Hello fellow Ducati riders! I am Guillaume, 47, from France, near Lyon, in the Beaujolais area. I work in the Air Force (celebrated 26 years active duty last summer). I have been riding motorcycles for the past 20 years, and am an absolute fan of Ducatis. Started with a red 900 SSie from 2001, then a 2012 848 evo, a 2018 939 Supersport, and was finally able to get my hands on the holy grail, which to me, consists in the Tamburini SBKs. Today, I ride and look after a 1996 916 biposto (53,000 km) and a 998 Matrix (11,500 km). I have traveled around the UK a little, back in the day, mostly for work but also for pleasure. Always had a blast, visited wonderful places and met wonderful people. I did run into the occasional drunk w@nker, but overall absolutely loved traveling there! Oh and by the way, I am an absolute fan of rugby, even though I never was a player myself. I can run, love a fight every know and then, but needed to keep my body in one piece for work... I have been lurking around your forum for a year or so and today, I think it is about time I step out of the shadows to introduce myself properly and, hopefully, share my passion with you all. Thanks in advance for accepting me and my frenchness!
Here are a few pics of my bikes. Sorry, haven’t had time to « bin stage » them, but that will be done as required by the custom. 2001 - 900 SSie (crashed in 2011... ): 2012 - 848 Evo (sold in 2018): 2018 - 939 Supersport (sold in 2020): 1996 - 916 Biposto (sold in 2021): 2004 - 998 Matrix (owned since august 2020): 1996 - 916 SP3 #098 (owned since April 2021):
Oh yeah. Plenty of options and mostly good weather in the southern half of the country. The speed cameras spoil it a bit though... @Ducbird: I’ll do my best! How mad?
I am also living in France after 28 years with the Royal Air Force. I live in dept 24. I also had an 848, and now have a Supersport 939, a Mk3 250, my girlfriends Monster 821 and a new BMW R1250RS in my garage. My Supersport has been back to the UK for a few months this year, but is now back home here. I will probably not visit the UK by bike again as there is so much more of Europe to see, and the UK has changed to much for me.
Salutations Guillaume, as you have a Red & Green are you looking for a Yellow & Nero to complete the set?
Thanks all for a very warm welcome. There’s still a sense of revolutionary resistance to « unwelcome authority » over here. So cameras are often painted or taped. I only rarely see burnt ones (people must have finally realized they were burning their own tax money...) Healthy or indisciplined behavior ? @ducati dad What are corner houses, if I may ask? @Bob T: congrats for half a lifetime worth of service! I had the privilege to work quite a fair bit with the RAF and it always was a blast. I visited RAF Waddington, Coningsby, Linton, and AB Mildenhall. Spent many, many months in the Gulf with you guys as well. @Jez900ie My boy keeps telling that we should have kept the 939 Supersport, which would have completed the Italian flag!