I've never subscribed to the notion of Ducatis being special, but in thinking about it I've realised that I have a stronger emotional bond to the fuglystrada than I wanted to have. The fugly was supposed to be my cheap hack while the Triumph was my 'main' bike; it was a cheaper purchase (a swap, in fact) and I do use it for shorter journeys. But when it comes to cleaning, the Triumph gets a bucket of water thrown in it's general direction while the Fugly gets hours of primping and preening. And Ducati know exactly how I like my bikes to handle, they suit my riding style. However, that won't stop me flogging it if the right offer comes along - that's just me, I go through bikes like most people go through socks - but if I do flog it there's a very high likelihood of it being replaced by another Ducati, probably a Monster.
There's something about them. I feel special being able to own one. Dizzy I was attached to she felt right to sit on and kept me out of many scrapes They have soul are damn sexy have little quirks turn heads and leave you with a smile that hurts your cheeks And through ducati have met and made some very good friends
Last Thursday on the hottest day of the year I took the 900SS from Southern Hampshire to Stratford and back, even after an extremely long and physical day and a round trip at the thick end of 250 miles I still took the longer way home off the motorway with better bends and faster straights. It makes me smile.
Trouble mostly. Empty wallet, constant cleaning, looking out the window and cussing the weather, trying to get the keys off the misses.............Oh and did i say an EMPTY wallet.
I was into all things Italian from a young age ( used to go there all the time as a teenager in my dads lorry) So for me I was into Italy before was old enough to buy into it. Bought a 350lc in 1980 from a dealer that also sold Ducati and lusted after one since that day but could never afford one. Spent the rest of the 80's on big kawasakis ( loved endurance racing and top gun helped) Just nice for me me now to own something that holds a deep memory and they are just fucking cool
The looks and the noise is intoxicating.... The handling is just sublime... It's a better bike than I'll ever be a rider... I can't touch the floor on it, I can't kick the side stand down whilst sat on it and my lap times are slower on it than they are on my cbr6...but I don't really care, the blip of the 848's throttle is all it takes to make all that irrelevant... Maybe that's just me....
I could write a whole post on my blog about this (so you shouldn't have asked). Back in the early/mid 80s when I got my first one, it was about handling and braking and the thing just had much higher quality components than the Jap stuff. Brembo brakes, Marzocchi suspension, a fairing. The bolts were all allen bolts at a time when Honda bolts were crosshead screws made of cheese. And they didn't have cam chains which were the major Japanese bugbear. They also came with instant kudos, and I have never liked having anything that everyone else has. I quickly fell in love with the L twin. In-line 4s may give you as much or more BHP, but they are just so electric motorish - whirring soullessly underneath you. Non bikers seemed to think that having a Ducati was something special. People were convinced that my 907ie Paso must be supersonically fast, because it looked like a two-wheeled Testarossa. My 851 was complemented by a girl in a car next to me in a London traffic jam, and by a Rasta van driver at the lights in Brixton, and drooled over by a pump attendant in Italy near Nice. So you just always feel more special riding one. More than that though, I have just got so used to how they feel, engine and handling wise, that nothing much else will do. I so nearly bought an RSV1000 10 years ago - still think they are great bikes. But loyalty to my very friendly dealer kept me in the Ducati fold. I'd still rather like an RSV1000 Factory, though. No real desire to own the RSV4 - which has two too many cylinders and is no bigger than my 999.
Multistrada 1200S Touring - has soul and oozes passion. It isn't perfect but its faults are easy to forgive. Ducati is an iconic brand, non bikers respond to 'Ducati' or should that be 'Ducaaaati'. I thought long and hard before buying the Multi, my first bike was a BMW F800ST, after passing Direct Access, and I tried a couple of other BMW's from the dealership when I was getting it serviced, they were very good bikes but lacked soul. I tested a Multi and bought it, I didn't even go back to the BMW dealership, it was that good. I ride for pleasure and recreation and I can't think of a better bike for what I do, if I could I would have it, but I can't. Still lust after a Superbike though, it must be an age thing.
