Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 999 / 749 > How do you ride yours?

[dickieducati]

also winter trackdays are a great way to get the feel of your bike. yes it will have less traction, but its a good way to experience and understand how much difference rider input can make. and they are chirpy cheap too.

[psychlist]

It's coming up to the best time of year for learning about limits (yours and the bikes). So long as it's not sheet ice and freezing temperatures the road surfaces will have enough grip for you to practice, especially if you can get yourself a mid-size "rat-bike" you won't worry too much about, then just wrap up warm and ride through the winter for the experience

[fab]

Don't get me wrong, i've done a lot of riding in the most adverse conditions.

I was in france last year with the torrential downpours and have ridden in the 2 winters i have had my licence, and like you say unless it's sheet ice then its not really a problem, but i dont really get enjoyment riding in wet conditions, it used to be a lot "easier" on my sv650 with its relaxed riding position, but in supersport mode it aint great fun. I was considering maybe getting a 'strada for scratching in all conditions.

What i was really meaning in my post was getting the most from the bike itself more than the differing weather riding.

I wonder if i would be quicker or find it easier on something like a tuono, or a lighter 4 cyl bike.

But i don't want one of them, i want my Ducati but i want to ride it well and with style

[SlowLearner]

I am in a similar position to Fab i think.

Been riding for a couple of years, rode through both winters first on on a fazer second one on a brand new 999s :-O

Now after 9k miles i find that i am much more comfortable with the T9, but am probably horrible to look at, and slow... !

I am thinking that some advanced training will be the order of the day, especially if i am going to order that new Tricolore ........ ;-)

Steve

[dickieducati]

the main thing is to feel comfortable and relaxed on the bike, if you are tense you will look **** and ride ****. getting your knee down, having a good stye etc are definitely not prerequisits to riding fast. getting a mate to follow you and tell you what you look like and then trying a different style may be all it needs. i can get my knee down and look ok on a bike, but there are plenty faster than me out there

[chillo]

how do i ride mine???

like i stole it!

[booleys749s]

and mine........?!

nail it every where. make it av it !!!!!! and scare me sen SH*T less at the same time...LOL

[psychlist]

You don't need to get your knee down or hang off a bike to go fast tho! eh Dickie

The main thing is try to be smooth. A comfortable riding position will help you relax on the bike and then familiarity with the controls (and the reactions of the machine to your inputs) will give your brain more time to think about whats going on ahead of you so you can plan better. After a while (about 157 years in my case) a lot of it becomes intuitive and you can make better progress because you're planning well in advance because you know more about what to expect! There's no easy answer but try and get the opportunity to go out on a BikeSafe ride with your local Constabulary or look up your local IAM motorcycle group to see if they do any introductory meet and greet rides (Solent Group do Sunday intro rides). Alternatively there'll be a good range of "professional" people in everyone's home areas that can offer "Advanced" tuition, or, if it's just bike handling skills you want, get booked on a track school like CSS, Ron Haslam etc. There's even going to be a few old hands in the DSC that you can talk to on a one to one basis if you can get to some of our ride outs?