Moto-Brian

First of all, if you ride the 848 EVO, you'd notice a fairly significant thing that is opposite to what you're saying about a dry clutch. Also as seen on every model we produce now. As for similar HP, again not sure you're on the same planet. 80 vs 60 is a big difference and considering parallel vs v-twin you will have more torque in the Duc. I'd be really careful acting like you know the Ducati line and have experience in riding them. It's awesome you have a 650r, but don't slam something you don't know much about.

The 1199 is sooooo amazing, dude. The technology is amazing, the soul is still there and while you can argue it is very Japanese in the way it is built, there are LOADS of things that separate it from the Japanese products. The Big 4 aren't going to micro polish rods and internal components. They are not going to DLC coat things like Ducati does in the shift forks, etc. Yes, it isn't the older technology, but advances are something that always occurs. Otherwise, we'd still be air cooled everything... Technology advances and never usually retracts. The idea for the 1199 was to be sexy like Ducati is. Check. It is supposed to bridge the gap in performance to the Japanese liter bikes. Check. It is to retain the soul of Ducati. It does in spades. Listen to the bike ridden in anger. Hell, listen to one at speed bone stock. It isn't a whieezer in-line with no soul. The only bike I think that has a soul that has a Japanese label on it is the R1. The cross plane crank makes the bike sound glorious. But alas, it under performs. The 1199 has performance and sounds wicked. You know one when it is out there... I understand the whole idea of sticking to one's roots. But again, the idea that we should stick with the old days of having to disassemble half the motor to do a major service needs to be forgotten. We at Ducati still have people that believe that the bikes are expensive to work on, that they are hard to work on and that they need major service WAY quicker than the Japanese product. 15k for major service on the 1199? Awesome. And, the leap from the 1198 to the 1199 is tremendous. Insane in fact. The 1199 made every twin antiquated in a matter of a year. The levels of performance, the style and the technology blows everything out there away that came prior. It was less progression and more GINORMOUS of a leap.

What I know is that if I tell anyone what I know, I have to kill them and that involves a lot of legal issues... So, it is easier for me to keep quiet and watch the fun of everyone guessing like they know everything... It's sooooooo entertaining... I cannot comment on anything and Ducati constantly is doing R&D on several machines that come and go and some make it, others never see the light of day. Some take years and some are quick to get to market.

I thought it was because he liked twins and was convinced the Kawasaki 650 was a real twin...

Butters = class...

This is a very valid point. However, Toddski - there are those that have the means to spend money on their toys and he may want to do so. There are several guys in the Intermediate group for example that have better bikes than most AMA Supersport or DSB bikes... Doesn't mean they should stay stock until they blow through the components... Just sayin. You know I love you like a fat kid loves cake.

Suspension. The fairings would be a good idea also. Probably need rearsets and clip-ons. The OEM stuff is really expensive and usually lower and will drag (rearsets) once you get to speed or have a weird riding style... I would also consider mapping. Heard they are somewhat better with a great map setup - which is usually the case with all bikes, but I think you are limited on the Triumph? Maybe Tune Boy has something now? I'd ask Rider's Discount as they build them or Gary Medley as he does the Apex bikes. I also heard there is a plate for the tranny that is a severe weak point on the bike and the warranty will cover it, but there is a shortage of parts for the tranny warranties right now...

Not a good idea. You cannot ride a big bike around that track and learn anything that would help him on a big track. Really not suggested, but what do I know? The mini guys will contest the idea and provide shit examples of some guys that do and "succeed". Big bikes would be a Supermoto and that would be a great learning skill to have at CRP, but not a full size sportbike. My suggestion is to get with STT or Mid-Ohio school and enter the Novice group. BE REALISTIC! The fact is simple - street does NOT apply to your ability to ride track. Thus, if new at street or maybe an average street rider, I suggest a middle pack or lower speed novice group. If you are an accomplished and well adjusted street rider, I would sign up for a faster Novice group. Basics apply, but again - what you know on the street rarely applies other than fundamental bike controls on the track. LISTEN to the coaches and try and ask as many questions as you can. If you don't ask, you won't learn about YOU and YOUR riding. They teach VERY basic skills. The rest is up to you and can be accelerated by one on one with a coach. But, you may need to approach them and have them assist. Taking it slow doesn't make you a puss nor will get you criticized. And, if you have buddies or someone that does make fun of you? Have them look a few of us up and I am sure we can make it so that you can laugh at them. Point is that this sport is about you as a rider. Not the group you ride with, not what you THINK you are capable of and certainly not a place where egos help in any way. We ALL started somewhere and worked to where we are now. Some advance faster than others, some excel to God-like status, some never make the cut and others somewhere in between those examples. But we all started as Novices or at the bottom of the barrel and had to climb up. What I have learned over the almost 20 years of doing this is that no matter how good you think you are, there's always someone faster. And, to add to that, no matter how much you think you know, the fastest guys in the world are ALWAYS and CONSTANTLY learning. If you think you have a bag of knowledge, you may be surprised at how empty that bag really is... Just relax, have fun, don't push beyond your limits and above all, DO NOT EVER TRY AND PUSH TO KEEP UP. Drop off, slow down and run at a pace that is designed for YOU. You'll be amazed at how fast you'll go if you slow down...

Wow... You sound fairly bitter or maybe even jealous... How many Ducatis have you ridden or how many friends do you know that have them and have such issues? I think you may need to rethink your comments, dude... Several happy Ducati owners out there...

I gotta check it will work with my setup. Im interested in the fork extender.

