Well, I have had the old 748 for quite a while now and after years on Fireblades, GSXR's and lastly an RI, I bought my first Ducati 748. The great thing is that ALL of my friends including Ducati riders said that it would be a big mistake, I would miss the power, reliability etc. TBF, I have faced a few Ducati-esqe technical challenges, but after upgrading the charging system to Yamaha R1 bits (Thanks Shazaam), the addition of a smattering of carbon and obligatory Titanium termis, I am converted. The best bit is that I find it so much easier to ride her faster on Lincolnshire's finest twisty stuff than most of my R1, Blade, zx10 riding bretheren. Needless to say, the team are all really surprised by how well she goes. I think a lot of their misconception is a result of the press opinion's that its essentially slow compared to 916/996/998 they are but as all 748 owners know, handling and revvy engine are its ace card. Maybe slow on paper, but definitely not on real roads, My R1 was uber quick but you spent so much time preparing for the corners, it was hard work, whereas the Ducati positively encourages them! Never have I owned a bike that corners this good and feels soooo stable mid corner on the power. It just makes you want to ride for longer. I appreciate most of you know this already, but after 12 months, I would recommend the Ducati experience to anyone!
Here's a tip. I have just had the forks revalved and serviced on my 748 and it is so much better for it. I asked for a little more plush ride and i got it without losing the famed cornering skills. In fact it corners even better now. You think yours likes corners now? Well try it after the forks have been done.
Had 748, 996, 749 and 999. Had my last 749 now for 6 years, and doubt I will be changing it any time soon. In my opinion, a well sorted mid size sports bike is all you need for the road.
Biggest revelation for me was buying an old, 80hp Multistrada after years of sportsbikes. B-roads are now my playground, and nothing's got past me yet. Mind you, the old ST2 made a decent stab at the Nurburgring, too. There's a lot to be said for having a little less power; the feeling of being able to actually thrash the bike is most enjoyable.
yep your right matey i converted in 2007 and I luuuvvvv my 996, hasn't missed a beat yet, never fails to put a smile on my face and still attracts a fair bit of admiration after all these years
Got to agree, took my bike out for the first time in 4 months (after re-spray and fettling) and got a good few thumbs up and admiring glances, made me feel quite proud, or maybe something had just fallen off :biggrin:
I have a couple of litre bikes, but find my 600 and even 400 so much more fun and satisfying to ride. Big power is always great, but the feeling you get from properly working a bike on fast roads is awesome.
I felt the same when I went from my blade to the 848, some laughed asking was I scarred of the thou but after taking a test ride I knew it was a better suited road bike for the roads we use.... now its a case of me pulling over and having to wait on them catch up,I got to ask them back "are you scarred of the thou?"
all this thread needs now is for some one to say the immortal...."real world bike" phrase and its complete!
I will say one thing for big power though. When you're on a really long ride with hundreds of miles to do, having "more than enough", i.e. a shedload, of power is great. Because you can lazily forget about gear changes and overtake traffic in the twinkle of an eye. Downsizing from a 916 to a 749 demonstrated this to me when I went on holiday to Britain. It's fine being "on it" for a few hours' blat, but after about 6 or 7 in the saddle, you just want progress without effort.
It is all about the twisty stuff, but I like the big power too, so you need a big, twisty road. Try the D911 from Rodez to Millau...130mph sweepers!
