My name is Chris and I needed to scratch an itch by restoring something.
Classic cars are becoming more and more expensive and the space they take up is a premium, especially if you want to work on something. My garage is a typical space that gets overtaken by overflow things from the house and it is the only route to the back o>f the house, so regular garden traffic of recycling bins and wheelbarrows, bringing a risk of passing damage.
However, I have a shed, which has been repurposed and turned into a workshop and a motorbike was the perfect size. Insulated, wired up with power and panelled out, the shed is an ideal size for me to take my time and restore a bike.
After 17 years without a Motorbike, I decided that I had to remedy this
I always wanted a Ducati 888 Strada (just in case someone wants to go pillion) and went on the hunt to find one. I had missed a couple of bikes over the months, finding that they were very few and far between. I also wanted a project to allow me to get a deep understanding of how it works and how to maintain it. After some speculative emails to people on Ducati forums where 888 Stradas had been advertised, I got a response from David in Scotland, who had owned a 888 Strada for some 17 years (the same amount of time since I last had one).
I went up to Scotland to see it on a very damp day in May 2017. It was an honest bike that had been pretty much untouched for a few years. It had a couple of MOTs and services over the last 5 years, but had done hardly any miles. It was clear that the location and dampness had taken its toll on the bike and was in need of some significant TLC. Perfect!
