Apologies for time away from here, but I've been busy working. Not the most enjoyable contract I've done, but you take the rough with the smooth.
The front of the bike is mostly black, so I put a black Rizoma fluid reservoir on it. Looks good, has absolutely no other benefit whatsoever. In fact, it's so redundant, I can't find a single picture of it. But it does look very cool, honest!
I think it looks great. The slip-on can starts much lower on the bike, but this looks like it was designed on the bike. It fits so well. The quality of the new termi is much improved. The pipes have a rough coating and fit perfectly. Even the bands show evidence of new tooling with alternating Ducati and termi cutouts. The termi logo is now laser cut rather than a cheap plastic sticker. Rather than shipping a new ECU, the kit comes with a USB key containing an 'up map' to re-map the existing ECU.
OK, bling, blah, blah. What's the bike like to ride? It's just bonkers. It has the same three modes as the other bikes sharing the platform, but it goes from 'wet' (not much use), straight to Sport, then Race. Since the weather has been absolutely rubbish here thanks to snow over the Continental US, which picked up most of the water from the Atlantic and pushed the jet stream lower to London, I haven't used Race yet, but Sport is crazy enough. It still sounds a little like a single cylinder, but it has a proper bark when you blip the throttle. The motor spins up really quickly and the noise is just incredible. Wheelies are very easy to provoke, so much so that the local Police gave me some points for style. Only 3. I was expecting a 5.9 or even 6...
There's that reservoir BTW. The DP carbon screen really held keep some of the wind off, but it's still rubbish over 100mph. The wind blast is worse than any other bike I've ridden.
The bike comes with Pirelli Supercorsas. They're not at their best in cold weather. I swapped them for Dunlop Roadsmart 2s after just 100 miles in winter conditions. I've use the Roadsmarts on other bikes and found them to warm up very quickly and have even been known to steam on a cold day. They have a very round profile and work really well with bad road surfaces, rolling over seams very well. In comparison, I have found that performance oriented Michelins have a faster turn-in because they have a steeper profile. They're great on a smooth track, but they get caught in seams very easily and scare the pants off me.
Rob at ProTwins set the suspension for me (increasing the height again). We're similar in weight and I like the way he sets my bikes up - firm, but compliant, using almost the full travel without diving. This gives the bike a very solid, quality feel. London speed bumps can be taken at some speed without threatening to throw you off the bike. In fast corners, the bike is very stable but able to change direction quickly. The bike can be ridden smoothly like a 998, dropping smoothly into bends, or it can be manhandled quickly with strong, positive inputs like a 'moto.
I dropped the yokes down the forks a little (5mm) to speed up steering and really liked the way that the bike reacted. It needs a really hard, positive push on the bars to get it to turn quickly - very involving. Putting the forks back to factory spec made the bike ride more comfortably and noticeably more stable, but maybe took some of the madness away.
I imagine that the ride by wire throttle has an impact on the bike - the short travel and lack of resistance seems take any movement at the bars and seems to cause a little surging over rough surfaces. It's not an issue, but I don't get the same feeling on any other bikes.
This is the first Ducati that I've owned that feels under geared. The ratios are perfect, but I keep going for another gear at speed. No problem, because you'll get blown off the back before you run out of revs, but if you've ridden another Ducati, you'll notice it.
Although this bike encourages proper hooliganism, it can do pottering around as well. In wet mode.
These pictures were taken just before Christmas 2013 in the first round of floods to hit the South of England (apparently it's water picked up by the jet stream from the Caribbean, but it wasn't very warm) . I rode through that... But Chris didn't - he dropped his Elefant right in the deepest part. He still hasn't forgiven me for laughing!
ABS and TC are very good in marginal conditions.
It has enough power - you can use it all without being intimidated, or doing 160mph on the public road. Not good.
Components are very good quality.
The service intervals are incredible for a Ducati. 5 years for belts and 18,000 for valve clearances. It has a counter showing when the next oil change is due.
The seat is really high - how your average Italian rider can get on it is beyond me. You know who you are : )
Thanks for reading. Enjoy!
Unlikely, but you may have noticed that I've got a new helmet. I'll be doing a write-up next week - light, comfortable, quiet and cheaper than you'd expect!
So, at the end of 2013, I had the opportunity of riding a few current Ducatis. What an eye opener that was. I had an 848, a 1200 Multistrada and a 821 Hypermotard.
The weather was rubbish, so I returned the 848 asap. A great bike, but the position was no good for winter commuting through London. The Multistrada was an incredible bike. Fast enough, stable, good in corners and really relaxing to ride. The ABS and TC takes all the drama out of riding in marginal conditions. In wet, slippery conditions with leaves on the road, I found myself getting to work relaxed and comfortable. Compared to any other bike I've ridden in London, the Multistrada was very, very accomplished. I nearly bought one, but I kept thinking 'a 1200, just for commuting...'. If I was single and could just take off for 1,000 miles at the weekend, I would have had this bike - it's very good.
But I wanted to have another ride on the Hypermotard, so I borrowed one from my buddy Damiano at Metropolis in Vauxhall and blasted around town for a couple of days. The only real downside for me was the suspension: mostly perfect, but right on the limit over rough tarmac, the front was tying itself in knots. Obviously the cure for this is to lift the front more, but the local Police don't like wheelies - they think it's hooligan behaviour and they might have a point!
So, I went looking for an SP (with adjustable suspension) and found one at JHP.
