Featured Threads Archive

I only have pictures of the bike so far, it's being delivered to Nelly @ Cornerspeed at the end of the week for him to carry out the Brembo recall before I pick it up (thanks as ever for your assistance @nelly )...

A friend of mine works for VW and recently got a V4S using the rather nice staff discount scheme. I managed to steal it for a few hours on Thursday and 'accidentally' got lost blasting around the lovely roads near Silverstone.

My mate is undecided whether he likes it as much as the 1299S he had before. He only uses the bike for commuting once or twice a week so doesn't use it very hard and he misses the angriness of the 1299 that liked to wheelie everywhere even on a normal ride through the countryside.

I think this is the paradox of Ducati race bikes until the V4 came along. Maybe because a lot of the user base is of the more 'mature' variety or just people who like a sexy bike they often dont get pushed very hard so the at times wayward nature comes across as exciting. The problem with that is if you do push them hard the bikes can bite back if you get it wrong; I love my 1199R and it happily goes hell for leather but if I make a mistake it can be quite unforgiving. The R6...

Nope, That's not a typo, simply an idea.

This post is going to need some background.

After years of saving money to buy a house (as all millennial's are told we should), I got fed up, and instead "invested" my money in the bike that was a poster on my bedroom wall as a young kid.

A genuine, Yellow 749S Mono.
I've bonded with it greatly over the last few months. And was all set to take off for a morning ride today when something about the exhaust looked awry.

Further investigation found this:
Not the start to the day i'd been hoping. I had done my research prior to purchase, and felt I'd checked the subframe thoroughly, but sadly, mine sheared in a big way.

So, what to do?

Ducati kindly informed me that the part was still available to buy at £550+VAT. Damn, i'd have to dip into my house savings that I bought the bike with.....oh B&*$£@KS.

What does Ebay have? Nothing significantly cheaper.

Hmmmm those Biposto subframes look similar, and I might just be able to afford it, but...

Well, I’ve had an interesting week.

I went into my local dealer last Saturday to buy a Givi Sat Nav holder for my Hyperstrada.
I was aware that they had a 2nd Generation Panigale R in, which I had resisted looking at due to deciding a while back that one of these would be my next bike, but not wanting to buy right now.

I sold my Streetfighter S to Steve @baylissboy a few weeks ago, because I wasn’t using it, he asked me a few times, was a gent, and really wanted it. One of the reasons for letting it go was that it released a large chunk of funds towards a Pani R. But, because I wouldn’t get the chance to use it much this year, I had decided to wait until winter with a few more coming onto the market being traded in against V4’s and PCP deals coming to an end. However, as with these things, I was keeping an eye on the market for these bikes and it wasn’t out of the question to buy one if the right bike came up. I have also witnessed the market on 2nd hand Ducatis getting...

As i live 15 mile from the track (A5 then A43) i can offer the use of my Garage, shed and garden to those wanting to go to the MGP but dont want to pay the stupid over night accommodation fees at the circuit or local area.
I can take tents in the garden, we have spare beds, a decent settee, plenty of floor space and a HUGE fridge for beer.
I will do BBQ's and organise local ride outs if you want.

Its all free for fellow Ducatisti

Tl;dr the steering feel wow, the sidestand what the f....

Quick thoughts on the new V4 fron a non Ducatiist.
Picked up my new V4 Base today and have riden about 90 miles so far.
Weather was dry and temperatures around 14 degrees.

First part of journey was through Glasgows rush hour and not being too familiar with the controls I did not want to filter. Well I can honestly say char broiled is an apt description
Once I got going onto the A roads the bike became transformed, what a feeling it has. The cliche of it is on rails does not do it justice, it is more like it is part of you; simply astonishing. Think I need to soften the suspension a little but I have to say this is the best feeling bike I have ever been on. Now I understand all the gushing comments.

Obviously still running in so no high rpm stuff yet and the bike does feel quite lazy compared to my previous R1’s and R6 but at the same stage deciptably fast.

Stopped for fuel and took a full 4 minutes to get the side...

The Multistrada Experience returns to the UK for the Touratech Travel event 11 - 13 May
The Multistrada Experience returns to the UK to attend the Touratech Travel event in South Wales
Available to test will be 10 Multistrada Enduro (for off road tests), 12 Multistrada 1260 and 4 Multistrada 950
The event truck will be accompanied by Instructors from DRE Enduro Academy in Italy led by the former Dakar rider Beppe Gualini.
The Ducati Roadshow fleet featuring a selection of 2018 Scrambler and Ducati models will also be available.


