RE: Harris buys a Ducati: PH Blog

[Gandahar]

7 x FF monthly payments and it is yours. Nice choice Chris.

One day you need to own someting Japanese though ( no, not the LFA, that's cheating ... )

Looking forward to your exploits, this will be you in about another month or two -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fyv_VyubtzQ

[alexpa]

Great first choice. Soon you'll be on to an 1199 Superleggera

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/mcn/news/newsresults...

Perhaps the ultimate expression of Ducati:
NCR
http://www.ncrfactory.com/eng/

[y2blade]

Rawwr said:

I know you've driven many, many cars over the years so I'd love to hear your reaction to a test ride on a full-blown, hairy-chested, nuts-out 1000cc supersport of some description. I confidently predict that even the weedy underpowered Fireblade will make you want to raise more eyebrows than you have.

+1.....I look forward to the "Supercars are boring" thread from Mr Harris in a couple of months

[DoubleSix]

I love the idea of motorbikes.

I love the idea of hopping on the bike, chucking a helmet at the OH and heading out to a country pub with a "whoop" of excitement.

However, it's not like that is it.

You have to dress up like deep sea diver covering every inch of your body in kevlar and arrive drenched in your own sweat looking like you gone a few rounds with Maywhether.

If only it was like in the movies.

[SpudLink]

Outstanding choice of 1st bike.
I started with a Ducati as my 1st bike for similar reasons. I "just wanted one".

You will get used to the performance fairly quickly, then start upgrading it.
But you will never get bored with how much fun it can be.

[kenno78]

Mastodon2 said:

I know what you mean, in a way. I've not ridden a litre bike but I've been on my GSX-R600 SRAD, throttle wide open, firing gears at it and giving it everything it had, and my mate on his 2010 Fireblade overtook me like I wasn't even there. But in the grand scheme of things, 600 sports bikes aren't slow, they do 0-100 in 7 seconds-ish, which by the standards of most vehicles on the road is ludicrously fast. However, I can completely see how litre bikes, with the warp drive of the Millenium Falcon powering the back wheel could warp perceptions and set the bar for "fast" impossibly high. I'll have to get myself a go on one some time.

I test rode a 600RR and a blade back to back. It is quite simply a different league. As easy to ride as the 600 through town and for bumbling along you can simply roll back back the throttle and overtake. It doesn't matter what gear you're in.

Trying to go quickly was another matter. I felt pretty happy to ring the neck of the 600 on the DC, but the blade just piles on the speed like nothing else. I don't know what gear I was in but the scenery was a blur, speedo was well into three figures and I was tickling it at 9k. A proper loon machine.

[Zumbruk]

A colleague of mine did the "accelerated access", never having owned a bike before, went from zip to full licence in 2 weeks, bought a Monster the following day and fell off on Chelsea Bridge the day after that.

[y2blade]

DoubleSix said:

You have to dress up like deep sea diver covering every inch of your body in kevlar and arrive drenched in your own sweat looking like you gone a few rounds with Maywhether.

No you don't.

[jhoneyball]

A note for the future: when he goes for a Harley, make sure its a VRod :-)

jon

[DoubleSix]

y2blade said:

DoubleSix said:

You have to dress up like deep sea diver covering every inch of your body in kevlar and arrive drenched in your own sweat looking like you gone a few rounds with Maywhether.

No you don't.

Tell me more.

I'd love to own one. But only this factor stops me when my mate turns up to the pub like I've described above.

I've seen the guys in Majorca cruising with helmet on the handle bar of their Ducati, short sleeve shirt billowing behind and it looked rather fun. But surely the reality is rather different?

[GTIR]

SCoH would look cool on a Puch Maxi.












(I happen to have one so dibs on sitting on the back.)

[Rawwr]

DoubleSix said:

Tell me more.

I'd love to own one. But only this factor stops me when my mate turns up to the pub like I've described above.

I've seen the guys in Majorca cruising with helmet on the handle bar of their Ducati, short sleeve shirt billowing behind and it looked rather fun. But surely the reality is rather different?

Modern bike gear is pretty advanced stuff. It's more than possible to stay fully-armoured and cool at the same time.

[3795mpower]

Riding in summer time in shorts and a t-shirt gives a very similar experience to sky diving..without a parachute.

Once you've taken your skin off once or twice you tend to succumb to protective clothing.

Ducati's are a lovely thing but I've never ridden one that fuels properly on part throttle at low speeds.

Recommend the Ducati factory tour if you ever find yourself in Bologna.

[soad]

Zumbruk said:

A colleague of mine did the "accelerated access", never having owned a bike before, went from zip to full licence in 2 weeks, bought a Monster the following day and fell off on Chelsea Bridge the day after that.

Poor bike.

[y2blade]

DoubleSix said:

y2blade said:

DoubleSix said:

You have to dress up like deep sea diver covering every inch of your body in kevlar and arrive drenched in your own sweat looking like you gone a few rounds with Maywhether.

No you don't.

Tell me more.

I'd love to own one. But only this factor stops me when my mate turns up to the pub like I've described above.

Boots, summer gloves, Helmet, jeans and a breathable textile motorbike jacket.

I ride all through summer, I never get sweaty dressed as described.

[DoubleSix]

Rawwr said:

DoubleSix said:

Tell me more.

I'd love to own one. But only this factor stops me when my mate turns up to the pub like I've described above.

I've seen the guys in Majorca cruising with helmet on the handle bar of their Ducati, short sleeve shirt billowing behind and it looked rather fun. But surely the reality is rather different?

Modern bike gear is pretty advanced stuff. It's more than possible to stay fully-armoured and cool at the same time.

So you can sit astride an engine, with helmet on, covered in leather and stay cool in the sort temps we're enjoying now??

I'm not trying to be obtuse here, but really?

[Hammerhead]

"Cars for show, bikes for a Pro" seems most apt

[Rawwr]

DoubleSix said:

So you can sit astride an engine, with helmet on, covered in leather and stay cool in the sort temps we're enjoying now??

I'm not trying to be obtuse here, but really?

A fully-perforated leather suit with proper venting, a helmet with gopping great vents in it and boots and gloves with similar, combined with a decent base layer, sure.

You can go even cooler if you go with certain types of textiles, too.

[DoubleSix]

Rawwr said:

A fully-perforated leather suit with proper venting, a helmet with gopping great vents in it and boots and gloves with similar, combined with a decent base layer, sure.

You can go even cooler if you go with certain types of textiles, too.

Interesting stuff, thanks for explaining.


/Goes off to book CBT

[Mastodon2]

DoubleSix said:

So you can sit astride an engine, with helmet on, covered in leather and stay cool in the sort temps we're enjoying now??

I'm not trying to be obtuse here, but really?

As you ride forward you create your own air conditioning.