Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Test ride..report now added.. new update..

[dave w]

Originally posted by Twinfan
Camp Ducati? That's no way to talk about Flanks...

[Rattler]

Originally posted by dave w
more news to add to this...

Got a phone call at 10.00 yesterday .. It was Tart 2 ... He had been home for a whole 20 mins after a 26 plane journey back from New Zealand, and guess what.... He was itching to get out on the Duke... So, needless to say, .... GAME ON !!!!


Since my last post where I was disappointed with my Duke and looking to change for a ZX, I have made a few changes to the Duke. Nothing too major but just some subtle suspension tweaks. Theses changes have made a huge difference.... however, the Michelin H2 Race tyres are still being binned and replaced with Diablo Corsas. Compared with the last time I rode the Duke along the same route I used on Saturday, it felt like a completely different bike and was a lot more rewarding to ride.

The ZX is still a blinding bike and you could say the same about all the 'new' top sports bikes, but my Duke still just has that edge....

So there we have it, the Duke has had a Stay of Execution for the time being and Camp Ducati will have to put up with me for a little longer :P

Dave - if you sold the Ducati you would regret it I'm sure.

In my view the ZX is a fantastic bike, but its main failing is that its not a Ducati!

I'm fortunate enough to be able to have both and that's how it will stay.

A Ducati is an involving bike, the ZX is not.

Perhaps you could compare the two by positioning them as burgers!!!!!;

The ZX is a McDonalds burger - its cheap, fast, reliable, efficient, easily-available, bland, not greatly tasty?

Whereas a Ducati is like a Burger from a road-side cafe, there's no preservatives, E's, its not wrapped in a mass-produced box, its probably not so good for your health, but it tastes great!!!

Tim

[Monty]

Interesting reading, I only own one Japanese bike, it's a 'V' twin, 250cc, and VERY involving to ride-to say it has character is a gross understatement-it's feisty as fcuk. It's also VERY expensive to run, you have to change engine parts every 500 miles, it does between 16-18 mpg, and the fuel cost's about £8.00/gallon, and I LOVE it.

GP250's rule-on track at least.

Must go, got to load it on the motorhome, we are racing at Cadwell all weekend-bring it on!

John

[BDG]

Originally posted by Rattler

Whereas a Ducati is like a Burger from a road-side cafe, there's no preservatives, E's, its not wrapped in a mass-produced box, its probably not so good for your health, but it tastes great!!!

Tim

Surrey road side cafes must do fresh venison burgers poached in red wine Tim, not the normal roadside/racetrack greasy dog burgers.
:P
Or do you have your own mobile caterers organised en route round the Rattler estate, and the dog burgers are just for the peasants

[Lily]

hmmmm

its all so confusing. I don't like jap bikes it has to be said and I have nver liked kwaks until i saw the zx10.

I always thought that if i went back to a jap bike it would be a gixer 750, but after riding one although it was quick it was dull and lacked the edge that the 748r had. It also had no soul.

I had a go on an SP1 and it did cheer me up a bit that jap bikes could have some character but still not quite the feeling of the duke.

But, the ZX10 it looks great and by all accounts has the best performance, but I have been forbidden from having one anyway as i just dont have the skill to handle something like that. Some days i look at my bank balance and think how much nicer it would be to have a jap bike, reliable, cheap and i could even have a motard as a spare bike. Then I look at and hear the duke and the feeling is gone in a flash. No amount of performance can compete with the emotion of having a duke imho.

If I was racing or suddenly had a dramatic improvement in riding ability then maybe it would be a consideration, but i reckon i would need at least a monster to keep the buzz of the duke.