Thought process review: Ducati

Whatever bike I'm going to get, it has to be more powerful than my current Buell Xb12Ss. That's not going to be easy. I've test driven some of the Ducati Monsters, and find them tremendously under powered. I guess that leaves me with (unfortunately) (sarcasm) just one option: the 1098

Toughness: Poor
The antithesis of a BMW, these things need to be serviced every 500 miles. Pieces break, parts snap, valves re-seat, cluthes don't slip, oil resevoirs bleed ... it goes on and on and on. I'm about to drive cross country on whatever bike I buy. Something tells me a 1098 isn't going to run through the rain / wind / dirt of the rockies / plains / deserts I plan to ride through.

Handling: Great
It's a racing bike, so it's made to handle. I've seen quite a few around NYC, so it must not be horrible to drive. Also, cabs will notice it and will stop and stare, rather than hit me, and that's a good thing.

Coolness: Ok-Great
It would be soooo cool to have a Ducati. Sort of. Somehow, after you purchase a Ducati, you become a toolish snob. It happens to everyone - I've seen the best become the worst. A Ducati does something to the human brain, which makes it clogged with pretentiousness and selfishness. This doesn't necessarily make a better rider in NYC. An anal-retentive rider can be a safe driver in some cases, but you can never love the bike so much that you wouldn't jump off it or put it between you and a charging cab / Jersey driver :)

Comfort: Poor
Google the words: "Ducati" "torture" "rack". Enough said.


Summary: As cool as it would be, I also know that Ducati's are expensive to maintain. And they break. Neither of those are great selling points. Ok, so their current marketing slogan is: 50% less maintenance. Ok, great, so 500 mile checkups only cost $1000, instead of $2000? Not for me. I don't think.