Ok. Decision made. Throttle fix. Scooter. Practical. But f*ck it. Maybe when i hit 50. 1 year to go. Or if the former doesn’t work. Then maybe rear sprocket fix. Thanks all. Loving the input and keep it shiny side up. Have fun and be safe
I have 15/39 sprockets (needed a 98 link chain) and the R1 throttle tube, mods that really make the bike much more fun on the open road and when overtaking outside of 30-50 limited roads. My route to work is 3 miles in town then 10-12 miles in open country with a mix of dual carriageway, fast A, B and C roads, (4 or 5 routes depending on time and mood). As I leave the built up area I can use the 999 performance with no cameras, relatively little traffic, and coppers are rare - I can easily break all the speed limits with 4 gears to go. The commute to work can be exhilarating and is nearly always a great way to start the day - not quite as good on the way home however. To use the bike for a 100% urban commute through the summer (with or without a dodgy clutch basket) does not sound like a lot of fun and frankly I don't think I would do it that often. Changing the gearing makes it quicker for overtaking, but only marginally easier in town, it is simply too easy to bust the 30 limit, you are always watching the speed and revs and often shifting down as well as having to use the clutch too much on tight roundabouts. Then there is having your nether regions heated by the exhaust and rad fans. For me at least I would be using something else in your position and using the 999 for weekends to get out of town. Right now its my 748's turn for a month of summer commuting and that would be much worse.
@Alastair_999 I was in a similar situation to you, and after just one too many Ducati's not starting on me after a days work i went for a BMW. S1000r is my commuter of choice. It's so easy to ride through traffic (is fairly narrow), starts first time, and then when i get to the top of the A41/Finchley Road and head north to Hertfordshire, that's when i appreciate it over a Scooter. I'm sure if you got one the 999 would seldom get used. I realise bigging up a soulless German IL4 on a/the Ducati forum is a bit of a dick move, but thought my 10 pence might help (i still have a 999 and an 1198 so am allowed on the forum ) Mine costs me £230 a month, about 2/3's of the cost of if i were to get public transport.
TBH you probably can't ride a bike... I agree with what you said, and actually the S1000R/RR/XR engine is a pretty lusty unit with a dead-eyed hollow wail from the airbox that evokes GSX-R's of old... I'm quite fond of my soulless German(s) (although please do remember that I cannot ride) actually.
I got a twist-and-go many years ago as I was starting to go a bit silly on my commute to work. After weighing up the financial cost of commuting on a sports bike I worked out I could toss the scooter in the bin after three or four years. Plus there's less mental overhead when going through through traffic and you can get through smaller gaps. And the silliness you can get up to on a scooter is a bit less serious.
You’re not alone & it’s not exclusive to the 999 & London. Try riding a 1098 around Birmingham & you’ll get the same feeling. I’ve just got used to it over the years. Been meaning to do the 14t sprocket change but keep seeing mixed reports about whether it makes a difference so haven’t as yet.
I have a 1098 for the summer and a r1200r for the rest, which has a shaft drive so zero maintenance (the 1098 has never seen even a damp road in my possession). Much as I enjoy the ducati, getting back on the r1200r is like climbing off a hard stool and onto a comfy sofa, and some even fine days, I commute on it instead (16-40 miles ew depending, mainly a roads)
