Big Apple 961

Hi all,

Just thought I would post a bit about my new 961 that I picked up at the dealer yesterday. A Silver 961 Cafe Racer with after market exhaust.
Since I have only put 20 miles on the bike I don't really have any significant impressions to express, but my ride home from the dealer was quick and frigid. I hope the weather improves in the next few weeks so I can work on completing the run-in on the bike.

Here are a few quick impressions:

1. Engine starts/idles/operates fine without issues. Dealer started the bike before I arrived, so I did not have a chance to check if the bike smoked on initial startup. But I will check and report on next startup.

2. The little bit of riding that I did on the way home was great in spite of the cold. The bike handled very nicely. The suspension worked very well over the crappy pavement and pot holes around the NYC area. Brakes are dual Brembos - excellent.

3. I am 6' 2" in height, and the seating position on the Cafe Racer is quite good for me. I'm a bit of a 'knuckle-dragger" with long arms and legs. The reach from the seat to the clipons is comfortable for me. Someone with shorter arms might find the reach forward to be uncomfortable, as my friend discovered after sitting on the bike.

The only issues that I have found are ones that have already been noted by other owners:

1. Foot pegs don't have return springs. If you hit the peg with your heel while raising your foot, the pegs folds up. Then you have to hunt around with your foot to find the peg, and flip it open. This is not fun in traffic.

2. The sidestand props the bike up too close to the vertical. It seems that a little breeze could topple the bike on its side. Care is required when parking the bike on the sidestand on uneven pavement.

I will continue to provide updates as I become more familiar with the bike.

http://s1177.photobucket.com/user/Norto ... 6.jpg.html

Good review, I forgot to mention I cut 1/2" off my stand and re-welded the shoe back on, much better!

BPHORSEGUY said:

Good review, I forgot to mention I cut 1/2" off my stand and re-welded the shoe back on, much better!

Click to expand...

Any pictures?

If you mean of the stand I could take some and post, maybe tomorrow ! I moved the feeler leg on there but you could probably cut right at the bottom of that and leave it intact!

On the right side of this page look for the IMG and click that box. It will automatically copy the link to your clipboard and then you can just past it here. Easy peasy.

http://s1177.photobucket.com/user/Norto ... 6.jpg.html

swooshdave said:

On the right side of this page look for the IMG and click that box. It will automatically copy the link to your clipboard and then you can just past it here. Easy peasy.

http://s1177.photobucket.com/user/Norto ... 6.jpg.html

Click to expand...

Thanks.

I appreciate the tip. 8)

Nice bike, welcome to the club!

Nice bike! +1 on shortening that side stand ASAP. You might want to think about a pad on the tank so your jacket doesn't scratch it as well? :wink:

Looks great! You should spend the next 8 hours trying to get road salt from undrcarriage.

Nice review there ,
Snow on the ground ...... and I thought it was cold over here .
Roll on a bit of decent weather .

Okay, The first photo is to show how the bike sits, the second is a closeup of the modified stand. I cut almost 3/4 " off the stand which required moving the feeler. The feeler would then end up under the gear shift so I had to turn it around. I also "beefed up " the shoe by making a duplicate of it 1/4" thick and welding it to the original. All of this is overkill and just playing around since I couldn't actually ride the bike at that time. I would recommend some one just cutting it at the feeler and welding the shoe back on. This would shorten it about 3/8" and accomplish the same much more simply. It is a hair tricky though because you must cut on a compound angle, if you miss your shoe will not sit flat on the floor!

BPHORSEGUY said:

Okay, The first photo is to show how the bike sits, the second is a closeup of the modified stand. I cut almost 3/4 " off the stand which required moving the feeler. The feeler would then end up under the gear shift so I had to turn it around. I also "beefed up " the shoe by making a duplicate of it 1/4" thick and welding it to the original. All of this is overkill and just playing around since I couldn't actually ride the bike at that time. I would recommend some one just cutting it at the feeler and welding the shoe back on. This would shorten it about 3/8" and accomplish the same much more simply. It is a hair tricky though because you must cut on a compound angle, if you miss your shoe will not sit flat on the floor!

