Ivana Duc

BlueSkyJaunte · 07:08 PM

I think I just fell in love.

I've never swung a leg over a Ducati sportbike before today. There was the occasional Monster or two, just to see what it was like, but never a sportbike.

Today I stopped at my friendly neighborhood BMW moto dealer and they had a bright red 748 sitting out front. It's tail section was gleaming white. It had just been traded in.

I looked at it.

I sat on it.

The sales guy with whom I occasionally chat brought over the key and fired it up. Sweet, sweet music assaulted my ears.

I think I'm in love.

I'm gonna have to build up a hell of a lot of brownie points with the wife if this is ever gonna happen.

Duc owners: how reliable are these things? Could I use it as an occasional commuter vehicle? It's a 30 mile round-trip. Highway, mostly. Or will it explode and spit nuts and bolts in random directions if I so much as look at it wrong?

(not the actual bike, but similar)

stray15 · stray15's Garage

sure is a graet loking boike

dd74 · 04-25-2003, 07:56 PM

I'm with you, Blue. Ducs are by far the coolest bikes around. I worked with a guy who sunk 30k into his. Don't know how (don't know much about bikes), but he did.

BTW, look at it this way: wives can sometimes be are our only barrier between life and death.

island911 · 04-25-2003, 11:01 PM

Yeah, those thing REALLY get you heart rate up, the first time you get the back end loose in a corner.

Eric Coffey · 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by island911
Yeah, those thing REALLY get you heart rate up, the first time you get the back end loose in a corner.

Ha, BTDT! Not much beats the thrill/satisfaction of controlling a high-speed slide on a street bike (coming from someone who jumps out of airplanes for fun). What really gets you in trouble is your instinct to correct the slide with counter-steering (as you would do in a car), as opposed to throttle modulation. Can you say "high side"?

Blue-

Ducatis are great bikes. They are not for the timid, in both the balls & pocket book departments.
That said, if you find a nice example that has been broken in properly, and taken care of, it will be a joy to own/ride, as long as you keep up on the regular maintenance. Basically, if you are comfortable working on your own machines, and are somewhat mechanically inclined, you should have no big issues. You might want to take it to a dealer or wrench for things like valve adjusts, setting belt tension, etc.
Also worth noting: The 748 is quite a bit down on power (95HP if you're lucky) and is a bit heavy compared to it's Japanese 4-cyl. rivals. However, the trellis frame is amazing and makes up for the power deficiency a bit in the twisties.
Factory and after-market mods are a bit pricey though. For example, if you wanted to put those "R" Marchesini mag. wheels on a standard 748, it would cost you more than a set of 16x7&9 Fuchs! Termignoni 52mm full pipes: around $2k. Oh, and those Ohlins SBK forks are only about $7k!

Anyhow, if you are serious, the same recommendation for a PPI goes for bikes too. If you want to pass on any specifics (year, model, price, miles, upgrades, etc.), feel free to PM/email me for a second opinion.

They are expensive, but NOTHING beats the sound of a Ducati twin!

CJFusco · CJFusco's Garage

I remember reading Hunter Thompson's review of the Ducati 996 when it came out... he spoke a lot about "not trusting himself" on it, and was surprised to walk away from the experience unharmed.

I personally like the Monsters... something about those bikes gets me.

dd74 · 04-26-2003, 11:49 AM

CJ - one of the most hilarious parts of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" was HST's description of riding a Norton.

Classic!

By chance, wou wouldn't be talking about that? Because I think it was a Norton he described.

BlueSkyJaunte · 04-26-2003, 08:25 PM

Eric,

Thanks for the info. Chances are the only expenses I'll ever incur will be maintenance/repairs, because if my sportbike history is any indication, mods are wasted on me. My skills will never exceed the capability of a stock bike, let alone a modded one.

Actually, that might make the 95-or-less HP of a 748 a better choice for me.

I'll let you know if I make any progress!

