New Here And New To Ducatis

Hi all, wes from Dublin Ireland, recentley picked up a 2007 1098 , looking to read up on them and get some hints and tips about them but below is my write up copied from another forum I'm on about my purchase and first impressions of the big red machine



I could sum it up with one word and leave it there

Ehrmergerd

But thats not really a word, I'ts an amalgamation of an expression , Oh My God , its an exclamation variously expressing disbelief, frustration, excitement or anger. Its abbreviation, OMG, is widely used in digital communication. Related words: omfg. oh em gee. but my Fave is Ehrmergerd !! However there is no anger or frustration in my use of it , laughter excitement and disbelief are definitely what i am getting at .



During lockdown i managed to save a little bit of money, bit of shit going on in my life , i decided i was going to get a new bike, something as new as possible, something nice something for road and track .

Sensible head came into work and i decided not to get myuself into too much debt and go with affordable and special. I was looking at original big bang R1's , Aprilia, Honda fireblade Sp1 , a Ducati other than the new V2 wasn't even in my thoughts and then a bike showed up on Nationwide classifieds site, Donedeal .



2007 Ducati 1098

bonus points, Just had belts Desmo service, fluids and new battery done before the lockdown, mileage 22000.00 kms

Hmmmmmmm...

Words were exchanged with the Bank ( of Dad) ...Hmmmm

Seller was texted on the 26th, then called that evening, Hmmmmmmm ..a viewing was arranged for the 31st



Now i said i would go down and view it using my brain, I did some due diligence, looked up pictures, licked the PC screen , printed off some literature . All of that proper procedure went out the window when we arrived and i wheeled it out into the sun. Ehrmergerd

It. is . gorgeous. Red and gorgeous .







I look around it, suck air through teeth, chat to owner, look around it some more, i forgot to bring the printed off literature but remember some elements to check, has the swingarm been drilled to let water out as some owners did and was added on later models, no. Is the rear suspension linkage nut rusted, no. Pinch bolts at the back of the swinger are in good nick, no notchiness or looseness in the bearings, forks are showing weep on both legs, could be from sitting around non use .

We chat, we start it up, fuck me its loud, de-catted standard pipes with vance and hines baffles, the dry clutch rattle is louder than the booming exhaust note.



I am liking what i see, i tell the owner i need to take it for a spin to see whats what . He agrees and basically it's you bend it you buy it, it's a given

so

Boots : Alpinetars SMXR goretex

Jacket: Furygan leather jacket i got for my 21st ,

dainese back protector,

forgot my gloves,

jeans by Penneys..got a whole lot of things for christmas , got a lot for the famaleeeee..tra la la la ..primark to you lot

Lid : Carbon LS2



The owners house is on a side road off the local bypass , well surfaced , with 4 roundabouts to play with. i get to the t junction, let a car go by and enter the road and it last all of 200 metres before i open the taps .

I want to check throttle response, gearbox, brakes, suspension. It just drives, digs in and drives forward , BBBBBBWOOOARRR BWOOOOOOARRRRRR BWOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRR

Im pitched forward, onto my wrists either looking where I'm going or at the dash, there is no other option. But it is far from uncomfortable.

I come to the conclusion the mirrors are simply there to hold the front indicators because if you don't lift your hand off the bars you can see fuck all behind you unless you are doing moves from saturday night fever.



The gears are all there , but not every gear has that " click" of engagement going down the box as you get on most Jap bikes, some gears have it some don't , speed seems to throw up the difference in feel . (This enagagement and feel has improved with use and time in saddle)

Throttle response is instant, torque is pretty much instant , from 3krpm i guess , the owner said he went down one tooth on the front sprocket to aid with slow speed manners , having ridden it through the city to work i find it fine.

The brakes, big fuckoff Brembos are fantastic but the forks soak up the braking under compression beautifully, it's so much nicer a front end than my old fireblade . Its actually comfy over bumps, i may dial in more damping but i need more saddle time . i cannot fault the rear shock, it's Showas all around. Any of the open roads i have used so far have been well surfaced, the city roads are in bits and the suspension was plush over the syria like surfaces .