The Multistrada Experience returns to South Wales for the second year running for the Touratech Travel event, taking place at a new venue in the beautiful surroundings of Rheloau Grounds. Here UK riders will be able to get a taster of the popular off road school, the DRE Enduro Academy and choose from a selection of Multistradas to test on the surrounding roads.

The DRE Multistrada truck brings from Italy to South Wales twelve Multistrada 1200 Enduro...

I’ve been absent from the forum for a while, with the bike collecting dust in the garage. But she’s now back on the road after new cam belts, and new sprockets, thanks to Paul at PGPerformance.uk. Running beautifully... I’d forgotten how good these bikes are!

been out of action for a few months after an off and it’s taken a few more months to get in a position to get back in the saddle.
After joining several face book sites for various bikes I’d started to lose faith in the biking society with so many arse holes on all the pages who just seem to wanna take the pee in a nasty way or put people down continuously. So instead of Facebook I came back to visit all the forums instead.
It seems most of the problematic people tend to only go on FB as I’ve had only pleasant transactions and meetings since.
Last week a lovely guy made me some really nice brackets and another guy gave me a tank to replace a leaky one.
Today it’s a big thank you to Andy (Android) who drove all the way over to me and delivered some leathers that he’d agreed to sell me over a year ago. Not only did he do a two hour round trip but then offered to let me have them £50 cheaper for his trouble.... lovely guy, very helpful
Cheers!
Let summer begin

I fell in love with Katrien in this famous poster when I was a teen, who wouldn’t.
Five years ago I rediscovered the picture on the web and but now that I’m an old fart, I fell for the fabulous Guzzi she was on. It was built by Ben Part her boyfriend at the time and the photographer. He had dedicated his build to Zagato, the famous Italian design house famous for lightweight racing Alfa Romeos and Aston Martins amongst others. The bike is now quite famous amongst Guzzistas.
It was this bike that got me into Guzzis and consumed so much of my life for the next three years!
Anyway, here is the result. It took me three years to build, my perfect Guzzi. Needless to say, this bike is a tribute to Ben Part’s cafe racer. And I was lucky enough to be invited to the event Kickback Custom bike UK final at Coventry a few weeks ago.
Nothing is as it seems. Classic looks but cutting edge technology.

Keyless ignition

Motogadget micro processor electrical system

Original forks with GSXR...

I've said a sad goodbye to my gorgeous 2015 DVT Multi yesterday. I have deeply enjoyed my 3 years with it - what a superb bike.

Why sell it? No technical reason - the Multi was doing superbly at 11,500 miles. But I fancied a change. I both couldn't afford a 1260, nor did I see it as being significantly different enough to warrant the change. So I wanted something to tide me over for 2-3 years until the inevitable V4 Multi appears.

I did however take a test ride on an MT-10. Wowza. What a missile. I was sucked in hook, line and sinker. Add in a good discount down to £9999, brand new, with 10% of a few bits, and the bike was mine.

I don't ride as much as I used to so an insane naked is much more suitable than it would have been before. Also, it's actually really rather comfortable (esp with the comfort seat). Mrs T fits on the back (shortish journeys only obviously), though I need to get her a grab rail. I did get offered a great deal on an SP model (electric Ohlins & colour TFT...

Coming up to a year now since i bought my 1198, so thought it was a good idea to explain a little about the bike, recap on the ownership and just generally throw up a few sunshine photos.

May last year and i stumbled upon my bike in the classifieds, it had the Corse Se looks, but without the price tag, and a decent spec list. The seller was knowledgeable about the bike, trading in mostly touring/adventure bikes, hed taken the Ducati in p/ex from a customer who 'couldnt live with it'.

I liked the sellers honesty, and viewed the bike - it was clean and had good history, new belts, new sprag clutch, new battery, lot of work done at ducati under recall (engine casings, gearbox etc) so a deal was struck.

This is the day i picked it up...the tyres were 5 years old but the outer third had never seen tarmac, i guessed it had been used pretty conservatively.
So after a few weeks getting to know the bike, i found a myriad of issues. Hot starting was non existent...hence the recent new...

