Well, for a start, this bike was coming my way without a service book and by all accounts it has been thrashed on the race track...kinda guessed this when I got a box which included a full race exhaust including carbon cans, carbon fibre dry-clutch cover and a single seat with cut down number plate.
Another obvious sign was the fact that the edges of the tyres were wasted and beaded..only possible on a track..
So, last time I had a Ducati was a 160 Monza single around 28 years ago, and that was only for a week.
This bike has been put back into stock set-up with stock silencers.
First impressions were basically as I expected after all the negative write-ups with regards the fact that this is basically a track bike with very little comfort, ass in the air seating set-up and heavy on the wrists! Love it already! If I wanted comfort I'd buy a car!!
Bike feels so taught! Sticks to the road like shit to a woolen blanket! When I read that these bikes handle, I took it with a pinch of salt..I now retract my salt and say, my god how right did they get this in the handling dept!! Quite incredible. So stable in the corners, and even if you bang it thru the gears and start playing mid corner it still sticks to it's dedicated line! fantastic grunt as well coming through the apex! I mean to say, it's not got more power than most bikes in it's cc range, but you become instantly addicted to the way it handles itself in and out of trouble with the horse power on tap.
I'm not sure how they improved on this with the 748R which has a completely different frame and airbox set-up, but this is more than enough for me to get used to.
The gearbox is another surprise as it's so slick, and makes my zxr750r gearbox feel like a tractor box (although that may have just been my clutch plates..).
Lots a fun, beautiful bike...sunday and the exhaust system gets swapped over so the cars hear me coming..
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