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Seeing that the weather was unseasonably perfect today, I suited up and went down to Speedy's Cycle Duati Dealership in Batimore. Before I go on, if you are ever in the market for a Ducati, I highly recommen these guys. Excelent customer service and great people. Anyway, I went there with ounly the intention to look and maybe hear one. Next thing I know the salesperson throws me the keys and tells me to go for a ride! When I asked how far could I go, he just said if I ran out of gas, fill it up, bring back the receipt and they would reimburse me! Couldn't believe it!! The bike only had 1 mile on it!
When I first got on her, couldn't believe how light and thin it was. Hearing the sound of the engine through the stock cans was quite impressive. My buddy rode my R1 and we pulled out onto the street. Knowing that these bikes had more low end power I took it easy at first. Had a little hard time getting used to the rumble of a V-Twin. After getting used to the throttle, I started to open her up. Great jump off the stop. On the roll it didn't do too bad, but there was a signficant difference in torque. It was absolutely perfect in the corners, however, I didn't want to lean too much since they were new tires on a relatively cooler day. I was suprised how quickly she lost power on the straight aways. Absolutely NO competition to the R1! Brakes were also great. Should be noted, this bike does NOT come with any type of steering damper, and it is a MUST have for this bike.
The mirrors are absolutely useless. You might as well bring a pocket mirror with you. The onboard dash would be much better if it were a bit more lit up. Seat was pretty comfortable, but in need of a Corbin mod.
I didn't want to take too much advantage of this guy's generosity, so I only rode it for about 20 miles. When I returned the bike, I told the guy that I liked it, but would miss the power on my R1 too much. His response: "In a couple of weeks we'll have a 1098 demo. I'll call you when it comes in!"
All in all, a great bike, however not for me. I wouldn't be able to take the loss in perfomance. It does looks and feels great. I would best describe this bike as a incredibly sexy R6 with more low end power. Can't wait to test ride the 1098!!! :boobies
When I first got on her, couldn't believe how light and thin it was. Hearing the sound of the engine through the stock cans was quite impressive. My buddy rode my R1 and we pulled out onto the street. Knowing that these bikes had more low end power I took it easy at first. Had a little hard time getting used to the rumble of a V-Twin. After getting used to the throttle, I started to open her up. Great jump off the stop. On the roll it didn't do too bad, but there was a signficant difference in torque. It was absolutely perfect in the corners, however, I didn't want to lean too much since they were new tires on a relatively cooler day. I was suprised how quickly she lost power on the straight aways. Absolutely NO competition to the R1! Brakes were also great. Should be noted, this bike does NOT come with any type of steering damper, and it is a MUST have for this bike.
The mirrors are absolutely useless. You might as well bring a pocket mirror with you. The onboard dash would be much better if it were a bit more lit up. Seat was pretty comfortable, but in need of a Corbin mod.
I didn't want to take too much advantage of this guy's generosity, so I only rode it for about 20 miles. When I returned the bike, I told the guy that I liked it, but would miss the power on my R1 too much. His response: "In a couple of weeks we'll have a 1098 demo. I'll call you when it comes in!"
All in all, a great bike, however not for me. I wouldn't be able to take the loss in perfomance. It does looks and feels great. I would best describe this bike as a incredibly sexy R6 with more low end power. Can't wait to test ride the 1098!!! :boobies