I played on a S1000RR over the weekend. This is the first IL4 I have riden for years, I was expecting a lot from this bike but just left me dispointed, yes the motor is stonking but it has zero charactor. I felt like I was just a passenger, I didnt feel much feed back on what was going on and there was no sense of theatre. No one gave any admiring glances it was just another motorbike. I took it around some favourite local roads and I felt I could go quick on my 999s, it really is not all about who has the most BHP. Its no good when all that power is up the top end your breaking the speed limit before you even get to the fun zone. Quickshifter was very nice though
Having just placed an order for one, I have yet to experience the Ducati ownership experience but I am looking forward to it more than I can describe. I've owned 4 cylinder bikes since 2000 and have only ridden a couple of twins since then - a few SV650s, Gladius, Bonneville, my brother's old Firestorm and quite liked the twin thing but still preferred the 4s I've owned at the time. I know these aren't exactly cutting edge bikes but they were my only comparison. However after owning my GSXR for over 5 years, I was looking for a change and have lusted after an 848 since they were released. I decided that circumstances now made one a realistic purchase so I went and tested one a few weeks ago. I fully expected that I'd not like it and that I'd end up testing and buying a 675R, however the test ride blew me away! I loved the engine and it instantly made me think the GSXR was so bland - and I to this day will tell anyone that the 2006/7 GSXR 750 is one of the best bikes that you can get. But... the 848 Evo was just incredible. I loved the midrange, the noise, the feel of the engine... everything. From what I'd read I really did expect it to be awkward and annoying but it simply wasn't. The only bit I didn't like was reversing it into the parking slot outside the dealer as the seat is very high compared to what I'm used to and the whole "hands trapped in the fairing" thing is no doubt going to be a pain, but it is such a small thing overall that I am not bothered by it. The suspension felt rock hard when I sat on it but on the road it was ideal, the brakes were fantastic and the handling was at least as good as the GSXR. The full character of the bike will no doubt become clear once I have owned it for a while, but it seems blatantly obvious after even the short test ride that Ducatis really do seem to have something special about them. I remember as a kid visiting Alvins in Edinburgh with my Dad and looking in awe at 888's then 916's and thought until recently that I'd only ever dream of owning a Ducati, but now prices are so close to new Japanese and other European bikes that owning a Ducati is now within reach. There is no way buying a new GSXR 750 for £10k makes sense when an 848 Evo is "only" £1k more. And servicing and ownership costs now look to be much the same as I'm used to. My order is placed for the 848 Evo Corse but unfortunately I need to wait until the New Year until I can collect it. Looking like it will be a long winter! Andy
Not always something you can quantify - it's a feeling, emotion or reaction provoked by that 'something'
No other sportsbike sounds like it... or looks like it It makes me smile whenever I look at it or think about it. And it handles great... and it turns heads.. and it's just all round awesome
I lived in Italy as a teenager, had a Ducati 250 scrambler as my first big bike - definitely the coolest bike in my group of friends, especially the noise. In 30+ years of biking I've had other bikes but Ducati does it best for me...
What does it mean to me? In my 8 weeks and 2000 miles of owning a Multistrada S Touring, it's meant: Recall work on the forks Recall work on the back brake Electronic suspension that doesn't work any more An engine that occasionally cuts when I, doing <5mph A missed run to Land's End - hopefully not a missed run to John O' Groats In summary, lots of warranty work. I'd expected better for a brand new 2012 bike.
I've never thought of Ducati ownership as being any different to owning, say, a GSXR for example. For me it is not about the Brand - I don't believe Ducati is any more special than any of the others - but the individual bike and how much I enjoy riding it. I'm not what you'd call Brand loyal...I change my cars to suit what I like at the time and it is the same with bikes. I enjoyed my GSXR but wanted a naked and the Monster appealed to me and I like it a lot. My next bike might be something completely different.
My story pretty much mirrors yours though I did order and pay a deposit for a 1098 back in December 2006. However as it didn't appear after six months of waiting (and being told delivery would only be three months) I cancelled it and went back to Jap thou's. However I've still hankered after an Italian stallion since then and went looking again a couple of weeks ago. I found a spanking new 848 Evo Corse that is a month old with 280 miles on it at an excellent (reduced) price. The guy that bought it had just passed his test and found out very quickly that it was too powerful for a rookie. He's now bought a Monster which he was advised to buy in the first place. But his loss is my gain and I get to pick up the new bike on Friday after they've lowered the suspension and valeted it for me. Happy days
Nice. Let me know how you get on with it please? I only put the deposit down now as I am sure that it's the bike I want and they've assured me that I will be able to collect it when I want it (start of March). Means I can plan for it, sell mine and get the money in place over winter. But it's bloody ages away.
