What gives a bike character??
 

Hi Guys,
Just wondering, what do you think it is that gives a bike character. I've owned a number of Ducatis, and I think they kind of have character, but why?? I don't know??

What are your opinions??

What is character with a motorbike??

wheels.just a bit of edge in colour by the rim can do it, how cheap can that be to catch the eye?

the distuingashable sound of a ducati above all other bikes for me

It's the lines. Look at the 748-916-996-998 range they have three lines that make up a triangle.

1st one from the foot pegs to the nose fairing along the bottom frame strut.
2nd one from rear of the bike along the airbox along the top of the middle fairing.
3rd one from top of belly pan along the bottom of the airbox to the seat.

This isnt by accident it has been designed in. Pure beautiful lines that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. I passed my test in 1987 and remember the very first time I saw a 916, I thought WOW whats that? I want one. Now I have a 748 and I am very very happy, just looking at it makes me happy.

Ditto...and the sound too!
Being a woman they were the only bikes that I could spot on the street. I spotted mine outside the shop ages before I got to it (even though it is a sport) the shape is unmistakeable.
AND the feel...You feel part of the bike rather than the bike doing all the work for you.:)
I love my bike:)

knowing its there when you ride ratyher than just glide along almost silently

Jap bikes are just too sanitised and easy to ride. Just get on and wind it up and off you go at warp factor 10. Ducati's need to be ridden and understood to get the best of them or even to just potter about.

Lynn passed her test on a GS500. The first time she rode her Monster was around the car park at Carsington. She rode 100 yards, came back and said "thats lumpy!!" She stuck with it though and its now paying off. People turn around and look as we ride past. If the bikes are parked up then there are always people stopping to look at them and wanting to chat. I never had that happen with the jap bikes i've owned and our Ducati's are nothing special.

Now I know this may sound a bit odd but I think a bikes heritage has some part to play in it ?
Which, bikes for example would you glass as having bags of character 916, RC30, 888
I don't know if I would name the new generation of dukes in that category yet ?
When the others came out they were trend setting and won races
so they to me have character.
the other side to that is the old bikes that handle like a bag of spanners 350YPVS, KR1S and a few more I cant think of at the mo, They have character too. you have to say otherwise you may as well chuck em away

I always thought the dents and filler for that well used look added a bit of character to my 916. :o

Flaws !


If you read most peeps posts about Jap bikes they are clinical , whats that mean ?

It seems to me that if something is really good & does its job 100% you forget it & ride , some bikes eg ZX10 that have an agressive power delivery are said to have character ,where as the Honda is said to be boring cause it works so well !!!

But to go fast the bike needs to do nothing other than let you ride it ! ie not woble or try & spit you of (power delivery)

Any one lucky enough to have ridden Rossi's Honda all say it just goes & goes but does nothing wrong !!


Take what you want from all that , but bear in mind i dont own a jap bike so maybe its just that X factor