I've done almost 1000 miles now and put a few extras on it. The first was a lower seat, which took a couple of cms off, only to be put back on immediately as the chain needed tightening - no rocker here, just a direct mount shock, so any change impacts the geometry.
Next were a few R&G parts - crash bobbins on the axles and a tail tidy.
The crash bobbins are ok, nothing to report really, except the rear means that you can't use your normal single sided paddock stand - you need one for a 749/999. But if you get one, make sure that it adjusts close enough: the distance between the 'bobbins' is muck closer than a bike fitted with a double sided swinger. I have a Harris stand, and that works perfectly. A Pierobon stand won't work tho.
| The tail tidy looks much cooler than the standard unit, which is really ugly IMHO. The standard unit is on the bike to the right. It extends much further towards the rear of the bike. I understand that this is partly to meet German construction standards that requires some part of the body (that includes the numberplate support) to extend beyond the rear wheel. This is why the Multi and the Diavel have the number plate in the same place as a BMW GS. |  |
However, with the cooler looking R&G unit, you will get very, very dirty from the rear wheel.
The front of the bike is mostly black, so I put a black Rizoma fluid reservoir on it. Looks good, has absolutely no other benefit whatsoever. In fact, it's so redundant, I can't find a single picture of it. But it does look very cool, honest!
| The foot pegs are pretty cool though. They dispense with the rubber inserts fitted to the standard items and give much better grip in wet conditions. |  |
This is the Termignoni full system. It's really nice! Loud enough, is sold as having an extra 5bhp, which is cool. The pipes are a couple of mm wider than standard, so peak power will be higher at the expense of low end torque. No worries though, it can afford to lose a couple.
I think it looks great. The slip-on can starts much lower on the bike, but this looks like it was designed on the bike. It fits so well. The quality of the new termi is much improved. The pipes have a rough coating and fit perfectly. Even the bands show evidence of new tooling with alternating Ducati and termi cutouts. The termi logo is now laser cut rather than a cheap plastic sticker. Rather than shipping a new ECU, the kit comes with a USB key containing an 'up map' to re-map the existing ECU.
 |  |
There's that reservoir BTW. The DP carbon screen really held keep some of the wind off, but it's still rubbish over 100mph. The wind blast is worse than any other bike I've ridden.
The bike comes with Pirelli Supercorsas. They're not at their best in cold weather. I swapped them for Dunlop Roadsmart 2s after just 100 miles in winter conditions. I've use the Roadsmarts on other bikes and found them to warm up very quickly and have even been known to steam on a cold day. They have a very round profile and work really well with bad road surfaces, rolling over seams very well. In comparison, I have found that performance oriented Michelins have a faster turn-in because they have a steeper profile. They're great on a smooth track, but they get caught in seams very easily and scare the pants off me.
Rob at ProTwins set the suspension for me (increasing the height again). We're similar in weight and I like the way he sets my bikes up - firm, but compliant, using almost the full travel without diving. This gives the bike a very solid, quality feel. London speed bumps can be taken at some speed without threatening to throw you off the bike. In fast corners, the bike is very stable but able to change direction quickly. The bike can be ridden smoothly like a 998, dropping smoothly into bends, or it can be manhandled quickly with strong, positive inputs like a 'moto.
I dropped the yokes down the forks a little (5mm) to speed up steering and really liked the way that the bike reacted. It needs a really hard, positive push on the bars to get it to turn quickly - very involving. Putting the forks back to factory spec made the bike ride more comfortably and noticeably more stable, but maybe took some of the madness away.
I imagine that the ride by wire throttle has an impact on the bike - the short travel and lack of resistance seems take any movement at the bars and seems to cause a little surging over rough surfaces. It's not an issue, but I don't get the same feeling on any other bikes.
This is the first Ducati that I've owned that feels under geared. The ratios are perfect, but I keep going for another gear at speed. No problem, because you'll get blown off the back before you run out of revs, but if you've ridden another Ducati, you'll notice it.
Although this bike encourages proper hooliganism, it can do pottering around as well. In wet mode.
 |  |  |
These pictures were taken just before Christmas 2013 in the first round of floods to hit the South of England (apparently it's water picked up by the jet stream from the Caribbean, but it wasn't very warm) . I rode through that... But Chris didn't - he dropped his Elefant right in the deepest part. He still hasn't forgiven me for laughing!
So, in conclusion...
I can't wait to get this thing on a track. It's so easy to ride it quickly, but the feedback is so good, you have perfect control.I like:
It's bonkers. You don't have to ride fast to have a lot of fun. Suspension gives plenty of feedback and it can be set up to handle the way you want.ABS and TC are very good in marginal conditions.
It has enough power - you can use it all without being intimidated, or doing 160mph on the public road. Not good.
Components are very good quality.
The service intervals are incredible for a Ducati. 5 years for belts and 18,000 for valve clearances. It has a counter showing when the next oil change is due.
I really don't like:
The cable clutch - it has no feel at all. It's rubbish. Maybe it will improve with some use or wear, but when it's cold, it's bad. Grabby, stalls or wheelies. Rubbish. Really bad.The seat is really high - how your average Italian rider can get on it is beyond me. You know who you are : )
Thanks for reading. Enjoy!
Unlikely, but you may have noticed that I've got a new helmet. I'll be doing a write-up next week - light, comfortable, quiet and cheaper than you'd expect!
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