On the way back to the chaps house i give it the berries, i see 260kmh on the clocks and i decide to test the brakes pulling in behind a distant land cruiser...yep, they work.

I deliberately go past the owners turn off, head further on, do a u turn and in second i nail the throttle and the front end lifts , tyre skimming the floor.

Yep, i like this and i its definitely coming home with me.

Back to the house i have a word or three with the girlfriend, she fecks off to the car to check on my daughter and keep her busy, I talk spons with the owner and we agree on a price. I'm happy, he's happy , girlfriend goes to get her leathers on as she's insured on multi bike policy, I need to get insured . Massive thanks to her for riding it home for me as it wouldn't fit in the boot of the car and again I was not insured.

Cash handed over, hands shook ( Covid what ? ) she throws her leg over and follows me until i pull to the side of the road and tell her to get on with it and open it up.

Much like Russel Brand, the Ducati is loud skinny and a sexy bastard , I was admiring it in the rear view mirror with my fast lady on board until she hoofed off up the road

20 kilometres from home i get a call from her, she had filled up with fuel where both a female staff member chatted to her about the bike and the manager followed her out to the forecourt asking her about the bike ( nice lols ) and she set off and then oil light came on. She asked should she wait, or continue to her friends house where they may have oil.

I know the bike has only been serviced in a shop i know, so i reckon its not a lack of oil , BarryJ confirms via whatsapp that there is a common issue with these bikes and oil pressue sensors, i tell her to head to her mates and i'll meet her there .

we meet in the driveway of her friends place where she tells me the light went out, and then came back on again as she came to a stop, we check the sightglass, perfect level golden oil , its a senso issue. she hops back on and heads to mine.



I have to wait until tuesday as itsa bank holiday weekend , to get it insured, €414. 71 fully comp thank you , now i can ride it into work and see what its like in slow city traffic and shitty roads .

So wednesday morning, i take the bike from secure lock up and stick it on the drive, of course as soon as i took the cover off it started to drizzle, as soon as i turned the engine over it started to rain, i left it to warm up and as i'm getting my gear on my brother is thumping the floo in his bedroom trying to get anyone who can hear him to get me to fuckoff as it sounds like the opening day of the somme is localized to the front kitchen window, it's loud , very loud, you couldn't leave it to warm upas it would just fuck people off.



i love it .







I don't learn much from my second spin on it, 7 miles each way to office and back, its loud, red and fast.



Last night however, last night i got to take it out, i tell the daughter to get her butt to bed, throw the same gear on as when i tested it but this time with gloves and a HJC RPHA11 and i say " ah i'm just going to try get to know it, I'll take it easy"

I go 4 mins up the road to my Uncles to show him, he's not in. I check the fuel situation and i head to a the N7 dual carriageway which has 3 lanes ( go figure) its a 80 to 100km speed limit on this road ...

at 240kmh the front wheel is lifting over a small rise with the aid of a cats eye and the bars are shimmying in my hands, i am laughing like a goon.

show up at my mates, ta da look at me bike and let me use the jax, and I'm off again, up and over the hills heading towads the mountains and a beautiful clear sky with a glowing full moon, this thing is amazing, the noise is evocative, the handling exquisite , i am so happy to have bought this machine .







i have been informed the Steering damper is not mounted correctly, so i now have a lovely wear mark were the roundy mount is working its way into the tank ..ffs

I'll fix it tomorrow





The ride home is down the N81 , well surfaced, fast sweeping and then going into closer bends.



it is a joy.

 

trick question ?

thanks for the welcome

 

Yes, he's 3 minutes from my house, he did the work on the bike for previous owner so that was a bonus, gave me confidence in the purchase.

 

Hi Paul

I'll have a look at the Duc owners page on FB , thanks for the info

other forum is Performance bikes forum

 

Depends on the shoes i'm wearing