I am documenting the process of turning a street 996S into a track bike (maybe even a race bike). I have owned her since about 2010. I rebuilt and refreshed her in 2017, here was that journey: https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/2001-996s-refresh.49276/ Forced to keep her outside during COVID while I moved house and built a workshop. She was not in a perfect state - there was a bit of work to do on the bike before riding her anywhere - let alone at a track. What started with a clean and tidy revealed very low compression (90 psi) on one cylinder, leaking pressure into the crankcase. Both heads off, bores look OK but the piston to bore gap out of spec, horizontal oil ring was broken ... here I go again: Worksheet I will update this first post with all the little things I have figured out along the way, which should save someone else time, money, tears or all 3. Where possible I have sourced parts that are OE supplier/quality without the Ducati brand tax. Parts and tips are specific to a 2001 Ducati 996S European model. 1. Replaced stock fuel pump (43040041A) with a Walbro 255 (pump primes, bike starts and idles - so far so good) 2. Injector repair kit - including o rings etc - (28740291A) no longer available from Ducati 3. Brembo P4 (4 pad) 34/34 pistons can be found with KTM part number 61013019100 4. OE fuel filter (42540041B) is a Mahle KL145, available easily 5. Fuel pump housing o-ring (88650011A) alternative BS247 117.07 3.53 (Fits perfectly, does not leak - so far) 6. Pistal HC pistons installed without any trouble, but not thoroughly tested yet 7. Brembo RCS clutch/brake master cylinders are easy enough on a track bike, if you are removing the speedo and centring the tacho and water gauge (as I will). But I do not see these working on a road bike 8. Brembo RCS 16mm clutch installs and feels a lighter than the stock 14mm. Still heavy of course, with the stock slave cylinder. And also... (Not yet tested) 9. Camshaft bearings are (751201747) SKF RNU202ECP and (757941542) SKF 6203 C3, I get mine from Simplybearings in the UK 10. Somewhere I read a longer throttle cable is needed with wider clip ons, but based on my initial testing with Renthal Gen 1 tubes, this is not true. The stock cable has plenty of reach. 11. The stock throttle tube can be considered quick action, after market options - such as domino - probably won't make much difference 12. I am trying out ARP rearsets, adjustable and replace the stock gear lever. Stock brake lever is retained 13. I thought I would try cleaning up the used P4 calipers (see a later post in this thread) rather than going straight to paint. They were very black with decades of brake dust. They cleaned up exceptionally well with this product: Gtechniq W6 Iron and General Fallout cleaner. Highly recommended 14. Cylinders recoated with Apticote by Poeton. Conscious choice over Nikasil. One gotcha, the cylinders come back completely stripped of any paint etc, and the head face is skimmed, I presume to offer up a reliable reference angle for honing the cylinder. 15. Air temperature sensor (55240121A) is a Magneti Marelli ATS05 16. Manifold absolute pressure sensor (55240021A) is a Magneti Marelli PRT 03/04 or 50201102 17. Ignition coils (28540031A) are Magneti Marelli BAE 850 AK which I cannot find anywhere. There are alternatives which also don't seem to be stocked anywhere. I got some from generic after market coils from Ducati Mondo. But next I would try a Beru ZS078 - which is readily available. 18. Setting the TPS with the original unit was harder than a nightmare, it was impossible. The values were erratic and never the same twice. I got a new generic TPS unit and the process is still tricky, but much easier. 19. The wire spring clip that holds the connector to the fuel injector can be replaced by lock-wire in a pinch (don’t ask me how I know). Then order a TE Junior 2 way 282190, about £3 - these are the correct connector - and from this you have a brand new clip. 20. It is possible to delete the neutral and side stand switch if you're prepared to open the loom, at the union of the fuses and relays are all the wires you need. I'll make a post about this in the thread. 21. Replacement decals. I sourced some from Spain via Ebay, about £30 delivered for a full set of OE replacement decals - only checked one against the tank "Ducati" and it is a perfect size and shape copy, the finish I will not see until after I paint the new tank. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145393465949 This is her after the 2017 refresh: This is her at the start of the track conversion: View attachment 314722
Definitely had not even considered a second set of wheels. This started as a belt and oil service before taking her to the track next... things have escalated wildly out of control. I can't imagine your price is in my ballpark's postcode.
Best of luck with your project, I hope it goes well. You have rear sets listed and for track use they're absolutely essential from a safety point of view, imo and ime. The stock pegs are slippery to the point of being dangerous for anything more than mildly spirited riding. Years ago when I still had the stock pegs/rear sets, I nearly died when my foot slipped off the peg during a high speed flick of the bike from left to right. This was in dry conditions with proper race boots on. If you can't source proper rear sets, at least replace the pegs themselves with something properly grippy. Light wheels would be amazing if you can afford them, but if you can't I'd highly recommend longer bars for more leverage. They cost a pittance, but the difference they make in leverage when turning the bike in is incredible! For the price it's easily the best bang for your buck change you can make in the handling department.
Rearsets were a high priority. But now they are next on the list. Call me crazy. But to me these Marchesini wheels are plenty light enough. I know why you would want light wheels. I just don't get why I would need anything lighter. I could help out the team by shedding a few keys too.
