yip, the upshot is, i'v always had an ability to recognize a butt hole when i see one, so, no apprilia tuno for me. feck em. yet.
My mate had crashed his Suzuki X7 on a notorious local bend and I went back the next day with a couple of mates to see the scrape marks etc because that’s what you did back then. We heard a bike approaching and watched as a guy on a 900ss bevel thundered past scraping the exhaust and disappearing into the distance. I was hooked from then on but i have to admit Yamaha two strokes are my main interest.
I was still wearing nappies in 1981 Fist vtwin was a Suzuki RGV250(lately used as track bike) second vtwin was a Honda SP2(still in the garage)...what could be the next vtwin? it had to be a 998s..pure coincidence that a one owner 998s FE came up for sale on carandclassic bought it within 1 hour after the add was live
Always wanted a Ducati from the first time I saw a 851. I was 13 then. I had Jap inline 4’s from passing ,y test but again lusted after a Duke when the 916 came out. My friend Ashley bought one with Termi’s; it sounded amazing. I resigned myself to the fact they were too expensive for me and thought it was a dream that might one day come true. And that was this year. After a trip to Europe with some friends of friends, one of the lads had a 1199, my mate had a 899 and there was a monster on the trip. I followed the lad on the 1199 all over the Ardennes and said to myself, I’m having one of those when I get back. The Blade was chopped in and I walked out of Ducati Leeds with a 1299 a couple of weeks later. The day I picked it up we had a 4 day trip to Wales planned which was perfect for getting to know the bike.
I was mechanic for a mate at the 1969 (or 1970) Manx GP, he had bought the ex Jock Findlay 500cc Manx Norton (timed at 139mph at the Highlander) but the bike (unmodified since purchase) would only pull about 115mph when we got it to the Island. We took with us another mates 200 Ducati to learn the circuit. I had plans to do the MGP the following year so did about 6 laps on that bike which was basically flat out all the way round. It stayed together and I loved the little bike and gained respect for the engineering, most British bikes at the time would have needed a major overhaul after one or two laps flat out. In practice my mate fell off at Brandish (could have picked a better place) and was extremely lucky to only lose a lot of skin. He caught the outside wall on exit, went across the road and hit the inside wall and so it went on and on. The bike would have easily fitted in a largish suitcase when we got it back to the garage. We borrowed a frame and forks and rebuilt it and he raced. He fell off at Ramsey Hairpin on lap 4. more from exhaustion than anything he did wrong, we had worked all night for a number of nights to get to the start line. I lusted after 750 and 900 SS bevels after I packed up racing in 1976, loved the 851, 888 and for my 40th birthday present to myself bought a 750SS 1992, my first and only new bike - I really wanted a 900 SS but could not afford it. For the first 20 miles I hated it. but soon learned that you have to drive it through corners, having raced Bultaco 350TSSs and 250 and 350 Yamsels it was scary how competent it was on the road. I had 4 holidays to Italy on that bike and the only thing that went wrong with it was a broken oil pressure sensor. My best memory of that bike is absolutely flat out 2 up with the lower fairing scraping the road going down the Mosel valley with long sweeping left and right bends that went on for miles.
Like @bradders I have to admit it was Foggy and all the BSB/WSB wins on a Duc that switched me from Jap. (Even though he’s a bit of an arrogant twat IMO). That plus the exoticadness, if that’s such a word, and sheer beauty of the 748/916 design. Been with Ducs ever since.
Passed my test and loved the ducati 500 Desmo but couldn't afford it a few years later I brought a 750 paso loved it until it went wrong waited for 3 months for a part to arrive for the gear box got fed up and sold it to the dealer while it was still in his workshop fast forward a few years marriage/divorce marriage and 2 daughters financially stable out with my mates on my street triple my mate had a Pannigale R just looked so good it was a scratch I had to itch a month later I had a Pannigale S in my garage along with my speed triple and still got my cbr600 which I had just finished renovating At present the Pannigale is a keeper
85/86ish, mate was looking after a MHR1000, went for a blast, me on my FZ him on the MHR. Swapped halfway through the ride, loved it, the seed was planted. Took me a few years but bought an 81 MHR, still have it.
I have been riding off road since I was 5 years old, in my late teens I rode and had some small roadbikes, in my late 30's I felt the need to return to the road so started looking for a bike, I was a Suzuki fan and was looking for a s/hand SV650, then thought I would like a Cagiva Raptor 650, couldn't find one so started looking at any V-twins up for sale, a Ducati 800SSie came up, I wasn't really interested but went for a look, as soon as he opened the garage and I saw it I had to have it, then after I took it for a ride I brought it there and then, after that I had to go and get my licence.
Kawasaki’s in the 80’s Was commuting in a Montjuïc in the 90’s Stopped when I was 6 months pregnant Had a few off roaders mainly a Husky 500 Got a Monster when kids were old enough to fend for themselves Had 2 Monsters and a SF Got bored bought a MV Never looked back Still like Ducati owners though
Strangely, was talking about this yesterday with someone, who asked why i now have a BMW as a daily ride. I was 16 and on work experience and a photographer came into the studios i was at on a brand new (at the time) red 916. I had never even heard of Ducati and had a blue and white Fazer poster on my wall. That was it. Four bikes later and i still have two. The conversation yesterday though was more about how the love affair has unfortunately ended going forwards, only get a hard on for an 1198 or earlier anymore. Previously would never even look at another brand but now when i see the S1000RR for example against a Panigale ( as exampled in a recent thread) my fears are confirmed. TLDR; The Ducati's i love and the ones of now are two different things.
I had a bad accident in 2014 and nearly lost my left foot, so didn't want to ride my XJR 1200 as the first bike to get back on so rode my wifes 620 Monster. Loved it so bought a Hyper 1100 S, had that for a year then bought my Monster 1200 R my wife has now got a 821 Monster. Still got the XJR.
Don’t know anyone, biker or not that doesn’t love the shape of the 916. One of my kids friends is a design student (whatever that is) & he actually quoted the 916 in his dissertation a long with the Coke bottle & the Ferrari Dino as perfect design forms.
I think you must be squinting when you are looking at it then! Open your eyes and bask in it's beauty, Dave.