So I put a deposit down on an 848 yesterday, I had one a few years back and maybe didn't give it a fair crack before moving it on for a Daytona and then the 899 which was a great bike to ride but I want to get a more 'classic' Ducati that will hopefully have done it's depreciating. Also my budget was £8k and I could only find higher mileage 899's for that which I'm not interested in having had a really low miles minter previously.

I paid £7995 for it, there are cheaper ones around but this has the pipes, Ohlins rear shock, Oberon slave which are all bits I would do, and it's having a full belt service and Brake pads etc for the money. Hopefully I'll get it in a few weeks and it can sit alongside it's stablemate.



and it's little Garage mate...

Vehicle is an Audi 2.0 quattro Special Edition Cabriolet.....Well folks this has to be the worst condition vehicle I have had the pleasure to get my hands on. This was a pre-sale detail for a client. Both sides of vehicle heavily...and I mean heavily scratched and marred. Vehicle had no love for over 5 years and it showed

.....wheels were really needing a refurb as they were very bad.....anyways interior first.....whole interior steam cleaned and addition of Gtechniq biocote* Triclean to get every surface back to factory.

Seats were glossy so much was the ingrained dirt and grime. Interior obviously vacuumed and all mats were cleaned with a Karcher Puzzi 100/1 extraction machine.

Glass cleaned with Angelwax vision and all surfaces dressed with 303 Areospace protectant.

Engine bay next up with bonnet....thoroughly pressure washed ( on low pressure ) and treated to Britemax Grimeout at 4:1....agitated with a multitude of brushes and rinsed...then all areas force air dried with...

Two years ago I got my 1098R. Have probably been on a dozen or so track days here in Dubai and Abu Dhabi since then. So, I feel pretty comfortable on it and, while not exactly competing for race glory, I like to give it some stick at the track.

Well, Ducati Dubai offered me the chance to take a V4S out at Yas Marina this morning. 4 x 20 minute sessions. Sunny and 30 degrees, clean, grippy track.

I took the 1098 out for the first session to get used to the circuit again, then rode the V4 for the remaining 3 sessions.

Well, I was 3-4 seconds a lap faster on the V4 first time out and then took another 4 seconds out of that by the last session. That thing is a weapon. So smooth, so easy to go fast on, so easy to get comfortable with. It was just awesome fun. A couple of mates usually leave me on their S1000RRs, but I was passing them on the V4. Bloody loved it!

So, the 1098 is going in the living room and I’ll be round to Ducati on Sunday with my deposit for a Speciale...

So, finally hit the magical 1,500 mile point which signifies the completion of the break-in period and thought I'd come back and share a bunch more observations I've made along the way.

Exhaust valve - I'm really disappointed that Ducati still haven't managed to sort this stupid issue out with the exhaust valve. From day one, every time the valve reset at ignition on or off, you could hear it moving and every time it sounded like a donkey ... "Hehaaaaaaaw". At least you knew the thing was working and knowing what the DVT was like I've been listening out for it, expecting the worst in that one day I wouldn't hear it at all. At the beginning of this week at about 1460 miles I experienced the early symptoms of the exhaust valve playing up - no donkey sound. I started my daily commute and could immediately tell that there was an issue as the bike sounded decidedly more muted. As I got onto more open roads the mid-range was all but snuffed out and whilst it did rev much more readily...

Ducati brings forward some of the innovations from its “2025 Safety Road Map”, the strategy aimed at introducing new safety systems and technologies
Phase one already started: ABS Cornering to be fitted to all motorcycles in the Ducati range
Ducati testing future-oriented radar systems soon to be fitted to a production motorcycle

Ducati has always been at the forefront regarding safety: the only motorcycle manufacturer world-wide to have a vehicle able to interact with the jacket-integrated D|air® system, and the first company in the industry to equip a heritage/classic model, the Ducati Scrambler 1100, with the ABS Cornering system. This level of safety awareness, combined with the constant drive towards innovation, have led the Bologna-based manufacturer to define its safety strategy until 2025.

At the basis of this many-sided strategic plan is the implementation, in the short term, of ARAS (Advanced Rider Assistance Systems) on Ducati motorcycles. Advanced assistance systems...

Well they arrived, delighted and skint. Been a long time coming and total selfish indulgence but had to be done as the bikes a keeper.

Picked up the 1199R yesterday, well delivered by OYB to be honest

Quick pic - intro to the other stable mates then out for a blat and scrub new tyres in

It’s quick and had a stupid grin on my face by the time I got back love it