[Redruth]

Picked up my lovely new (September '03) Monster 620S I.E. this afternoon from Ducati Aylesbury after Skids had given her a thorough check over. They seem to have been true to their word. She is in very good nick and nice and clean.

Thank you so much for coming over to do that for me, Kev, I now have complete peace of mind, whilst of course understanding that nothing you said is binding and you cannot be held responsible blah blah blah, just having you there to look over her to confirm she was OK was all I needed. And Jen too for the moral support.

And riding her home. Perfect! So effortless. Fast enough, smooth, you just sit back and go with the flow. Plenty of power for the winter riding and short trips out. I came back via Amersham and Chesham just to get onto the roads I liked the look of last week on the way to Beaconsfield but have never actually ridden on. No worries overtaking, a quick twist of the wrist and she's off and flying. Quite comfortable at higher speeds too because I'm not creating too much wind resistance if I hunker down over the tank. I already have every confidence in her. The Duchess is still the Duchess but this little beauty put a grin on my face all the way home.

Is it possible to adjust the clutch lever so that it's a bit closer? That's the only thing that felt slightly uncomfortable as it was a bit of a stretch letting the clutch out gently in first gear.

Managed with a bit of furniture shifting to get both bikes parked alongside each other and I am now a two Ducati family