5000 Miles and a Hot Dog
5000 miles and a Hot Dog
Turned 5k today; not bad for 7 months on the 3rd bike! Gotta love these southwest winters. Not one problem, not one hiccup, none, nada, zilch.
Here's the summary:
Pros
Torque, then there's torque, after that there's more torque. Did I mention the torque? Roll and go, no waiting. This motor eats b/w 4500 and 9000…purrs, growls and screams, while the horizon gets ever closer, and quickly. Hit it at 75, you'll see 130 in a blink, all in 6th.
Suspension. Ohlins deserves it's reputation. Supple, controlled; never harsh. Planted and confidence inspiring.
The seat. Incredible, isn't it? A Ducati with a comfortable seat…this will be the first bike I've ever had where I will not change the seat. I've done several 350 mile days, no problem whatsoever.
Riding position is also all day comfortable. At least for me, at 5' 8" with a 9.5 boot…the "interference" with the passenger peg is not an issue.
Sound is fantastic, even with the stock exhaust. Starts instantly, hot or cold. Fueling is perfect. Rumbles like a built small block Chevy at idle.
Cons
The dash. Tons of info, completely unreadable in the sun. Reflects your helmet as well. I'm going to try an iPod antireflective film to see if that helps. Lots of good info, but only works in the garage.
Ducati is missing an opportunity by not offering heated grips…on all their bikes, like BMW does. Here in the desert, there's easily a 30 degree temperature swing from morning to afternoon. 50 in the morning, 80 in the afternoon…heated grips are perfect for that environment. They could add $250 to the sale of almost every bike.
In sum, the Monster is a terrific real-world roadster. Comfy, fast, sexy. Just what I wanted…
The Givi tank bag holds a radar detector and bluetooth device, along with some other stuff. On and off in a flash…a brilliant mounting system. Never touches the paint, and blocks a bit of the wind off your chest.
The rear Diablo was toast at about 3200 miles. I put on a set of Pirelli Angel GTs in the hope of getting a bit more mileage. So far, very happy with them, good feel, good grip. We'll see how long they last.
Turned 5k today; not bad for 7 months on the 3rd bike! Gotta love these southwest winters. Not one problem, not one hiccup, none, nada, zilch.
Here's the summary:
Pros
Torque, then there's torque, after that there's more torque. Did I mention the torque? Roll and go, no waiting. This motor eats b/w 4500 and 9000…purrs, growls and screams, while the horizon gets ever closer, and quickly. Hit it at 75, you'll see 130 in a blink, all in 6th.
Suspension. Ohlins deserves it's reputation. Supple, controlled; never harsh. Planted and confidence inspiring.
The seat. Incredible, isn't it? A Ducati with a comfortable seat…this will be the first bike I've ever had where I will not change the seat. I've done several 350 mile days, no problem whatsoever.
Riding position is also all day comfortable. At least for me, at 5' 8" with a 9.5 boot…the "interference" with the passenger peg is not an issue.
Sound is fantastic, even with the stock exhaust. Starts instantly, hot or cold. Fueling is perfect. Rumbles like a built small block Chevy at idle.
Cons
The dash. Tons of info, completely unreadable in the sun. Reflects your helmet as well. I'm going to try an iPod antireflective film to see if that helps. Lots of good info, but only works in the garage.
Ducati is missing an opportunity by not offering heated grips…on all their bikes, like BMW does. Here in the desert, there's easily a 30 degree temperature swing from morning to afternoon. 50 in the morning, 80 in the afternoon…heated grips are perfect for that environment. They could add $250 to the sale of almost every bike.
In sum, the Monster is a terrific real-world roadster. Comfy, fast, sexy. Just what I wanted…
The Givi tank bag holds a radar detector and bluetooth device, along with some other stuff. On and off in a flash…a brilliant mounting system. Never touches the paint, and blocks a bit of the wind off your chest.
The rear Diablo was toast at about 3200 miles. I put on a set of Pirelli Angel GTs in the hope of getting a bit more mileage. So far, very happy with them, good feel, good grip. We'll see how long they last.