CJFusco · CJFusco's Garage

dd74 - i think you're thinking of a Vincent Black Shadow; that is more or less the only bike he lusts over in FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS... the memory of the book is fresh in my mind, for I re-read it to prepare for my senior year thesis (about the open road and the American Dream). He talks about riding the Ducati Monster in KINGDOM OF FEAR.

dd74 · 04-27-2003, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CJFusco
dd74 - i think you're thinking of a Vincent Black Shadow; that is more or less the only bike he lusts over in FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS... the memory of the book is fresh in my mind, for I re-read it to prepare for my senior year thesis (about the open road and the American Dream). He talks about riding the Ducati Monster in KINGDOM OF FEAR.

Yeah, now that you mention it, you're right. His description of the bike was absolutely hilarious. Something about barely hanging onto "the bastard," or some such wording.

I laughed for days.

Thanks for getting the make of motorcycle right for me.

CJFusco · CJFusco's Garage

HST mentions the Black Shadow in his review of the Duc Monster S4; he says he would take the Black Shadow any day because at least with the Vincent you KNOW that you better not take a turn at-speed... the Duc actually inspires confidence: a dangerous thing on such a fast bike. In other words, he thinks the Duc is the better bike, but doesn't trust himself on it.

BlueSkyJaunte · 04-27-2003, 09:16 AM

HST was a wuss.

In 1948 Rollie Free stripped down to his skivvies and posted a record-setting 150.313 mph on a Vincent Black Shadow at the Bonneville Salt Flats. He abandoned his leathers because they were limiting him to 147 mph!

A vehicle that "inspires confidence" usually does so because of its stability and predictable handling. Unlike 930s

.

Jared at Pelican Parts · 04-28-2003, 11:15 AM

The thought of Dr. Thompson on ANY motorcycle is a frightening one.

CJFusco · CJFusco's Garage

"HST was a wuss. "

Well I beg to differ. I dare you to say that to his face...

Jared at Pelican Parts · 04-28-2003, 11:33 AM

I agree CJ,

you gotta respect a man who signs his books with a .45 bullethole through them, then a stamp that says "This book was personally shot by Hunter S. Thompson"

BlueSkyJaunte · 04-28-2003, 12:00 PM

So if I call him a wuss to his face, he'll pull out a gun and plug me? Very manly.

cstreit · cstreit's Garage

Just to get back on topic, my '97 748 has been very reliable... Used to ride it a ton, now it sits a lot, but still starts up every time. THere are two problem areas that fortunately are cheaply fixed. 1. The clutch slave cylinder tends to leak. There is a back-date o-ring to fix this. 2) The Voltage regulator tends to go bad. THere is an aftermarket one for this, but I think Ducati may have rectified (pun intended) this (and the slave seal) in later models...

Get yellow though.

Chris

dd74 · 04-28-2003, 02:40 PM

What's the matter, Blue?

Don't you like a good, published, well-respected, revered, hugely popular, entertaining, highly-educated, highly-quotable-all-round-cool-guy-whose-words-will-guarantee-getting-a-guy-laid great American cynic?

And nah, he won't plug you. He'll just ignore you.

BlueSkyJaunte · 04-28-2003, 02:41 PM

Thanks, Chris. I'm still plotting and planning here. Hope I can get something going before it hits 120 degrees out here. It's already hitting 90!

BlueSkyJaunte · 04-28-2003, 03:10 PM

re: HST. All I know of him is what you folks have written here. Educate me further, please? So far the picture you all have painted isn't a great one:

1) Apparently scared the bejeezus out of himself riding a Black Shadow, no doubt irresponsibly (i.e., not on the track or a dry lake bed).
2) Pans the Ducati Monster (or was it the 996?) because he isn't up to the task of learning to ride it well. This is akin to me saying "F1 cars are just too damn powerful to be safe". I am in no way qualified to make this statement.
3) Signs his book with a .45. Is this an indicator of his assessment of the quality of his work? Or does he just want you to buy another copy?

Hmm. As for popularity, well, I've found "unpopular" (or little-known) works to often be better than that which is "popular". And no, I don't need cool quotes to get laid.

Hey, I'm not trying to be hostile here. It just comes out that way.

If you guys like HST, that's cool with me...to each his own. However, in a day where all you need to do is turn on the evening news if you want to laugh your ass off at biting satire, I tend to reserve my reading time for other genres.