Tried a Ducati

[sah48]

Went for a ride last weekend with my nephews.... I on my trusty 2005 ST1300, one on a 2012 FJR1300 (that used to be mine) and the other on some model of Ducati sport bike, not really sure which one. Towards the end of the ride we swapped bikes and I ended up with the Ducati. Well, it came off the line really quick (partially because I am used to letting out the lever a bit on the ST before it grabs-this thing grabbed as soon as I relaxed my fingers a little!), got up to speed pretty quick - took a minute to get used to 6 gears, had a pretty sensitive front brake (yikes) and my first poke at the rear brake had me wondering if Igofar wanted to take a look at it! The nephew told me the mechanic at the dealer said it was the way it was supposed to be.
I swear I could feel every time a plug fired on a cylinder and it didn't like to drop below 3,000 rpm. I think he said he only had about a 100 mile range before it went into reserve for fuel! Overall, I'll take my nice comfy ST any day!

My nephew's girlfriend said after being a passenger for a ride her feet and hands tingled from the vibration and she didn't understand why he liked to ride the darn thing.

 

[Igofar]

....Some of the Ducks are brutally harsh.
And a few things that the dealers won't tell you....service manual, nope, Ducati won't sell you one. They will/do sell the dealership a CD Disc for repair work (for their Tech's only) for $500 bucks or so....and valve adjustments on some of them are every 2500 miles (and very expensive to have the dealer do them).
What I found funny as heck, was they will not tell you how much oil to use at an oil change....only instructions to take it to the dealer for your oil change
While I miss my old teal 750ss and my single cylinder Duck's, I'd rather have to deal with quality control issues with Moto Guzzi, than deal with Ducati folks or dealership

 

[caldercay]

she didn't understand why he liked to ride the darn thing.

"image"

 

[dwalby]

"image"

as I recall back in the '90s the phrase was "style, sophistication, performance", I think they still use it today but I stopped paying attention.

I rode a friend's Duc years ago, when I was a sportbike nut, and it was an OK bike, but nothing that would get me to actually own one. They're nice looking bikes though.

 

[bigbikerrick]

Most Ducatis except for the simpler air cooled ones are a real PITA to work on. Moto Guzzis on the other hand are a real pleasure to wrench on...Simplicity,and sensible engineering, as well as being overbuilt,and understressed.
Simplicity,at its best , see my 73 original paint Eldorado below.

 

[bigbikerrick]

If Ducati built something that looked and performed,like my Griso 8 valve SE, I would be a "Ducatisti" instead of a "Guzzisti/Hondisti"!
Rick

 

[ST Gui]

Overall, I'll take my nice comfy ST any day!

To be fair they're two very different bikes for two very different riding styles often for two very different riders. Some have both for whatever suits their mood. Not everybody who wants to has the means to do so.

"image"

You can say that about pretty much anybody riding any bike and be right to some degree. "You meet the nicest people on a Honda." If that isn't all about image nothing is. All bikes are marketed on some image or other.

I had a Duc 750 Sport. It looked exactly like this:

A torquey 90º twin that had an awesome exhaust note with the Conti mufflers. It was a classic cafe bike from the ground up. Back then a 200-300mi day on the low Tomasellis was nothing. A huge tank and geared a little tall - I could ride all day on one fill up. About 400lbs wet and at about 2500rpm I was flyin' - roll-on was thrilling and the Conti's were singing.

A gorgeous bike that was a dream to ride. It had a long wheel base but within that limitation the handling was rock solid and much smoother suspension than my 750-K4. And yeah I could count every ignition pulse. It was chain drive something I didn't care a whole lot for but as far as I knew there wasn't anything else for me ('till the GL1000).

I like my ST but a 2010 can't hold a candle to what that Duc could do. But then it's apples and oranges and I know the difference. Some riders want to cultivate an image with the bike they ride. Others want to judge riders by the bikes they ride. Screw'em both. They don't count. Some people say 'who cares what you ride as long as you ride and you like your ride'. That's how I roll.

 

[dduelin]

To be fair they're two very different bikes for two very different riding styles often for two very different riders. Some have both for whatever suits their mood. Not everybody who wants to has the means to do so.


