For a passenger, this is the most comfy bike ever.

When the Ducati 999 110 first turned up at the beginning of Summer 2005, lying on its side in the back of a van, which caused the whole left side fairing badly cracked. I assembled it putting on the foot pegs and got it started and left it warming up for 15 minutes then I took it out for a little ride. Which I could not do so I phoned a couple people and I rode it to the end of my road no problems. I have to say it is a fast bike it pulled away wheel spinning and wheelying with a lot of power still to go. When I got it into 4th gear it was growling and redlining working its way up to the 50 mark. The bike was nuts, it rode like a little beast and looked exactly like the Ducati 999 which caught every eye on the road. After half a mile of riding it cut out. I tried starting it rode on 2 meters and it cut out again this time it did not start up. I took it to my mates house he checked it out and it seemed the black rubber air filter was dead. I ordered for a K&N sports performance one, when it came I fitted it and the thing kept on cutting out every 100 meters until the battery died because of the excessive use of the electric start. Then whenever it stopped I had to kick start it like a plum on the side of the road. The foot pegs were bending, so I got them welded and sprayed them. Then things just got worse when it would never start, I tried every trick in the book, when I happened to find that the screw holding on the carb was loose and couldn't tighten. So I ordered a second hand carb, because the guy on the phone was chatting waffle saying the one I have now is a cheap Chinese one that always breaks and the one he's got is top of the range. When I fitted it at first it wouldn't start, then after this and that it started up back firing and smoking and cutting out. Until it would never start again. After that I tried everything, until I couldn't be bothered anymore and left it sitting in my shed for whenever. I know a sad story and the bike was brand new. Anyway a couple weeks later using my mechanical engineering knowledge I realised the engine was running lean, so I fitted a brand-new hotter grade spark plug and another performance 22mm carb, just the night before someone came to pick up the bike (since they won it on ebay). After I prepped and started it I couldn't help myself except take it for a little night ride. So I did. The thing lasted a journey equivalent to 5 miles until it cut out in the middle of a junction, locking up the back wheel nearly spitting me off. When I wheeled it to the side of the rode I tried to start it, but no luck. The thing had seized, the night just before the sale. The guy had paid for it as well, via paypal. I took it home ready to call the guy to arrange for me to return his £320. Instead I tried to pull of the biggest bodge ever, until I found out the thing hadn't seized and started up again. My luck. The morning of the sale I wheeled it out of my shed, trying to electric start it. I realised the bike had an electric fault cause when I put it in the night before, the horn was buzzing, drainig the battery. I tried the kick-start. The thing still didn't fire up. So I tried all the carbs I had trying to start it, still no luck. I had no choice but to call off the sale, but I couldn't let go of the money so went to meet up with him and continued as if it were an ordinary sale. He asked me to start it; I tried to explain to him the whole story Then I tried the kick start one time and vrooooom. I let it warm up rode it up the street showing of the trick gear system and the power it had with a wheelie. We shook hands and the deal was done. Me being a softy I gave him £40 for his long journey, and helped him fit it in the van. I could not believe my luck; I tried to think logically as to why it didn't turn over at my house. I remembered I fitted the original 22mm carb I first bought of the web and still left the hotter grade spark plug in. As well as the fact the petrol didn't work its way from the tank through the fuel filter then into the carb. If I had bought the hotter grade spark plug to begin with, would I still have encountered the problem? Did it need an oil change? Should I have got a pro to begin with? Was the air filter running it rich or the larger jet? Was the bike on its way out anyway? If it was, how come the guy hasn't called me? I don't know. But what luck.

Looking back at what happened last year I couldn't help but analyse the bike further. I should have realised the wheelies were due to its down gearing not that's why 1st 2nd and 3rd gear rode the same. If I had set the bike up properly replacing the carb with a brand new one instead of a second hand re-conditioned one I would have ended my troubles. Also due to the fact I had a larger jet, I should have upgraded to a performance sports exhaust or simply drill the washer out of the stock one making the derestriction complete, that's why it ran lean and I wouldn't have be lying when I sold it saying it does 65mph.