Peter Muurman: Not your average adventurist

Back in 2001, Australian Troy Bayliss won his first of three World Superbikes titles aboard his Factory Ducati. Years later, a similar bike also bearing the 998cc Testastretta engine was used for other groundbreaking adventures, albeit of a different kind. 

Introducing Peter Muurman, an adventurist with the capital A. When searching the web for inspiration, when you start dreaming of your next two-wheeled adventure, there seems to be somewhat of a stereotype when you look at the bikes that are most commonly used. From Ténérés to Africa Twins and beyond. Until you arrive at Peter’s social media channels, where you will find a fiery red Ducati 998 with perforated fairings against backdrops you wouldn’t expect. 

Surely a man who decides to take his pristine 998 on these types of adventures must have a story to tell about his bike. Enter stage left: Peter Muurman. 

Peter, we have seen your bike’s model win numerous championships ever since it was born as the 916 back in 1994. Was this the inspiration for you to get your 998 in the first place?

My inspiration for the bike was just its fantastic beauty. When the bike was launched in 1994, it turned the motorcycle world upside down. I was 15 years old at the time and it has been my poster bike ever since. I had to find a way to be able to afford myself this bike at some point.

I bought a Suzuki RF600 when I was 17 years old in Germany and traded that for a profit. With that money, I bought my first Ducati, a 900ss, sold that one again and then bought a Ducati 888, all bought in Germany. One day, the 888 burned down due to a fuel leak. First it stalled, and after trying a restart, it immediately caught fire and it was immediately beyond saving.

From that, I had insurance money. Then, a colleague from my side job that I had during my university studies found the exact 998 that I still ride today. It had relatively high mileage at 50.000 kilometers. For that reason it was much cheaper than any other 996/998 at the time.

I bought it because I wanted to ride it, so for me it was a benefit that it already had its depreciation. That way, I did not need to worry about it losing value. Therefore, I could enjoy the true value of it, which for me was just riding it. I rode about 20.000 kilometers a year commuting from the city I studied in to my side job, which was 100 kilometers from my home.

How long have you owned your bike?

I have owned the bike since 2005.

How many kilometers are on the clock now?

By now, the bike has done at least 250.000 kilometers. The tacho indication is not a true reflection as it only counts till 99.999 kilometers, so it toppled twice. Also, I have driven many kilometers in my trips where the kilometer cable drive on the front axle had been broken. It is one of the things that frequently happens on these bikes.

I overhauled the original engine twice. The first time around 90.000 kilometers on that particular engine. Actually, everything was still really good except for the main bearing shells, which is typical for a high-displacement V-twin. Those needed replacement. I renewed the main bearings and basically all bearings I could find as a matter of prevention. The second time, I only did the bearing shells again. Just as a precaution for my 2018 Africa trip, that was. A checkup.

In 2016, I fitted a second engine that I bought from the U.S. The engine came across my path for good money. It had only driven 10.000 miles. The trip to Japan added another 30.000 to that engine. After that, I used it just for normal road driving. Then, before my 2018 trip, I overhauled the original engine as stated above and mounted that. The benefit of having two engines is always being able to work on one while you can still ride with the other.

Did you ride your bike on track at any point?

Not seriously. But I have driven a few laps at Assen once, but that was only a demo and had nothing to do with pushing. The other occasion was at Oschersleben in Germany, on the invitation of MO Motorrad Magazin (DE)'s 'Twins Only' event. I was there just to display the bike. But the owner of the magazine asked me if I could drive just for the pictures on the track. With the cross tyres, TKC 80's, that I mounted for display, I did that nonetheless. It was absolutely great fun.

It has always been my dream to ride more on track, though. Somehow I never made it happen. Different priorities. Also I have put my money into my travels and have to make choices. Time was also a factor. I live quite a busy life and have a big commitment to my job. That being said. I would still absolutely love to do some track days or race education, even though I like riding on unpaved roads the most. It is just absolutely a blast with the big V twin, pushing away the gravel behind. 

At what point did you decide to go on an adventure on two wheels, and what was the original plan?

