MY VIEWS by Paul Muggeridge 748 Biposto
| I bought my first Duke by chance really, I was on the waiting
list for a R1and I kept being told 'It'll be here next week'. After about
2 months of this, and glorious sunshine outside I asked if they has any
748s ready. 'Yes, we have one we can deliver to you tomorrow if you want'
came the reply so 24 hours later I was on my first Ducati. NIGHTMARE! I found the 748 riding position impossible and the engine braking nearly caused me to die a few times on round a bouts. Despite this, the bike looked lovely and it was hard to be disappointed with a Ducati on your driveway! Time to learn how to ride again. After a few weeks I had managed to get used to the engine braking and the riding position, and was really starting to enjoy the bike. I always vowed that I would never buy another Duke again though. I missed my (recently written-off) ZX6, I missed not be shaken to death every time I went for a ride! 4 Months after buying my 748 I had it stolen. This was the second bike I had stolen that year and I had retired myself to the fact that I was never going to afford a new bike on my insurance pay out (I still owed 10K on a 8K bike). As the bike was less that 6 months old, I was offered a complete replacement! The insurance firm arranged a credit note with the bike company to the value of a new 748. I was overjoyed. My mate at the bike shop then rang me and told me he had a brand new R1 that he could sell to me for the same price. I told him that he must be joking and that I wanted another 748! Well, today I am still riding the same bike, I have taken it on a trip around Europe (3500 miles in 11 days). She performed brilliantly - I would recommend riding around the Alps to anyone, superb roads. The major problem I had was through the eastern Europe cities which were mainly cobblestone roads - not fun on a Ducati, and sitting in miles and miles of town traffic in Italy - Those exhaust pipes under the seat really get hot! I suppose the best thing about the Ducati is that it is so personalized. You very rarely see two the same (unless they are factory standard). I can't see me ever selling the Duke, unless I buy the new 748R. The major fault with the 748 Biposto is that they come with standard break hoses which are crap, really crap, to the point of being dangerous. The first thing I done was to replace them with braided lines and kevlar pads. The other thing - no oil cooler! That's another thing I sorted quite quickly. |
|
|