Well, things kind of escalated. Top end has been rebuilt, all new bearings and seals, cylinder/bore coated, piston and rings. Before anyone asks, bottom end was done in the previous engine rebuild (circa 2016, circa 200 miles). Just turning the engine over by hand I can feel a substantial improvement in compression. Before After Thought I'd inspect the fuel pump while I was changing the fuel filter. Well, what was left of the fuel pump as it was turning into a pile of corrosion. New fuel pump and fuel filters going in. I am going to try a Walbro 255 pump which appears to be OE spec, fraction of the price. The old and the new The well used fairings I bought have needed a lot of work - stripping the old paint, fixing cracks, random holes etc - getting ready for fresh paint. I decided on pre 1998 Ducati Red (437.101) rather than the stock 2001 Ducati Red (487.111). I prefer the older colour and it is a track bike, not a faithful restoration. Got clip-ons with longer/wider renthal bars. Brembo 16mm RCS clutch master, Brembo 19mm RCS Brake master. Got a set of used Brembo 4-pad calipers (donated from a circa 2000 Aprilia Mille) - new pistons, seals, pads. Keeping original rear caliper - new seals and pads Before After
For sanity, before anything else happened, I wanted try and start it. So much has changed (see my opening post, which I am updating as I go) - after market fuel pump, pistons, fuel assembly O ring, TPS, HT leads, ignition coils and more. And halfway through stripping all the street wires from a road loom. So many things to go wrong Started first time of asking. No knocks, leaks or fires. We are still in business. Back to the business of painting. Donor fuel tank arrived and straight in for repairs.
Race/Track Wiring Loom This is the process of creating a track loom from a stock road loom. I sourced a donor road rear and middle loom so I could keep my originals complete and ready to use. I would have started from scratch if the big ECU plug was easily sourced, but can't find one anywhere. The rear loom requires little intervention and can be skipped easily. It is the middle loom that needs the most work. My objectives Remove as much street wiring as possible Delete the keyed ignition switch, replace with LED button Retain the factory right hand ignition/ start switch block and loom/plug Delete the left switch block and loom Delete the side stand and neutral switches Delete the stock front loom Delete the factory fuse box Retain the stock tachometer and water temp gauges Include switched 12VDC for a dash mounted digital timer Parts and materials: AMP Superseal connector kit. Genuine are more expensive but much higher quality. One 10 pin AMP connector to replace the middle/front circle connector A range of braided, split conduit sizes Automotive hookup wire and heat shrink Tools needed: Connector pin tools - or very fine, small flat screwdriver would be enough Soldering iron + solder Heat source, lighter etc Quality electrical tape, I like Nitto Side stand and neutral switch delete This can be done externally with some wires and plugs, kits available easily. Or you can open the middle loom near the union of the relays, fuses and battery wiring. If you follow the wires from the neutral and side stand switches, assuming you will be cutting those off, there are you a pair of yellow + green trace wires (the neutral switch), and two grey wires and a black earth (the side stand circuit). You simply cut the plugs off and join the yellow + green trace wires, close the circuit. Then do the same with the grey and black wires. This is the result
Seat Cover Materials The 996 (and almost every bike ever made) seat is covered with a, it has to be said, pretty rugged vinyl. Mine is 23 years old and still in good condition. But it doesn't feel great. So I looked at replacing the stock cover with something a bit more factory/luxurious. The gold standard seems to be Alcantara (Actually Alcantara EXO - the outdoor version). But boy-o-boy it must be made of spun gold and titanium as it is very expensive. So I ordered some samples: 1. A marine grade faux suede approx £30 /m (sourced: Modelli Fabrics in the UK) 2. Alcantra EXO black 9604 approx £120 /m (sourced: UK Hide Co.) Faux suede on the left, Alcantara EXO on the right. I can't speak to the weatherproofing or longevity of either material. But side-by-side and feel in the hand, there is almost nothing in it. The Alcantara is marginally softer, but also looks marginally more premium. In terms of working with it I guess the Alcantara is also marginally easier to wrap around awkward shapes, such as sport bike seats. But is Alcantara 4x as good as the faux suede, not to me. I did get the Alcantara - the hole I dug so far for this project isn't going to notice the difference to upgrade from faux suede to Alcantara - but I will appreciate the difference every time I get the bike out.
Interesting thread! I am also converting my bike for the track (851) and thought of upgrading the brakes to the P4 Brembo's as well. But I was advised against it, seems the 4 pads don't wear evenly and don't like the track abuse. So be aware. I bumped into a set of aftermarket pfm narrow band ductile rotors with 6 pot calipers and went for that.
Thanks for that info. But it does come as quite a surprise. Just about every source I went to suggested the P4 upgrade was essential for a track/race bike. I have done it now and am definitely going to try it. Also, some of the racing I hope to do requires the brakes are homologated with the model, which the P4's were on the 996R. So something I want to keep in mind. I know RCS Radial brakes made in 2024 are not homolgated, but I can easily bleed in the original master if I want to race in a class that is this strict - in the UK CMRC Era 3 750 Superbike for example.
I had P4 calipers (plus HPK discs and RCS m/cyl) on my old 916 that I used as a road/track bike. Never had a problem with uneven wear however the pads did wear out pretty quickly.
I have ex 1098R Brembo P4 calipers on my track bike. After reducing a set of Brembo SRs to metal backing plates in a day and a half on track, I fitted the Braking (Italy) version of the Brembo Z04 and have had no issues. I have also fitted vented caliper pistons as well. Andy
Seems to be a thing this fast wearing pad business. Guess I can try a different compound when these EBC pads wear out and probably I won’t have to wait too long.
Key delete Remove the seat/boot key barrel, replace the fuel cap with a quick turn, keyless option... what about the ignition key? Designed this to replace the standard key barrel. Will take a latching, LED SPST switch (so I know if I have left the ignition on). Had it 3D printed. This is the result.
