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Glitch
| | Posted on Friday, August 20, 2004 - 09:50 am: | 
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Saw this last night at the local bike night
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Xb9srider
| | Posted on Friday, August 20, 2004 - 10:12 am: |
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I have a red '01 Ducati 748S for sale right now. We have a 1 year old boy and if I'm not training, I spend time with my family when I'm home. It seems the only time I ride a motorcycle is to the pool to train. I have more miles on my bicycle this year than both motorcycles combined. So, rather than have 2 bikes in the garage gathering dust, one will go. Since the Buell is the one I get on when I go out to the garage (more comfy), the Ducati goes. I'm asking $8995 with the accessories (arrow, fim chip, windscreen, etc.). It's not too hard to import from CA to US (I did it with a Y2K ZRX1100). However, from US to CA may be different. It's a phenomenal sportbike though. Dead stable, great v-twin power and roar, dead sexy. Very confidence inspiring. Ride safe all.
Mark
Never Give Up! |
Moboy516
| | Posted on Friday, August 20, 2004 - 02:22 pm: |
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I rode my friend's Duc 749 about a month ago and was horribly disappointed in its handling and inability to turn. He rode my 9r and made comments about how easy my bike was to ride compared to his. It might be regarded as a great bike, but he can't come close to staying with me when the roads get curvy. |
Kaudette
| | Posted on Friday, August 20, 2004 - 07:58 pm: |
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Check out the latest UK Superbike magazine - they did a test on a track for fastest thru the turns with a Duc 999 (I think), A 12R and a couple of other bikes - the Duc was marginally faster in the wide sweepers but the 12R was better in th tighter turns. Overall, I would not expect, with equally talented riders that a 9R would have much of an advantage on a 749.
Take that as a compliment on your riding. |
Rocketman
| | Posted on Friday, August 20, 2004 - 07:59 pm: |
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I rode my friend's Duc 749 about a month ago and was horribly disappointed in its handling and inability to turn.
Nope, that was you, not the bike.
It might be regarded as a great bike, but he can't come close to staying with me when the roads get curvy.
Man you must be good. Even Rossi on a 9R couldn't catch a 749! Give Kenny snr a call. He needs a guy of your extraordinary talent.
Thanks for the laugh. I need a holiday.
Rocket |
Rocketman
| | Posted on Friday, August 20, 2004 - 08:03 pm: |
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Mike, you'd be wise to change the belts, that's all. Something you could do in about 30 minutes at the side of the road.
The real question is, could you ride a 916 / 999 type Duc for all those miles? I think the rider would be more unreliable than the Duc!
Rocket |
Rocketman
| | Posted on Saturday, August 21, 2004 - 05:27 am: |
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Overall, I would not expect, with equally talented riders that a 9R would have much of an advantage on a 749.
That's the biggest pile of....Klaudette! It wouldn't have any.
Only a couple of weeks back MCN tested several naked bikes in their 'Naked Truth' feature. MV Brutale, Monster S4R, Benelli TNT, Triumph Speed Triple, Buell 12R and BMW R1150 Rockster.
The 12R came second to the Brutale in the handling class. Of course, handling is a matter of opinion of the tester(s). Said of the Brutale, it is much stiffer than the rest with almost a track-biased set-up. Of the 12R, with the pegs down you're almost getting into elbow scrapping territory. Once set-up properly, a sorted scratcher.
More telling though are track times. Each bike was datalogged in standard trim around Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground short, fast track. The S4R, that's the Monster with the 996 derived motor, lapped a best of 1.12.75 . Second quickest, the Brutale 1.13.50 then the triple cylinder TNT lapped at 1.14.15 . The 12R 1.15.30 .
In the recent yearly shootout at Catalunya, where journalists, testers and racers from different countries test just about everything from 600cc upwards, for various publications, the 749 was faster around Catalunya than the 999. In fact, it was 4th overall, behind the ZX10, R1, and Blade, and the bike that Randy Mamola said he would take home more than any other.
Sorry to say, because I'd have an interest in a 12S if it was 749 quick, but even a well sorted 12R is not in the same performance league as any Ducati 749 / 999. If you believe otherwise go ride one, and take a change of underwear with you.
