much. And what that translates to is that it is a near perfect bike for the street (even handles a pillion really well) -- till you get to maintenance that is ;)
#4 It has all technology you have ever heard of, which also enhances the safety - 8 level traction control, abs, slipper clutch, riding modes, keyless ignition, the works.


5. Whats about the Diavel would you improve?

Besides wishing for a maintenance network nearby, i'd say ground clearence, a slightly more aggressive riding posture would go better with the bike's persona (maybe i should try a higher seat), maybe add some rocket launchers on either side ;)


6. Head to head between a race/supercar and the Diavel who would win?
On the road, the diavel anyday .. its much more fun to ride than to drive in general. On a track since I have a lot more experience on 4 wheels, I would prefer a supercar (though i'd prefer an open wheel race car over a supercar). But hopefully in next 2-3 yrs now I'd also get some level of proficiency on 2 wheels on the F1 track and then I suspect this answer will reverse too.


7. Any plans to accessorise the bike?

Well yes .. gradually, the bike comes really kitted out to start with .. but will keep adding nice bits as and when i find them. Exhaust is on top of my mind, but even the stocks are so loud that I am kind of unsure


8. Have you done any performance mods on it? do you have any plans to?

Not yet, just a sportster windscreen, which also does not reduce the wind blast much .. but looks cool!


9. The Diavel is a quantum leap from the traditional Ducati design, whats your take on it?

Thats the fun part .. it is and it is not. It looks so different, but is bloody light, sounds the same, goes the same, has same trellis frame. If you ask me they have managed to pull off a coup .. people on the ducati forums love it now (btw lot of them hated it before it was actually launched and available for test rides) and even the non ducati even non biking guys love it. I was quite nervous about the fact that I might really hate it if it ends up feeling like a cruiser - which I didn't want, but it worked out pretty well! This one is for keeps...


10. The dealer in Gurgaon is no more, who maintains the bike?

The ex-dealer in gurgaon and ducati mumbai sends someone. But it is a pain and this should be getting fixed soon by ducati setting up something in Delhi soon.


11. How has that experience been?

These guys are trying their best to help within the existing setup - they send somebody over from Mumbai regularly, the older workshoop guys are kind enough to let us use the facility / tools .. but overall it is not ideal and if this is not fixed then people will actually opt out of ducatis for just this reason (I already know people who did)



12. How serious is Ducati about the Indian market?

I think they are pretty serious. Remember its a small firm still .. but I have known some of the guys involved and been in touch with others who are getting involved .. it does seem like they are quite keen to do well here. And I think they will do well ... we often joke around that the market share of ducatis in GODS is higher than their market share globally! So see .. they have takers here .. just need to set up a stronger sales and service network (learn from Harley!)


13. Does Ducati plan to have a riding club? tell us about it?

Yes they are trying to set up India's first official ducati rider's club... though even before they set up an official club, there is an unofficial ducati riders india club which seems to be gaining traction, especially in Mumbai. I don't care too much about riding every Sunday with a Ducati riding club since you go out riding with your mates and not with just anyone who owns the same brand of bike as you! But if they do organize real events (again on track especially!) then they would gain serious popularity and publicity even amongst ducati and non-ducati owners


14. Whats your riding gear like?

Dainese full armour with back, neck, chest, shoulder and elbow protectors, ducati and joe rocket riding jackets and pants (leather for winters and mesh for summers). Dainese Boots and gloves, Arai corsair V matt black helmet.
More importantly I wear it all the time .. If i think it's too hot or too near to wear the gear, i take the car instead.




15. If you could buy another bike what would that be?

Now since everyone has a license to dream ... It has to be an 848/1098/1198 ... they look amazing and I could use it as a track bike! I just hope I don't fall cos any damage to the lovely fairing will give me an instant heart attack!
So in reality it might be whatever is the smallest track bike I can lay my hands on (200cc perhaps) ... and probably keep it on the track itself ideally (slick tyres etc)


16. Where do you park you bike? is it safe there?

In the basement parking, but always covered .. once it is covered people are less curious and so its generally fine. At the end of the day in India you have learn to accept that someone will scratch your car / bike with a key and it doesn't take away from how much fun you have riding it! Also that is a perfect excuse to buy a new accessory!


17. Whats your advice to young riders?

Never ride on the public road to go fast ... NEVER! Go to a racetrack .. On a public road enjoy the sunrise, the breeze, wear full gear all the time, use mirrors, look back often, expect the unexpected!

48. Will the Doctor rise up like the Phoenix?

Rossi burst into the world of MotGP in 1996. There has not been a single year since then that he has not won a race. 2011 has proven to be the hardest in his illustrious career, the legend is yet to be on the top step of the podium. Had it not been for a lucky race where he finished third thanks to other top riders crashing out, Rossi would never have seen the podium this year.

For a man who has tasted so much success all his life, getting comfortable with failure is an almost impossible task. At the end of each failed race you see the man’s spirit taking a beating. As much as he still tried to be the media friendly, crowd loving, larger than life rider the real story is now visible on his face. As a huge fan of the Doctor, I feel his pain too. I still hope and pray during each race that I’ll get to see the glimpse of the man who began on the 4th row of the grid chasing down one rider at a time to finally claim the race. However this season there has been none of that.

