Hmm. That is not inspiring me . . .

It's hard to argue with HST's writing.

That piece has always been a favorite of mine.

Thanks for posting. Does my avatar proud.

Even half that speed can be dicey on a Duc for reasons stated above.

best quote form the HST piece:

"Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba...".

"Taking it on the road, though, was a genuinely terrifying experience. I had no sense of speed until I was going 90 and coming up fast on a bunch of pickup trucks going into a wet curve along the river. I went for both brakes, but only the front one worked, and I almost went end over end. I was out of control staring at the tailpipe of a U.S. Mail truck, still stabbing frantically at my rear brake pedal, which I just couldn't find... I am too tall for these new-age roadracers; they are not built for any rider taller than five-nine, and the rearset brake pedal was not where I thought it would be. Mid-size Italian pimps who like to race from one cafe to another on the boulevards of Rome in a flat-line prone position might like this, but I do not."


There was time when I wore suits on a regular basis and was a real clothes horse, ties anyway, and thought how nice it would be to have gotten a little more of my father's genes and ended up at 6 feet just so a jacket would hang a little better, tie would have a little longer line. That was before early 911s and the 900.

Now I'm so glad to be 5'10" where the 69 fits me like a glove and I can ride the 900 3 hours+ to NYC in comfort, step off for dinner with friends, and ride back that night with no lasting ill effects.

I'm 6'1" and have never found any 911 to feel too small. Some Italian exotics however...

I also fit my sportbikes just fine too.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3364/...4238f47443.jpg

:)

I did about 200 miles on my Paul Smart yesterday. Rode up thru Wrightwood, down to Newcombs ranch for a quick drink and then chased a really cute asian girl all the way down to the 210 freeway. (There is something about a chick in black leather that is really hot.)

The weather was great, the ride was awesome and the sound of the Ducati bouncing off the surrounding hills was intoxicating. Doing a long rode trip at the end of the month on the Duc, eventually ending up in Monterey for the MotoGP.

Heres an obligatory picture. Mines on the left.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1243696295.jpg

now with alittle photoshop,

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1243696329.jpg

Gorgeous bike! Well done. What's the story on the full fairing? Aftermarket or original?

Thank you.

The lowers are only available thru Ducati. They all come with "16" on them because that was Paul Smarts number. The only problem is they hit the ground on the very lower edge when at the track, but just enough to give them a little patina. ;)

Having ridden Mike's bike, I can say that he is hardcore and somewhat insane ;) . While I am certainly both of those as well (more of the latter), my knees were screaming after a short stint. It is a beautiful bike though, and I would like to get another Duc once I save some up money.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1243704723.jpg