Rode the f3 675 today courtesy of Bennetts motorcycles of Barnsley. They seem a very friendly small outlet. I was considering adding a F3 675 to my 848 rather than instead of. Obviously the F3 is stunning to look at. It's easily my favourite looking bike at the moment , which probably explains my lust for one. The build quality is really good, and at £10kish they are reasonable value considering they re fairly exotic and have lots of tech on them. The engine is similiar to my old dayona 675 I would say. However the mv needs to be revved much more to get any power from it. Once up above 7k the power is decent, and it sounds lovely. I did miss the v twin rumble and torque though. Equipment level is really good on paper but to be honest it's quite hard to set up , and mess about with. The dash looks like a Casio watch from 1992, which lets the bike down compared to a Ducati. The traction and abs never took over today so can't comment on those either. Brakes are the same as a standard 848 so they were ok, but my 848 has monoblocks so not in the same league. The 800 version has monoblocks to expect that is lots better. It's very small and agile compared to my 848. Sharp corners are easier but it's not as stable on long sweeping bends. It felt nervous to begin with, and the throttle feels totally disconnected to anything as there is no feeling or feedback. When riding it steady it's quite awkward to ride , and is crap to be honest. The suspension is far too stiff and it's only a nice ride on a smooth road. My 848 was like this before fitting a ohlins though. However after about a hour I got used to its size, handling and throttle and the road was a bit clearer. It really is a great bike, and just begs to be thrown about. The quirks would all be sortable , and it's such a nice thing to look at. I considered asking for a 800 demo ride but that is pushing its price up too far , and apart from extra grunt and better brakes I guess it'll ride the same. 848 vs 675 ? I'd take the 848. Even though I really enjoyed the 675 I would never swap a 848 for one. Yes the mv is quicker to turn , but the 848 beats it in every other area. Especially since my 848 is messed about with in the right areas it really is a much better bike. In terms of me adding one to my stable along with the 848..... No it won't be happening I don't think. The main reason is that on a sunny day when deciding which sports bike to use , I would always choose the 848. It's just far more exciting to ride, sounds better, and I'm prouder to ride it so gives a better feel good factor. And if I'm just bobbing about my monster is perfect , so I wouldn't use the 675 apart from forcing myself to use it because it's sat there. The 675 is a good bike , but just not a great bike which is its downfall. If it was just to polish and look at then I would have one but the idea of this bike would be to be ridden lots. So what have I concluded from today? I want a panigale.
The Barron loaned me his 899, it feels 10 years newer than my 848, awesome bike and nothing like any Ducati I have ever ridden, not trading my 848 just yet as it owes me more than a R, but maybe a project for the years to come, saying that I want a Desmo!
I've said since I test rode one, that the 899 is a couple of notches above my old 848 EC SE, but I think your description of it feeling 10 years newer is a good description. It is that.
Well Ducati claim they started to draw up the 899/1199 back in 2007 so I'm not far out but truly the 899 does feel a decade ahead in all ways, it's a real strange bike at first but what makes it great IMO is after 5 mins the bike just seems to feel familiar, it soon goes out of your mind that it's a new bike and all that seems to be on your mind is getting on with the job of riding it. Few bike feel like you have ridden them for years, last bike that I rode was much the same was a 1050 triple, another bike that 30 secs later you feel like you have rode for years.
I think you should take the 800 out - just for fun and to compare it to the 675. When I tried it I thought the motor was top. It felt faster than the 899 I rode just afterwards. It probably isn't, as Ducatis have a deceptive way of building speed, but it felt quicker. It's very torquey but likes revs too. And I thought the brakes were the complete business. But I didn't get to check the fuelling at lower, constant speeds. Bearing in mind that the fuelling on the 800 Rivale was awful, that is something I'd definitely want to check before actually trying to own one. They look great, don't they?
Thanks for the report, very interesting. I'm still toying with the idea of the 800. From what I've read so far the 800 is a far better bike, generally reports on the 675 were not nearly as positive. The dash looks terrible and at the moment the dealer network up here in Jockland is non existent. John
Im addicted to the vtwin rumble now so i guess im stuck with ducati for the time being. Think im going to take some decent pics over the weekend and look to advertise my 848 whilst summer is still here and then when a 1199 comes up at right money i can jump
You're right. The dash is terrible - it's perhaps the worst bit of the bike. But I suspect that the dash on the Rivale is even worse. The tacho is just impossible to read on both bikes. Fortunately, that motor seems to perform no matter what revs you are at.
Its funny - one of the things that I hated about my first ducati (about 2 years ago - 1100s - totally tricked up) was - ironically the sound.....at the time IMO it sounded like a. it was just about to blow up and b. exhaust note was reminiscent of a wet fart....got the RSV4 - long story short but the 1100evo came up and I couldn't see anything else that fitted the bill so got another....and now I love it.... I think one of the deciding factors was speaking to Rich at Louigi motos about my RSV4 which was getting serviced at the time and the advent of getting another hyper.... "So, Rich while you've got the RSV4 there...when do the valves need checking...?" "About 30k but itll have blown up way before then..." "Thnking about another hyper - what do you think....?" "Bulletproof...if you blow up one of those I wanna know how you did it...."