Click to expand...

That looks like the perfect angle for the bike to rest at.
It took some nerve to cut the stand on a brand new bike. 8)

Well done, and thanks for the info.

Very wise mod because there is definite risk of crashing if bike parked w a slow leak unknown - bike can get lower and lower till falls over away from stand. Dasmhik. Might tell dealer to mention this to Norton before others learn about motorcycle domino effect.

I think it was time well spent!

Congratulations on your new Cafe Racer. Thanks for the review. I'm pretty sure I met you at Gold Coast and had that lengthy conversation with you, and judging by your photo, that matches the neighborhood you told me you live in.
I ordered a Piper Red Sport dual seat. Still waiting. They did offer me the single seat black Sport, but I reluctantly declined. The clutch switch was damaged in shipping and thy were "waiting" for the part. They cranked it up by bypassing the switch. Just wondering.....how long will we be waiting for parts should we need one? I'm not going to back out because the bike is gorgeous. I may still run back for the black because who can tell how long my wait will be. Let me know how it goes. We'll be the guinea pigs here in the states, huh? Can't wait for your nice weather review and even more anxious to give you mine. Cheers.

Britfan60 said:

Congratulations on your new Cafe Racer. Thanks for the review. I'm pretty sure I met you at Gold Coast and had that lengthy conversation with you, and judging by your photo, that matches the neighborhood you told me you live in.
I ordered a Piper Red Sport dual seat. Still waiting. They did offer me the single seat black Sport, but I reluctantly declined. The clutch switch was damaged in shipping and thy were "waiting" for the part. They cranked it up by bypassing the switch. Just wondering.....how long will we be waiting for parts should we need one? I'm not going to back out because the bike is gorgeous. I may still run back for the black because who can tell how long my wait will be. Let me know how it goes. We'll be the guinea pigs here in the states, huh? Can't wait for your nice weather review and even more anxious to give you mine. Cheers.

Click to expand...

Hello Britfan60. Good to hear from you again. I haven't had a chance to ride my 961 since I brought it home from the dealer due to holiday family obligations, weather, and other issues.

I think the red 961 is really nice too. It matches the red metalflake paint on my 850 mk3, so I was attracted to it also, but decided on the Manx color Cafe. Didn't want 3 red bikes in my garage.

My Cafe 961 also had damage (left grip, broken left turn signal) when uncrated. Gold Coast called the factory, and they immediately shipped replacements overnight. Perhaps it takes longer for some parts, but my impression from the dealer is that parts are readily available.

Gold Coast indicated that Garner said the US would receive next shipment in 8 to 10 weeks, which would put the date of arrival for next batch sometime in February. No telling which models or colors will be included in the shipment or which dealers would be allocated units.

Hi all,
Now that the mini ice age appears to be over in the northeast US, I was finally able to get out on the road for a while. My goal is to finish the initial run-in or break-in process on my 961 CR as soon as possible. The weather cooperated yesterday, so I planned a short trip from NYC to Montauk Point at the eastern most tip of Long Island. It was Approximately 250 miles, round trip.

http://s1177.photobucket.com/user/Norto ... 0.jpg.html

The winter cold, snow, and ice have ravaged the roads on Long Island, so much of the day was spent dodging pavement irregularities of one kind or another. Even considering this, there were a few roads sufficiently intact to allow me to test the 961’s handling and maneuverability a bit. The bike has very neutral steering balance, and has a very easy turn-in. Once you take a line in a corner, the bike is very stable, even when accelerating through the corner. All transitions from left/right, right/left are easy even with the clipon handlebars on the CR. I haven’t had the bike above 85MPH indicated, since the break-in procedure requires that the REVs be kept below 5000 RPM. However, the chassis inspires confidence, and seems to ask to be ridden harder and harder. I have to keep remembering constantly that I’m riding a Norton, because this bike does a spectacular imitation of a Ducati SuperSport.