Oh, no worries, man. I just had it over for the track day on Monday and was using the shop to change the oil and do some chassis changes... And for the guys that somehow think this girl isn't pretty, not sure if it is the pose or not, but she is very pretty in real life... So is the blonde, but she is somewhat too model-ish looking if that makes sense?

Negative.

He has this one also. The blonde did all the shots in the showroom on new bikes... Several clothing changes...

linky? I asked him to send some as I didn't get to see anything and he said he would...

Yeah, they were wanting the bike for the shoot. I didn't get to see any pics. I guess they did 45 minutes... Where did you get them? Notice that Chad is in the back just working away on a Multi... No care in the world... They had two models there doing pics.

Starting the morning out right... Then of course, Electric Eye capturing some BAD ASS pics. This guy gets some seriously crisp and cool pics. Support him or he won't be able to keep doing this. He takes awesome pics and can make you look seriously fast. electriceyeimages.com c/o Joe Hansen. Left at 6 and had a nice dinner with the Ducati Indy staff and got home at 1am... I am beat and worn out, but when I think about the weekend, I just smile and even laugh out loud... Great stuff and look forward to many more years of the same thing.

Left the shop and headed back to Indy. Wanted to make the Flat Track races, but just didn't make it in time. But, got to hang with the guys from Ducati Indy north of downtown. We had a blast... One thing that I've been doing lately is bending aluminum beer bottles... It's funny to me that we go out and you get a bottle made of aluminum like you were at a baseball game. My objective is to bend and fold each and every bottle my friends use... We were out until 2:30-3am... I'm too old for this craziness!! Then, I needed to be at the Ducati Indy shop by 8:30 for the Red Snake Ride. All Ducatis gather at the shop and we get a police escort from the shop to the track and park at Ducati Grandstand. We had a minimum of 200 riders!!! Got to the track and parked at the Grand Stands... The fact that we had this type of parking and the amount of people gathered to park there showed how much of a following our brand has... We also had a retail store that was located in the infield near the other OEMs. It was nice working the store as it was AC inside!! Ducati then did a raffle where they gave away paddock passes. It was hilarious. The crowd was counting down from 10 if someone had not come when their name was drawn. You had to be present and the crowd would start counting almost immediately to get to the next name/number. Nice back drop... The Grand Stands were in Turn 9. Cool place to watch. But, we also have a deal where we pull a canopy down on the warm up lap for our racers to see... So, we had this HUGE canopy that we unrolled and displayed. Pretty fun and cool: We were all trying to figure out Bill's secrets as the models were glued to him! We tore down a few things and had a great dinner, but had to retire early as we had a track day at Putnam the next day. Ducati Indy and Commonwealth do an event the Monday after MotoGP. Sold out and a full series of groups. LOADS of Ducatis, but was open to all brands. Epic day...

One of the coolest features is the Desmo up on the platform above the restroom and offices... Getting it up there took some creative thinking and a lot of shot nerves... I didn't want any part of dropping a $65k machine... The next morning (8:00am), we got in to get things finalized and ready to open the doors at 9am. The Woodward Dream Cruise was going on this past weekend and if you are from around there, you know that there were about 1.5 million people there for the weekend. So, we had some great opportunities to get eyes on the shop... The dealership is all new and beautiful. Had some cool bikes there like the Desmo I mentioned and this pile...

But, the shop needed to be cleaned and everything set up and put into place. We left around 2:30 am...

Had a pretty hectic and crazy weekend, but was amazing in totality. Pretty tight and organized schedule of travel and such, but it was a deal where I had to be in two places at once and wore me out a bit, but yesterday was a great end... On Thursday before MotoGP, we had the Ducati Factory team and riders at Ducati Indianapolis on hand at the shop to do a Q&A and autographs. I went over early to do some set up things to the 1199 with Matt and Chad... The riders and team come through the back and we try and not bother them much as they have a pretty full schedule. Tommy Hayden was awesome as usual. We had some laughs and made me wish he was still racing... As they walked to the front and waited a bit for the handler to give the green light, they were looking over the 1199... Just so happened it was mine and although I don't get "star struck", it was pretty cool and made for a cool pic: As they got up front, the crowd was waiting and very sizable. They did a cool Q&A deal with both riders and Nicky and Dovi did a few autographs... While they were signing, we were back and forth screwing around in the back. Chad was in race mode on Ol' Pinky: The question though was if Chad was better looking than these ladies on Ol' Pinky... Nicky and Dovi took a pic with the staff at Indy. Some great folks work here. Family owned and ran and some seriously talented employees... So, after the autograph session and tearing everything down, Matt, Chad and myself headed over to do a quick blast at the mountain bike trail. The light was going away and fast and we had some pretty sketchy moments in the woods as it was damn near like riding at night with zero lights, but was awesome and worth it. It was a nice finish to the day. Grabbed some grub and headed to the hotel... The next early morning was set by driving to Detroit from Indy. About 5 hours... All for the soft opening of our newest Exclusive Ducati Dealer Ducati Detroit... Actually located in Birmingham, MI and one of the most affluent towns in the region. They use Detroit as it is recognized by most and if we used Birmingham, it would cause confusion...

Congrats, brother!!! It's an awesome experience.

I know some come early. Ducati indianapolis will have (subject to change) Nicky and Dovi at about 7pm for autographs. Ducati Indianapolis is a family owned and ran Ducati only dealer. One owner is WERA fast dude Matt Carr. Should be a fun time and a chance to support the Carr family and get some stuff signed by Nicky and Dovi. Just a heads up if in town around that time.

Awesome pics, mang! How much for a CD? Shoot me a PM...

Marty- Linky no workie...