I have been away from the blogger for almost a year and boy, it feels like a day. An old man once said to me "years pass easily, it's the days that go hard". That was the case for the last 9 months. There is no time, i don't have time, when i'll find the time.
But what is time? That's a good question. I mean there are some interesting questions like who killed JFK, who was behind the 9/11 attack or what is the answer to life the universe and everything? These are interesting questions but what is time?!? That is a GOOD question.
Just like i know that the answer to life the universe and everything is 42, in the very same way i know that time is actually the entropy flow. Now what is entropy? I'll write about that when i'll find the time.
In the meantime, since last May my dream bike became a reality. The ST4s was ready around the end of July, if memory serves. The result was as expected, astonishing. Here are some pics of the finished TiFOSO 996 C-Racer.
The bike was painted in the original Ducati PS silver and sea green. We could have painted the frame in sea green, but we didn't want the bike to be an imitation of the PS. The goal was to make something new, something original but within the Ducati PS tradition. For the same reason -tradition together with originality-we made a narrow old school stripe, running along the bike.
In a conversation i had with the guy who owns the 996 C-Racer, i was asked what is the bike of my dreams, if money isn't an issue what would my ride be. I answered that the bike of my dreams is 'your' bike (maybe this is always the case, we humans always want something that somebody else has, but i am honest on this one). For me this is it. Maybe not in this color combination, for me the perfect color is red, but that is the bike of my dreams. Let me explain the reason.
First of all it's a Ducati, it has a race proven frame (851/888) it has a race proven engine (996) it has top of the range peripherals (wheels, brakes, suspension). According to wikipedia "
the ST4s actually made slightly more power and torque than the 996 Superbike due to the mostly straight-through design of the ST's exhaust, compared to the under-seat exhaust of the Superbike." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ducati_ST4s) which according to www.sportrider.com, seems to be true.
And with a wheelbase of 1.430m which is 2 cm longer than the 996 SBK (1.410m) it is more stable in high speed, under braking and in high speed cornering.
Combining all that charisma with the sport-classic shape, i believe it is obvious why i love this bike. That is why i created the TiFOSO company. Because i'm obsessed with it.
The driving experience is simply up to specifications. A hard push on the chest by some gigantic boot when you open the throtle hard, a hard push on your back by the same gigantic boot when you're braking hard and in the corners especially the high speed ones, you feel you should lift those exhausts before you lean any more.
Living with the bike, is one of those experiences that makes life an interesting event. It is like dating J-LO. She may have some plastic surgery, she is of some age but that round latin butt knows all the good tricks. Motorcycle riders envy you because you are riding a Ducati. Some of them try to iritate you because they want to see the beast roaring. Ducati riders try to finger out what model this is. You can read the lips of the little kids go Whoa!!! You might thing that i'm exaggerating, this is my bike and i'm just trying to sell it. That was the thought of the C-Racer's owner when i told him that this was the bike of my dreams and then he took the bike and lived with it for 3 months. He attended some Ducatisti meetings, some cafe-racer meetings and then he realized that what i was thinking and what he was thinking but didn't want to accept, everybody else was also thinking. What an astonishing bike this is. He described me the convertation he had with a Harley-Davidson owner and fanatic. "You know man, i don't like Ducatis but i love this one". It is people's reactions that brought the bike back to my hands. Her owner desided that this beauty deserves the best so he asked me for some updates that will make it a peace of art. Here she is in the workshop again, together with the Monster.
Here you have a sneak-pic of the Monster-TiFOSO project. I'm about to release it soon (when i'll find the time) here on the blog, but it is already been released on the e-shop (www.ducatitifoso.com) as a collection of t-shirts. That was an interesting idea that i will use for every TiFOSO project in the future. A public release through printed t-shirts.
In this last paragraph is one of the reasons that i'm short on time the last 9 months. The creation of the TiFOSO company. I was on the moove to find a place for the workshop, prepare it and equip it, to build the e-shop, to find some interesting partnerships, to design and build the parts for the Monster TiFOSO project. 2013 was a tough year, with 18, 20 and 22 hour days, but for this reason, one of the most exciting years in my life. After all you know that a day was worth living it, only when you gave your everything.
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Who is Ducati Tifoso
Photo taken by DarkOn, editor of the www.caferacers.gr
The question still remains. Who is Ducati TiFOSO?