You can say that about pretty much anybody riding any bike and be right to some degree. "You meet the nicest people on a Honda." If that isn't all about image nothing is. All bikes are marketed on some image or other.

I had a Duc 750 Sport. It looked exactly like this:

A torquey 90º twin that had an awesome exhaust note with the Conti mufflers. It was a classic cafe bike from the ground up. Back then a 200-300mi day on the low Tomasellis was nothing. A huge tank and geared a little tall - I could ride all day on one fill up. About 400lbs wet and at about 2500rpm I was flyin' - roll-on was thrilling and the Conti's were singing.

A gorgeous bike that was a dream to ride. It had a long wheel base but within that limitation the handling was rock solid and much smoother suspension than my 750-K4. And yeah I could count every ignition pulse. It was chain drive something I didn't care a whole lot for but as far as I knew there wasn't anything else for me ('till the GL1000).

I like my ST but a 2010 can't hold a candle to what that Duc could do. But then it's apples and oranges and I know the difference. Some riders want to cultivate an image with the bike they ride. Others want to judge riders by the bikes they ride. Screw'em both. They don't count. Some people say 'who cares what you ride as long as you ride and you like your ride'. That's how I roll.

A few years ago I attended a Ducs Fly South Rally in Murphy, NC. Besides my riding buddy Steve I didn't know anyone there but we had a great time. Steve on his Diavel and I on my ST followed George on his gold 750 Sport through the foothills and mountains in the area at "an elevated pace". Great day riding, that day was.

 

[SMSW]

Moto Guzzis on the other hand are a real pleasure to wrench on...Simplicity,and sensible engineering, as well as being overbuilt,and understressed.

For that matter, a lot of older bikes were very simple to work on.

 

[MattInDenver]

Wow.. Some beautiful bikes here... Duc's run hot.. You always have to be on them. They don't like low RPMS. The Gris has some pretty lines.. Every time I see one.. But my my the eldorado is something else... Took my breath away. I wonder if the Duc you rode had a dry clutch? aka cheese grater. That 750 in yellow... I like yellow ducs.. If you ever see a grey and black model duc If memory serves me correctly means the end of the model run.. Duc and their riders are in interesting bunch. Thanks for the share.

 

[bigbikerrick]

That Ducati 750 Sport is drop dead gorgeous! I would park that in my living room, but roll it out for weekend rides. There is something about Italian roadsters that make them special, be it the sound through the Contis, the rattle of the dry clutch, or the way you can feel every power pulse in your chest! Gotta love em!
IMHO, the ST's also have a certain "Guzziness" to them. The torque of the big V4, and the layout of the "V" reminds me of a Guzzi Norge every time I ride it, and thats a GOOD thing!
Rick.

 

[sah48]

There is an all Italian bike dealer about a quarter mile from my house.... it has been a couple years since I walked through but I do have to admit there were some nice looking bikes there!
If I had a garage and a bigger bank account I might be tempted.
There was a Moto Guzi at the ice cream shop the other day. It actually looked like it might be fun.

 

[dduelin]

....Some of the Ducks are brutally harsh.
And a few things that the dealers won't tell you....service manual, nope, Ducati won't sell you one. They will/do sell the dealership a CD Disc for repair work (for their Tech's only) for $500 bucks or so....and valve adjustments on some of them are every 2500 miles (and very expensive to have the dealer do them).
What I found funny as heck, was they will not tell you how much oil to use at an oil change....only instructions to take it to the dealer for your oil change
While I miss my old teal 750ss and my single cylinder Duck's, I'd rather have to deal with quality control issues with Moto Guzzi, than deal with Ducati folks or dealership

Maybe that was just one or two dealers, hopefully? For there are an awful lot of Ducati service manuals on eBay, not aftermarket edition or pirated CDs of factory manuals but Manuale d' officina.

My friend Steve and I have done oil changes and basic services on his Diavel, Monster 900 and ST2 and he has the factory service manuals - complete with fluid capacity tables, though the manuals came with the bikes bought used. Agreed though, desmodromic valve adjustment is more complicated than most and the recommendation to replace timing belts at 12,000 miles is a bit over the top.