I did the Ducati Demo Day on Saturday. I rode 3 different bikes since 5 of the 8 demo rides were cancelled due to rain. Ride was about 5 miles of streets, 10 of mild canyon and 5 of freeway. It was a really good combo.
First up was the Multistrada 1100. Seemed kinda like a dual sport/supermoto cross. Looked very clean, loved the red bodywork and the lines. Bike was tall and stiffly sprung. The stiff springs really made the bike feel planted in corners, power was more than adequate and 1st - 3rd pulled well regardless of RPM. I would bet it would be easy to get the front end off the ground. It was fun to ride but even after the 20 miles I could feel my butt starting to ache. The seat was rock hard and the buzz in the bars and footpegs got annoying fast. Other than that it would be a great commuter bike.
Next was the 695 Monster. It certainly was not a monster IMO. I rode the entire 20 miles in 1st or 2nd because the bike was completely gutless below 6000 RPM in anything but 1st or 2nd. I did shift to third at 70 on the freeway but it was far from repsonsive at roll-on. For kicks I shifted to 6th at 70 MPH and rolled on. No acceleration, no pull, nothing but a hollow sound out of it. Down shifted to fifth, rolled on and same thing. Down to 4th, same hollow sound but this time the bike wanted to move, it really didn't move but it felt like it wanted to. No way could I have passed a car if I needed to. Downshifted to 3rd and finally got the bike to move. Took a bit if work but I caught up to the pack, I expected MUCH more out of this bike. I rode the piped version and it was way too loud too. This bike was a disappointment to say the least!
Last was the SportClassic 1000, looked like a classic cafe racer but this one had the regular bars on it. This one had saddlebags and an amazingly comfortable seat. Very comfortable ride, plenty of power. Got to ride this one about 4 miles before the hail came down on us and we had to turn around.
I didn't get to ride the HyperMotard, but those that did said it was a blast. It certainly was a great looking bike.
First up was the Multistrada 1100. Seemed kinda like a dual sport/supermoto cross. Looked very clean, loved the red bodywork and the lines. Bike was tall and stiffly sprung. The stiff springs really made the bike feel planted in corners, power was more than adequate and 1st - 3rd pulled well regardless of RPM. I would bet it would be easy to get the front end off the ground. It was fun to ride but even after the 20 miles I could feel my butt starting to ache. The seat was rock hard and the buzz in the bars and footpegs got annoying fast. Other than that it would be a great commuter bike.
Next was the 695 Monster. It certainly was not a monster IMO. I rode the entire 20 miles in 1st or 2nd because the bike was completely gutless below 6000 RPM in anything but 1st or 2nd. I did shift to third at 70 on the freeway but it was far from repsonsive at roll-on. For kicks I shifted to 6th at 70 MPH and rolled on. No acceleration, no pull, nothing but a hollow sound out of it. Down shifted to fifth, rolled on and same thing. Down to 4th, same hollow sound but this time the bike wanted to move, it really didn't move but it felt like it wanted to. No way could I have passed a car if I needed to. Downshifted to 3rd and finally got the bike to move. Took a bit if work but I caught up to the pack, I expected MUCH more out of this bike. I rode the piped version and it was way too loud too. This bike was a disappointment to say the least!
Last was the SportClassic 1000, looked like a classic cafe racer but this one had the regular bars on it. This one had saddlebags and an amazingly comfortable seat. Very comfortable ride, plenty of power. Got to ride this one about 4 miles before the hail came down on us and we had to turn around.
I didn't get to ride the HyperMotard, but those that did said it was a blast. It certainly was a great looking bike.