motorcycle maintenance

↻ 2025-03-25

• Ducati 821
  • fasteners & torque values
  • maintenance procedures
    • oil change
    • air filter change
  • handlebar drilling
    • cloning keys
  • riding
    • body position
  • throttle
  • clutch
  • braking

Ducati 821

This article captures what this bike feels like to ride.

fasteners & torque values

maintenance procedures

oil change

air filter change

handlebar drilling

When changing handlebars on this motorcycle, you will need to drill three precise holes in the new bar. They should be at the locations documented here, measured from the right-hand or left-hand end of the bar, and at angles measured as a clock face, with noon at the topmost surface of the bar.

1. To engage the left-hand button cluster, a 5 mm ø hole drilled at 174 mm from left edge of bar at 8:00.
2. To engage the right-hand button cluster, a 5 mm ø hole drilled at 194 mm from right edge of bar at 4:00.
3. To engage the throttle control pod, a 4 mm ø hole drilled at 156 mm from right edge of bar at 3:00.

cloning keys

The transponder key is easily cloned, but knowing how to clone it is not so easy without a guide.

• You need a CN5 writeable chip
• You need a blank key with a place for a transponder
• You need a CN900 Mini cloning machine
• You need the original key

This model did not come with a “red key” as you will read many models did. It came with two black keys, and they are easily cloned. If you have one black key, you can use that to clone as many more as you need.

If you have no keys, you will have no choice but to get a new dash, new ignition, and new keys. This is expensive. You should learn how to clone keys instead.

On the matter of the blank key, you will find some out there sold with a “T5 chip” or some other transponder in them. I haven’t found their chips to work, you need a CN5 to make this work properly, so go ahead and buy a key, even if it has the wrong transponder, and plan to swap the transponder, This isn’t hard, it’s a screwdriver and a vice kind of thing, very simple.

Clone the OEM key to as many CN5 transponders as you’d like, then insert the transponders into the blank key bases. Get those blank keys cut at any hardware store.

I’ve also heard of some folks just taping a transponder to the ignition somewhere and using dumb keys cut correctly but without transponders. This sounds foolhardy and easily bypassed by criminals, but whatever, it probably works as a convenience measure.

riding

body position

• Arms bent at elbows, loose enough to make the whole turning motion lock to lock. Wrists flat as you grip the handlebars.
• Balls of feet should ride on the pegs when they aren’t touching a lever.
• Legs should grip the tank to avoid loading the hands and arms with forces (legs are what allows the hands and arms to be looser).
• The rest of your body will have to follow suit to make all this previous stuff happen, so just let it do what feels good as long as you satisfy the arms and the legs - the torso position is derived from these.

throttle

• Always manually actuate the throttle, open and closed, don’t let it snap shut, control it actively.
• Never brake without closing the throttle first.

clutch

A motorcycle clutch is a wet clutch, and it handles abuse and then some. Don’t be afraid to ride it for the purposes of control like you’d fear a dry car clutch. It’ll be fine.

braking

• Never brake with front brake when turning sharply at low speed, you’ll just fall over.
• Locking up the rear and then releasing it at an angle other than where it locked up is a sure way to be thrown off. Don’t lock up the rear.

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