The suspension not only provides firm precise chassis control, but really does a great job of absorbing the common road jolts from concrete pavement slab seams that often feel like kidney punches. I would call the suspension firm, yet supple. The brakes are nothing short of amazing. The Brembos up front are powerful and progressive. I did experience a few surprise situations that required rapid break application to avoid “contact”. These breaks put the Brembo units on by Ducati 999 to shame.

There have been a great many accounts, rumors, and opinions expressed on several forums relating to problems with the engine, and its operation. These issues have concerned me for a while since, due to weather conditions; I hadn’t had an opportunity to ride my 961. Because of these reports, I took a container of oil with me on the trip, just in case. I did make certain that I never exceeded 5000 RPM, but I did push the bike as I would have any other machine. Throughout the day when I stopped for gas I also checked the oil level. The oil remained at the same level , just above the midpoint between high and low mark on the dipstick. That gave me reassurance that the engine is in order. In fact, the only fault with the engine is a somewhat reluctance to idle when cold. When I start the engine for the first time on a given day, I have to provide a little throttle to raise the RPMs for about 2 minutes before the bike will take up a lumpy, stable idle. I think this may be due to the fact that I had my dealer install an aftermarket exhaust system from SouthBay Norton when the bike was delivered. At the time, there was no replacement EFI map available from Norton, so the bike is currently still using the original EFI map. I will have to contact SouthBay to discuss the problem. Other than that the engine is a wonderful, lump of metal. The lumpy idle has a Harley character to it, but when the rev’s move off idle, the Ducati sound takes over. When approaching 5000 rpm the exhaust sounds like a pneumatic jackhammer. There is also some vibration that does get through from the engine from 4600-5000 rpm. However, It’s not the hand or foot numbing kind. Just the engine’s way of letting you know that you’re not riding a boring, cookie cutter multi cylinder machine.

All things considered, I had a great day at the Montauk Point Lighthouse. The weather was windy, cool (50’s), and very windy. I was able to climb to the lighthouse tower and get a panorama of the area. The surf was rough with a lot of breakers. When I pulled out of the parking lot to head home, I realized that it’s still early days in my evaluation of the 961, but I’m beginning to see a beautiful relationship ahead.

Hey BritTwit.

Thanks for the review. Since I'm reading this, you can tell I'm sitting here JONESING for the delivery of my Sport. I have to go to Gold Coast today and break a few chops. I'm almost considering the new Duc Monster 1200S due to impatience, but I get out on my 79 Bonnie just to quell the jitters. The weathers getting nice and the Bonnie needs work. I hope I don't have to wait much longer, although the wait hasn't been that long so far. Its my neurosis.
Great pics of Montauk. That's quite a haul for you on a cool breezy day. You're hardcore, man. Maybe we can get together for a blast some day. Carve up the twisties in Bayville or something. I'll get back to you on the delivery update. Keep those reviews coming. They give me hope.

Britfan60,

I know the feeling, I waited to get my hands on a 961 since 2005. It was sweet when it finally arrived. I have enjoyed it quite a bit so far. I stopped out at Gold Coast this afternoon to arrange for my first service on the 961. It has 630 miles on it. I met someone at Gold Coast who was also interested in the Ducati Monster 1200. I saw the bike at the Javits Center Motorcycle show in December, and it is really nice, and powerful. You can't go wrong with the Duc if you get tired of waiting for The 961.

We should meet at Gold Coast sometime to chat. I'd like to see your Bonnie too. I bought a 2006 Triumph T100 because it reminded me so much of the classic Bonnie, but the originals are beautiful mechanical sculptures on wheels. That's why I love my Mk3.

Keep the faith. That Red 961 will be here before you know it.