The internet is filled with articles on what went wrong. I’m no expert and I can’t really comment on what the engineers did right or wrong. I can only bring out the obvious. It just shows that the Japs build better rider friendly bikes that like to win on the track. Rossi and JB have done everything they knew to get the bike to behave like the M1 that Rossi loved to ride. They have gone through 4 chassis changes already and yet Rossi still thinks the bike isn’t ideal for him. As far as im concerned this year proved that Rossi is no superhero. I used to brag that put Rossi on a Pulsar and yet he will still win the race as no one has that kind of talent. I was truly wrong. Rossi is after all just a good rider. He isn’t GOD

What this year truly means for me is how under rated Mr Casey Stoner was all throughout his stint at Ducati. If he can get the supposedly un rideable bike to win the championship then it could only be with some seriously talented skills. I don’t ever remember Stoner making so many changes to the bike. He did mention more often than once that the front end does not stick too well but despite that he went on to win plenty of times. I think Its time we gave the man a bow.

Another entity that will be under a lot of pressure is of course Ducati. They were hoping that Rossi would help change the image of the company and the wins on the track would lead to increase in sales on the field. The amount of money they have invested in MotoGP is way too large for a company that sells only 40,000 bikes a year. They really need results and they need it fast. Everyone is hoping that the next season would turn things around, but one must realize that MotoGP rules don’t permit you to test the bike outside the season. There are only two occasions when you can test the bikes, one at the end of this season and one right before it. A lot of the next years bike will have to be ready before this season ends but going by what’s been happening to the bike I’m not very optimistic.

Having said that I’ll be a Doctor fan for life. I’d like to believe that the Doctor would rise again from the ashes and make the next year his swan song. I hope we get to see him in the budh circuit next year. I hope he wins and I hope he retires after next season with the quintessential smile on his face.

47. All About Engine Oils

One thing I can say with a lot of conviction is that not many mechanics nor riders know much about engine oils in India. I learnt it the hard way when I went to get my bike serviced for the first time.The best way to learn is to learn from ones mistakes and this is an attempt to help you guys not make the mistake I made.

The engine oil is the blood that flows though the engine. The role it plays in an engines life is very very important. To explain how an engine oil works I'll have to first explain some simple facts about the engine.

All engines contains hundreds of moving parts and these engines are designed to rotate at 10K plus rotations per minute.This means every second your engine is rotating close to 200 times. This is an incredibly high number. As with all moving parts, we know from our physics teachers that a force is working to stop the movement. this force is called friction and this is the number one enemy of the engines.

The most common way to reduce friction is to lubricate the moving parts and this is why fundamentally oils were created for. A few things one should know about oils is that there is something called viscosity. This is a measure of how thick an oil can be. Ill have to give you a simple example to explain this. On a winter day in Delhi if you ever tried to fry an egg, you ll realise that the oil feels very thick when you pour it into the pan. However once the pan heats up the oil begins to flow very freely. the same happens to engine oil. when cold the oil is very thick and when hot its very loose. this is the most important rule that applies. heat makes the oil lose its viscosity and the less viscous the oil is the less lubricating it will be.

Since all engines work on high temperatures the oil needs to retain its viscosity while at those temperatures without losing its lubricating qualities. Hence they invented multi grade oils. An additive is used in the oil that make the oil remain thick even at high temperature. now this is where I explain what the grading on the oil means

a 10 W 40 oil means that when cold the oil has a viscosity of 10 and when very hot an oil will have the viscosity of an oil which would be 40. this does not mean that the oil gets thicker when its hot. it means that if the additives were not used then the oil will have a viscosity of 10 when cold and say 2 or 3 when hot. but since the additives make the oil more viscous when its hot the oil now behaves like an oil that will have an viscosity of 40 when cold and 10 to 15 when hot.

Other benefits of oils

Keeping the engine well lubed is not the the only job that's expected out of the oil. It also does three other important tasks
1. keeping the engine cool by circulating oil throughout the engine
2. remove dirt/metal components that chip off from the engine
3. keep harmful acids at bay that get formed due to chemicals in the fuel.

Whats the difference between wet clutch and dry clutch

There are basically two types of bike engines, one where the clutch is wet, that means engine oil flows through the clutch plates. you will find this in almost all bikes today. the advantage is that the clutch remains cooler and its less noisier.

bikes that comes with dry clutches don't have any oils going through it. you will find a few Ducatis with this set up. the clutch would be noisier but they perform with far greater urgency that wet clutches.

The big question now is do both wet clutch engines and dry clutch engines use the same oil. This is where I made my mistake. The entire net is filled with articles On the same and most are divided on the actual truth. I for one would like to believe that both wet and dry require two different oils. most oils today come with something called moly which are friction busters that offer very high lubricating properties. These oils don't work for wet clutches as they make the clutch slip. as far as dry clutches go, you can go and use them without any worry.

On every oil container there would be statement called " energy conserving" in case they contain friction buster. look out for them. I for one believe in using Motul as they make oils only for bikes and there is no confusion

Synthetic Vs Mineral
Synthetic oils are designed for engines that have large amounts of stresses and the additive used to make the viscosity of oils increase dont break down in synthetic unlike mineral. hence synthetic oils have a longer life. In India many superbikes change their oil every 2k to 3K kms and for them it would not really matter what type of oil you use. However Id like to change my oil every 4000+ km and hence I use only synthetic oils

Whats the best oil for India

people are extremely divided on this one. however pls dont go by 10W 40 as temperature grades. they are not. hence I would say its best to use what your manual says.

Hope this would help...