RE: Harris buys a Ducati: PH Blog

[Hooli]

srob said:

Two front page bike articles about bikes:

A cracking custom builder in Japan has 11 replies.

Chap buys a Ducati has 110 replies.

I'd have bet it'd be the other way around

Jap bikes are dull though

[Biker's Nemesis]

Hooli said:

Jap bikes are dull though

I love Ducati's.

[srob]

Hooli said:

Jap bikes are dull though

not all of them

[ortontom]

ah a duke, takes me back to when my duke decided that a permanent open throttle position was an ideal fault to start in the dark and rain...yep kid yee not...

[Hooli]

srob said:

Hooli said:

Jap bikes are dull though

not all of them

Including that one. The engineering might be amazing but it looks & sounds dull.

[Silver993tt]

Hooli said:

srob said:

Hooli said:

Jap bikes are dull though

not all of them

Including that one. The engineering might be amazing but it looks & sounds dull.

You need to get your eyes and ears tested. I've seen that clip before and the bike sounds absolutely amazing and that's just on the clip. In real life it's unbelievable and you need to remember it's from the early 1960's. Pre function before form, perfect. As for Ducati's and other similar bikes they sound like something from a garden machinery shed in comparison, something like a Prada badged lawnmower.

Edited by Silver993tt on Wednesday 23 July 23:52

[gentleman2012]

Hooli said:

Jap bikes are dull though

I beg to differ - my 200hp Hayabusa is far from dull (and it gives great noise). But like all high-performance bikes, the throttle works both ways - you can have as much fun filtering between slow-moving traffic as you can horsing along at high speed. The beauty of a big engine is that you always have that extra power to hopefully get you out of the bind that being on a bike got you into in the first place!

Protective clothing is always an old chestnut - if I nip to the shops I don't wear leathers, (nor would many). If its the weekend 100 mile ride over to Cambs, I'd be an idiot not to. But it's a personal choice - and as several have said, there's some brilliant non-leather protective kit out there.

And as for the clown that just had to have a pop about the Scots and "getting smashed"? Get a life, and remember - the secret with funny remarks is that they actually have to be funny!

Congratulations, Chris and ride safe, fella.

[SimJen]

Well done Mr Harris. Welcome to the awesome world of 2 wheels, and doing so in style!
How long before you are drifting it? Wheelie school too perhaps?
Definitely needs a set of Termi's added for that great Duc sound!
I've had all sorts of bikes overs the years from 2 stroke GP type bikes, 600's to 1000cc superbikes.
My 996 brings me more grins and looks than all of them, the torque, the sound. There is nothing that matches the passion of a Duc
Safe riding

[custardtart]

SydneyBridge said:

Excellent choice
Love the 205 XS in the background as well

The 205 XS was a bloody brilliant car!Been looking for a decent one forever, just can't get them in Oz though

[Djtemeka]

Still don't understand how ducati manage to extract so little power out of a 1200.
Loads of torque but no rush of power. Reminds me of a diesel :P
Still a nice and very light bike to ride though and 100ponies will be enough for a couple years

[SydneyBridge]

custardtart said:

The 205 XS was a bloody brilliant car!Been looking for a decent one forever, just can't get them in Oz though

I had a 205 junior (1124cc engine, compared with 1360cc in the XS I think), which was not quite the same, but still had a cool sliding sunroof...

[y2blade]

Moospeed said:

3304hl said:

.

Rule #1: you are invisible...

Rule #2: Yes, they really are out to kill you, and not just the Volvos.

The sooner new riders realise these two points the better tbh.

As above: Assume no-one has seen you and that everyone is out to kill you.

Rule #3: Use life-savers, they are named as such for a reason.


Stay frosty, and enjoy

[aeropilot]

Hooli said:

srob said:

Hooli said:

Jap bikes are dull though

not all of them

Including that one. The engineering might be amazing but it looks & sounds dull.

Even a harden Jap bike disliker such as me would rate a RC166/RC174 as one of the best sounding bikes ever.

I've stood next to one of the Honda museum bikes when it was started - amazingly ear drum busting sound.

It would be the only Jap bike I'd have in a lottery win bike collection (with maybe a similar configured '79 CBX for company)

[Schnellmann]

gentleman2012 said:

Protective clothing is always an old chestnut - if I nip to the shops I don't wear leathers, (nor would many). If its the weekend 100 mile ride over to Cambs, I'd be an idiot not to. But it's a personal choice - and as several have said, there's some brilliant non-leather protective kit out there.

Although I understand why it appears a pain in the backside to put on protective clothing for short journeys, if you accept that you need protection then it makes no difference if you ride for five minutes or five hours because accidents can and do happen unexpectedly - at least I didn't have any prior warning for the bike accidents I had - I didn't wake up knowing I was going to be knocked off and so should put on my leathers!

I am a fairly passionate supporter of leathers as I am convinced I still have two legs because I did bother to put on my full leathers with armour the day I had "the big one".

With reference to earlier comments about 600s being slow.
Never found that myself. You just need to ride them accordingly ie keep them in the powerband. If you do there is not that much difference to litre bikes (one of the reasons I prefer the smaller bikes is that you can't be lazy and rely on the low-down power but rather you do have to think ahead a bit).

[EggsBenedict]

Hooli said:

srob said:

Hooli said:

Jap bikes are dull though

not all of them

Including that one. The engineering might be amazing but it looks & sounds dull.

That sounds dull? What sounds exciting then?

[EggsBenedict]

Oh, and back on topic, throttles go both ways, and I've never dropped a bike.

Really nice bike, but need to sort out those exhausts so you can see that single sided swinger better.

[sprinter1050]

Hooli said:

srob said:

Hooli said:

Jap bikes are dull though

not all of them

Including that one. The engineering might be amazing but it looks & sounds dull.

Hooli -have you gone mental ?? ( especially for a bloke with a GSX14 !! :

I can't recall the last time that a new post on here generated 7 pages & 137 posts in just 24 hrs..

Mr Harris- no doubt you are just starting to "get" motorbiking so I can see you posting regularly on BB.

we might let you

[urquattro]

I had over 50 years of bike ownership and enjoyment and it was illness that stopped me at 75.
It was a very sad day when the Honda and Suzuki went to new owners.
The first five miles on a good bike are simply superb and I would jump one one again now when engaging a brain block re any consequences of a get off.
I was fortunate and only had a few bale outs without serious damage.

The rule re all present drivers intend to kill you through bad road manners, lack of mirror use and sheer indifference is correct and the golden rule in my view, however, some guys filter in traffic at death speeds.

Good luck Chris, enjoy it and however fast your car, nothing pumps better than a bike, old, slow fast etc each one produces the same buzz, one of life's few real enjoyments.

[MarJay]

Too much power for a first bike IMO. There are so many traps you can fall into when riding a bike with half the power, let alone 135bhp. Fifteen years ago the fastest of the fast sportsbikes barely had 135bhp...

I don't want to sound like a nay sayer, but this isn't the best example to make to new motorcyclists... I've noticed that a lot of 'car people' seem to believe that their skills behind the wheel will simply transfer to two wheels. It doesn't (generally) work like that.

For heavens sake take it easy on that Chris, you might have been better off with a 796 or even a 696.

[Hooli]

EggsBenedict said:

That sounds dull? What sounds exciting then?

In bikes? Twins mostly.