Rocket |
Moboy516
| | Posted on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 10:41 am: |
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Rocket.....we must be full of ourselves...huh? Funny thing was, that three of us that rode those bikes had the exact same opinions of how difficult the 749 was to turn.
Also, I made no remarks on how great the 749's engine was. It was excellent.
In addition, I don't ever claim to be anything close to a roadracer, but that bike could not keep up with me on my 9r on a tight road...because of its handling characteristics.....remember, it is okay to have opinions and it is not necessary to interject contradictary opinions in the manner that you did. I am glad my honest opinion could entertain you for a moment though. |
Slaughter
| | Posted on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 11:46 am: |
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I always question people's perceptions on a bike with one ride and hearing them say that it was hard to turn, really turned well or came out of the turns high on throttle, "fell in" to a turn (whatever that means)... all that without saying that they had setup the suspension properly.
I'll always ALWAYS question suspension setup because if you don't have sag, compression and rebound damping in the ballpark, you are riding a totally different motorcycle. Also if you're riding OEM tires v. better profile tires.
Of course if you and your buddy trade bikes and they're dialled in properly for each of you - or at least dialled in sorta close, that's a better comparison.
I am convinced it takes at least 2 sessions on a bike - the second after making adjustments - to have a valid opinion. That's why I get sorta huffy about folks on bike demo days coming back in complaining or praising the handling of a particular bike.
In my very limited experience, I've found that sportbikes improperly setup can feel like pigs or totally twitchy and unstable or "perfect" if you don't setup or at least note:
>Rear Ride height (when adjustable)
>Forks raised/lowered in triple clamps
>Sag front/rear (preload)
>compression damping (high AND low speed damping if you have it - Ohlins, Penske)
>rebound damping
>tire choice/pressure(s)
I've watched a couple times now testing going on at Willow Springs for Roadracing World - and they're usually running 2 sessions just to dial in the bikes so they're handling properly before they start the trade-offs for the evaluations.
(Message edited by slaughter on August 22, 2004) |
Starter
| | Posted on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 06:42 pm: |
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Got a mate with a 749S (the 1st model so it is just the suspension and steering damper upgrade from the 749). I have to admit it takes time to get the feel. Same as the XB it takes more than a 5 min blast to claim whether or not it handles. I think they do handle well. As for engine very nice power plant. The perfect mix for a road engine IMO. I just wish the XB had a few more revs under its belt. Sex factor 9 points (since it gets less admirers than the XB9 at the local hangout). Maintenance, if you know what you are doing it is alot easier than most think. Ducati has gone to great lengths to conjure the perception that the desmo valve train is very complicated but it is very simple once you have the concept sorted. I actually think the valve shimming is a little easier than a jap 4, it's just the fact you have to do it a little more frequently. As for the upgrade parts, he looked into that and it was only the collets, but since he wasn't racing there was really no need. So you have to spend a bit more time maintaining it, but hell thats only a Sat morning with the usual tools. The most difficult bit is stripping the fairing. Do the maintenance when the book says and never have a problem (same for every bike). Change the oil at half time like you should with all toys. If you got the cash, get the duc. |
Kaudette
| | Posted on Monday, August 23, 2004 - 02:49 am: |
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Rocket,
You're right that the R would not hold with the 999 or 749 on a racetrack. My point was that in the turns (ONLY) you will see higher average speeds on a R than on a 749/999 for all but the large sweepers - as per the latest UK Superbike Magazine. Nothing more, nothing less. I know that the 999 would make up mucho seconds overall on the entry speeds and the straights as it has 30 horses more...
My point on the talented rider is that all things being equal, even this margin of "superiority" would be null when comparing a 999/749 to the R. |
Rocketman
| | Posted on Monday, September 06, 2004 - 05:59 am: |
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Moboy, I didn't find my 916 the great handling bike most everyone who's ridden them says they are. That is, not until I'd ridden it for a few weeks or more. Now I'm pretty dialed in I recognize the difference between when I first rode it, and now. Now I can warm it up and bring it to the boil with confidence. That said, I'm not stupid enough to believe I'm riding it anywhere near its capability 100% of the time, but it's great entertainment trying.
Klaudette, my apologies but it was your last sentence in your original statement that confused me. Musta been a French thing <grin>!!!
Didn't I post some reference to a similar test between a 12R and an R1 conducted by MCN recently. I'll have to check my magazine pile.
Rocket |
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