| Sorry Weeksy, but I need to agree with you, too!
As you guys know, I started racing this year. At the start of the season, I was adamant that, to my already well-prepped 916, I needed:
1. Lightweight wheels
2. Slipper clutch
When I say adamant, I mean bricking myself at the thought of racing without getting them.
So on I went, and £1,300 later said bike is looking like the best thing in the paddock - but did it make me go any better? Did it hell!
The top and bottom of it, guys, and I bet I'll get flamed for this, is that very few of us will ever truly explore the limits of the 748/916/996/998 package through anything other than incompetence. If you don't believe me, just take a standard bike and give it to someone who can actually ride - you will not believe it. Like slinging their leg over anything from a GSX-R to a KTM, they will take many seconds off your laptime, without the benefit of thousands of pounds in bolt-on goodies. One of the instructors at Croft regularly joins the Fast Group on a CB500 (yes, one of those!) and laps in the low 1:40s/high 1:30s, which is Sound of Thunder race pace. Its about skill, not how much you want to bolt-on.
THAT SAID, if you want to spend money making your bike look more pose-worthy, or just better in your own eyes, then there's NOTHING AT ALL WRONG WITH THAT - just don't kid yourselves that spending money on any Ducati bolt-on goody will make you a faster rider. It may make you feel more comfortable (better brakes, etc.) but when it comes down to it, there's no substitute for learning to ride better, as I'm now finding out the hard way.  |