My inspiration to go on a big bike trip came from following Sjaak Lucassen. He's also a Dutch traveller who did extreme trips on sports bikes. I always loved motorbike traveling and I always loved sports bikes. So no wonder his travels appealed to me.

I decided to take on my first trip in 2011. I just finished my education for flying helicopters and have been very lucky to find a nice job with it at that time. It gave me some psychological rest and felt it was a good way to focus on something new, take on a new challenge and a way to treat myself to something new.

It was a 4 week/10.000 kilometer trip to Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Hungary and some more European countries along the way.

I didn't have the choice to buy another bike for it, because I would need that money for the trip itself. And since I had seen proof in Sjaak Lucassen's adventures, I knew it would be possible on a sports bike.

If things were different, would you have considered another bike? 

I did think of it. But every time I came to the same conclusion: I saved money by going with what I have got. Also, nothing really appealed to me as much as my own Ducati 998. Every mile is still a feast. It sounds great, has the right responsiveness and handles just great. On top of that, I was very experienced on that bike, also in a technical sense. And for me being able to know your bike in case of need for repair is very important. So, it is both money driven as well as from pure passion for the bike to stick with this one.

It's easy to spot that your bike is not your typical Ducati 998, also looking at the perforated fairing. Can you take us through the modifications that you have done to the bike?

Over the years, I made some modifications indeed to mitigate some problems. One important one was avoiding the clogging up of the radiators on muddy dirt roads. Rather than one radiator in the middle, I used two smaller radiators, positioned on either side of the front wheel to avoid mud clogging up the radiators and ending up with next to no cooling. The bike's standard cooling is not very good. Especially at lower revs in city traffic the water pump has too few revolutions for a good coolant flow. To compensate, I now have more radiator surface as well as a ventilator on each radiator that I can switch on manually in time; the ECU waits with this till 102 degrees which is too late to pump that heat away.

I perforated the fairing because standard, they are very closed and if not opened up, only hot air will recirculate within the fairing containment. I witnessed 50 degrees centigrade in Sudan and with this solution in the city I can just manage not to boil the coolant too much.

I also modified the handlebars for a more upright position. Apart from comfort, it gives much more control on rough surfaces. Also adding to the comfort is that I lowered the footpegs about 3 to 4 centimeters. For navigation I mounted a GPS on my handlebars which works great.

I made a custom luggage rack. I bought one online from a private person and heavily modified it over the years to suit my needs, because the bags kept breaking every time. Now the support is perfect and the bags are in perfect position while the whole structure is still being light.

Also I did many suspension modifications to maintain great handling despite the different weight distribution.

What was the situation in which you believe the 998 was as far out of place as possible?

I would think mostly on the soft, knee deep, desert sand at Darvaza ('The Gates of Hell), a burning gas crater in Turkmenistan. I drove there with an inner tube and the tyre pressure dropped to 0,5 bar.

Did you ever regret taking the 998 on adventure?

No, I never regretted it. We had many breakdowns, but still, she is reliable. Because the technology is simple and can always be repaired. Also the bike opened many doors, I discovered that many people like the bike also in foreign countries.

Let’s dive into what drives you on your journeys: your chain! What chain do you use on the 998, and what sprocket setup?

The Tsubaki chains I use are of outstanding quality. I use a 525 with a 15/36 which is the stock setup from the factory. I never have seen the need for a different setup yet. Still enough top speed even in Germany and also enough pull down low.

Have you changed your chains during your adventures? 

I do not replace chains during my trips; they always outlast my trip. I think I have used my current one already for 40.000 kilometers. 

Is there a special way you treat/prepare your chains for your adventures?

What I have done is mount a Scott oiler system which is ideal. It adds a lot to the longevity. This way I always have an oiled chain. I always use normal clear engine oil, whatever is available. I do not like the use of white sticky grease at all because it attracts so much dirt.

It’s great to see how any bike can be an adventure bike as long as you’re brave enough. Speaking of adventures, is there any adventure you still have planned, or would like to do, aboard the 998?

Yes, I am thinking and partially already planning a new trip: South and North America. I will have to figure how to combine that now with my work and private situation, but the 998 is not retired!