Well what a day! Thoroughly enjoyed it. All the bikes I test rode were very different but VERY enjoyable, albeit in very different ways. I went with the intention of really testing the 899 to see if it “was all that” and to have a go on the Diavel to see if that was a bike for the future, and when I’m all creaky and can’t ride sports bikes anymore . The Monster 1200 was chucked in by Martin of Ducati Manchester to fill the day out Anyways……….first off was the Monster 1200 for a couple of hours. First impression was how small it looked even to a hobbit like me. Anyway I jumped on and set off, first fuelling up at the petrol station close by. I then rode off searching out a variety of roads from motorways through to B roads in Greater Manchester and Lancashire. Riding position – I felt as though I was sat on it (rather than in it) and right over the front wheel, which was no bad thing but just very different to the sports bike position I am used to. Very comfortable though. Wind blast onto my head and chest didn’t seem to be a problem till you got over the ton. Allegedly. J The bike was very light, and very flickable. Handling was superb. It had loads of grunt too, in all modes (urban, touring and sports, but particularly sports mode as you would expect). I rode most of the two hours in sports mode as that really did give the sharpest reactions and plenty of feel and feedback. The gear box was as expected and I could find neutral every time I wanted to (that doesn’t happen all the time on the 848 EC SE!). Pity it didn’t have a QS though. General finish on the bike was ok, but not as good as my 848 EC SE. The exhaust note was nice and fruity too. Which made me smile. The only real downside was that the brakes weren’t as sharp as I’d have liked but they did the job ok over the 76 miles I rode. But overall I have to say that I was more than pleasantly surprised. The bike is certainly a doddle to ride and would inspire confidence in any rider. Would I have one? Yes, probably. But maybe when I am old and creaky (ok….older and more creaky than I am now ) Try one. You may be surprised at how good it is.
Next up was the 899. All I can say is WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!! What a bike! It is “all that” and more! Ducati have raised the bar over the 848 EC SE substantially. It looks fantastic (to me anyway). The finish is fantastic. The sound is incredible (even with a standard exhaust). Handling is pin prick sharp. The engine is an absolute peach with masses of grunt up and down the gear box! Which brings me onto the gearbox. This is the best gear box I have ever come across……..so smooth. Not a clunk anywhere. And I could knock it into neutral at junctions with no problems whatsoever! Result! (oh the QS is as good as I’m used too) I rode over the Woodhead pass and took it home to show SWMBO. She had gone out so I showed it off to the girl next door She was impressed too I then rode back over Woodhead giving it beans all the way, despite the heavy traffic. This bike is awesome, and very comfortable despite having a harder seat pad than I’m used to. The only downside I found on the bike was trying to find the side stand when I needed to park up at the petrol station. It’s neatly tucked behind the LH foot peg and awkward at first to get down, but you soon work out how best to do it. Marks out of 10? A big fat 10. I thought that maybe all I’d heard and read was hype and that I would be disappointed which would make me want to hang on to Eva a little longer. I wasn’t disappointed. The bike is beauty and the beast all rolled into one. I loved it!
Finally I had a couple of hours on the Diavel. I thought I’d give this a try because I actually like the look of them, but they look like a huge lump of metal that I thought would be way too big for me. But everyone I’ve spoken to that owns one or has ridden one say they are a hoot to ride. So off I set with no plan as to where to go. I have to say that for the first 15 minutes I hated it. The riding position was alien to me and trying to find the gear lever was a real chore. The position didn’t seem to be the best, as you needed to hook your foot right under it to move it up the box. Also I felt as though the bike was a bit cumbersome. I was on the verge of turning back and giving it back to Ducati Manchester when suddenly it all started to click and make sense. Don’t ask me how or why but I suddenly felt a tad more comfortable with it. And as I started to treat it like I would a sports bike it became fun. Real fun. I started to get used to getting the gear lever and that didn’t miss a beat once I’d worked out where to position my left foot. However finding neutral at junctions was a huge pain. In fact I started to wonder if it had a neutral at all because I just couldn’t find it. I only managed to get it into neutral twice during the whole ride and I must have tried at least 20 times at junctions and lights. The other downside to this bike was the finish. The model I rode was the base Diavel Dark, and despite the bike being just two weeks old the finish at the base of the tank (where you’d put a tank pad) had already started to wear through. That was disappointing. However overall I liked this gargantuan lump of metal. I have no idea what Ducati have done but a lump as big as the Diavel should not go as fast as it does nor should handle as nimbly as it does. This bike is fantastic, and made me seriously consider what my next bike should be. However, on reflection, the gear box and the poor finish have made it second for me. A close second to the 899 though. I can see this being in my garage in the future though.
interesting write-up El Toro. Thanks for your thoughts! I'm interested that you rated the Diavel above the Monster - and coming from an obvious sports bike fan? I've heard the Diavel is is supposed to be pretty exciting for a big beast with almost sports bike-like qualities, but was it that much better than the Monster? The difference in price between the two would be the first reason to lean toward the Monster. the second would be the shear size of the Diavel (I'm a short weedy bastard!) - but I suspect it's a lot lower than the Monster, so that would help...
Diavel is actually really small from the pilots seat, esp arse to ground. Its by far the easiest thing for me to touch the floor on, both feet I refused to try one when I went to test the multi in case I liked it too much
Thanks El Toro for taking the time to write these reviews, sounds like you had a fun day all round. Whenever I swap bikes on the same day to ride from my little collection it takes a few minutes to reprogram the nugget as to what bike your riding, so well done for riding 3 very different models and then the detailed write up.
Yes-many thanks El Toro for sharing your thoughts on what sounds like a splendid day.Always nice to hear what others think of there test rides.
Don't get wrong the Monster is a great bike. But the Diavel was better IMO. I too was a bit worried about the sheer bulk and size of it, because I'm only 5'5" and 11 stone wringing wet. But believe me it's all day comfortable. It's a comfortable reach to the bars. And I had both feet flat on the ground. I could even backward paddle it into a car parking space without any bother. But the 899 has stolen my heart.
No I haven't but I think it's probably too much for the roads of today (all my IL4's - R1, Blade, GSXR1000, ZX10 were). Unless someone can convince me otherwise.
I agree. That's why everyone is fussing about the 899 I suppose - usable power on today's modern roads, unlike the 1199 which is just too bloody much of a handful and no one is gonna get anywhere near it's potential unless they live on the track with it - and even then I suspect it will have so much more than the average rider will ever use
I only have 1 question? Who's hacked into El Toros account. These useful posts are most out of character Nice write ups ElT. I'm even more reluctant to try an 899 now!
