Ducati spotting

[JamesH]

A friend of mine has recently got her motorcycle licence and for the first year here in WA you have a 250cc limit for the first year (I've always wondered about that - her Kawasaki 250 Ninja would blow my old 750 trumpy into the weeds probably).

Anyway she is of course dead keen and wondering what she is going to get when she gets her unrestricted licence. I have been pushing her towards a Deus Ex Machina worked Kwaka 400 but she is now leaning towards Ducati. Here is why:

She is in England and she texted me last night beside herself. She spotted Prince William turning infront of her at the lights on his black 1198s. She recognised his leathers because he has the St Georges Cross on his kneepads and had read this article just days before.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...otorcycle.html

[jackz]

Off a ninja 250 straight onto a Duc. Superbike!!!!?????
You should get her insured for a couple of million then get ready to retire to a life of leisure!!!

[mudmouse]

In NSW it's a Learner Approved Motorcycle (LAM) and the list is huge! But it does include a few Ducati's - I think there was even a 250 Duke in the '70s and I know they built the odd trail bike....

The restrictions here are (memory ) not more than 260ml engine capacity and 150Kw per tonne and not more than 660ml and 150Kw per tonne. I know if I was on my L's and I hopped onto an XR-600 I'd poop myself......but it's better than the old system.

Matt.

[jackz]

Umm Kawa 250 has what, 30 kw, 1198 Duc has 122kw. Duc monster 600 has probably 50 - 60 kw. I know what my advice would be!

[JamesH]

Off a ninja 250 straight onto a Duc. Superbike!!!!?????
You should get her insured for a couple of million then get ready to retire to a life of leisure!!!

Well she'd probably settle with the 848 "entry" superbike but she is a very sensible person and not looking to race anyone or make use of the top speed. She just wants something speccy for the beauty of it.

She'll also enrol herself in all the right courses to improve her skills, she's like that. Being female she takes a sensible approach not the way we blokes would do it - hop on and give it a flogging because we watch Casey and reckon we know all about it.

[jackz]

That's good to hear!!!
My 2Cents Worth......
Suggest she looks at, and rides a Trumpy 675 Daytona as well as the 848 before she buys.
I did both and bought the Trumpy.
IMHO, the 675 is a much nicer bike to ride, and top value for money, and its not a "smaller version of the big version"

[Chops]

Whan I bought my first road bike, I was advised to get an 1100,,,being wise and responsible, my thoughts were,,,"stuff that, im not going from a Honda 200, to an 1100",,,,
So I bought a Kwaka 750,,,,

The mates theory was, after I'd had a 650/750 for about 2 weeks, I would be over it, and wanting more power,,,,

How right they were,,, It didnt even take 2 days before I worked that out,,

Had to then wait for it to be paid off,,,then bought the bike I should have bought new,,, GPZ 1100,,,

Let her get the BIG banger,,, awesome piece of equipment they sound so good too,,, and being a woman,, she will probably be no where near as wreckless as we men are,

Chops

[jackz]

Ah yes, BUT, A GPZ11 from what, the mid to late '90s probably had similar output, and a lot more weight than the current crop of 600s, and therefore, similar performance.

[austastar]

My first bike was a honda 50cc step through, but for the past 33yrs have ridden my trusty BM750cc.
I had occasion to ride a friends 250cc Kawasaki recently, not one of the hot models, it was 'learner approved'.
Man that thing had some poke!
No where near as tractable/predictable as my BM.
"Now is that why I am looking at Defenders?", he wonders.
cheers

[Davy]

After 22 years without a bike of my own.. I bought this two weeks ago.
Drove down to Brissie from Ingham with the trailer, it was love at first sight!
Ducati 748S 2000 model production racer in immaculate condition.
It's a Ducati thing))

Davy