Anybody else have a motorcycle?
- Thread starter JimMendel
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I had a 996 Monoposto. Absolute worst streetbike I've ever owned. I kept it for 17 years and it's the only Ducati I regret selling. These things defy logic...We can be friends
I've had a 750SS, 900SS CR, and a Cagiva Alazzurra all in race trim at one time or another
Had a first gen 748, and first gen Monster as well. I had a chance at a great deal on an 888SP back in the 90's but didn't realize at the time what an opportunity it was. Hindsight
I bought an '91 851 Strada. Drove five hours into Canada to get it. Maybe a month later I found an SP2 for about what I had into the Strada. Grrr... I sold the 851 earlier this year and was thinking it would take a few weeks to sell. Posted the ad just before midnight. Sold in under an hour. Shoulda asked more for it I guess.
I bought my first Ducati in 1991 (907ie) and then my second in 1995 (900SS CR). After I got the 900ss I sold my Japanese bikes and didn't buy a non-Ducati until about 2019 or so, an Aprilia RSV-R I used as a track bike. never bonded with it. Sold it. Then I bought a 2020 Moto Guzzi V85tt. Never really bonded with it. Sold it at two years old with about 3000 miles on it. Well, traded it for the Super Light actually. The ad for the Guzzi said "No trades" but when the guy offers up a Super Light it's hard to say no... but that forced the sale of the 851 then because I had already ordered the Street Fighter and the Guzzi was intended to be the down payment.
That literally made me LOL!
I had a 996 Monoposto. Absolute worst streetbike I've ever owned. I kept it for 17 years and it's the only Ducati I regret selling. These things defy logic...
I bought an '91 851 Strada. Drove five hours into Canada to get it. Maybe a month later I found an SP2 for about what I had into the Strada. Grrr... I sold the 851 earlier this year and was thinking it would take a few weeks to sell. Posted the ad just before midnight. Sold in under an hour. Shoulda asked more for it I guess.
I bought my first Ducati in 1991 (907ie) and then my second in 1995 (900SS CR). After I got the 900ss I sold my Japanese bikes and didn't buy a non-Ducati until about 2019 or so, an Aprilia RSV-R I used as a track bike. never bonded with it. Sold it. Then I bought a 2020 Moto Guzzi V85tt. Never really bonded with it. Sold it at two years old with about 3000 miles on it. Well, traded it for the Super Light actually. The ad for the Guzzi said "No trades" but when the guy offers up a Super Light it's hard to say no... but that forced the sale of the 851 then because I had already ordered the Street Fighter and the Guzzi was intended to be the down payment.
That literally made me LOL!
Grattan??
Yep. The RSV wasn't ready so the 851 stepped in. Wet track, 30 year old bike, first time on the track in ages, what could possibly go wrong??? (Nothing did)
That's my favorite track in the rain. The great equalizer
Since I had been away from the track for about 20 years I decided to start over in the novice group. The track was wet in the morning so the more experienced riders I was with sat out the first session or two. But I'm out there buzzing around, catching people, and I start to think... either I'm a better rider, or I'm being stupid...
I'm at best an average rider so I backed off. ;-)
The last time I had the 851 at a track day I was following a guy on an all red ST2. He was getting tired and starting to make mistakes including one where he almost went off the track. The next session he was following me. Towards the end of the session it got red flagged. As I'm pulling up to our spot in the paddock some guy comes running up to me. His eyes are wide and when I pull off my helmet I ask him what's up?
"Is the bike ok?"
Um... yeah... why wouldn't it be?
"A red bike crashed, we thought it was you!"
I've never seen this guy before, so his concern would be touching except it was pretty obvious he was more concerned about the bike than me!
Turns out the guy on the ST2 wadded it up following me into turn 8, the same place he had screwed up before, and caused the red flag. Someone saw a red bike go down and figured it was me.
I decided to reitre the 851 from track days after that, though his crash wasn't the main motivater. I had started riding fast enough I wanted to be on something a bit more disposable. Now I'm not sure I'll do track days anymore, I missed all the dates this summer anyway. So the current track bike is in limbo...
That’s a beautiful collection of Ducatis, and I’m sure it didn’t come cheap. Those machines have their own special charm, and as an engineer I appreciate that aspect as much as and more than any of the styling.
I owned two Italian motorcycles as a child of 18. For better or worse, that cured me from wanting a third one.
But I’m not interested in racing them, and I never was. I saw too many guys bite the dust including my best buddy Bobby.
His body is peppered with titanium plates and stainless steel screws.
Accidents I had on the street were enough to cure me from any desire to own a racing bike or go racing.
I like dirt bikes but I don’t ride them anymore. It’s too messy. Also nowadays there are so many restrictions there’s no convenient place to ride anymore.
I’m really 10 times as interested in riding bicycles nowadays because of the health factor.
I owned two Italian motorcycles as a child of 18. For better or worse, that cured me from wanting a third one.
But I’m not interested in racing them, and I never was. I saw too many guys bite the dust including my best buddy Bobby.
His body is peppered with titanium plates and stainless steel screws.
Accidents I had on the street were enough to cure me from any desire to own a racing bike or go racing.
I like dirt bikes but I don’t ride them anymore. It’s too messy. Also nowadays there are so many restrictions there’s no convenient place to ride anymore.
I’m really 10 times as interested in riding bicycles nowadays because of the health factor.
In '91 when I bought my 907, Ducati was relatively unknown. Multiple people asked me who made it while they were staring at the tank... which had "DUCATI" written on it in two inch tall letters. Even some guys who knew about Ducati were surprised they were still in business.
From the AMA's Vintage Motorcycle Days at Mid-Ohio in 2005, the 907 is in the front.
I'm out for a ride one day and I stopped at this scenic overlook. A guy on a Guzzi rides by, spies the bike, turns around and comes to check it out. He looks for a bit and then asks "So are you an engineer, or a machinist?" as if those were the only two things I could be.
I said "I'm an engineer, why?"
He replied "Yeah, those are the only kind of guys who buy those..." and then he motored off.
Though to be fair, back then most owners were pretty mechnically inclined. All jokes aside, you kind of had to be... or at least it helped.
I'm considering buying my first Ducati...and I'm a machinist 
. Biggest thing stopping me...besides the big $$$, is that I had an unpleasant adventure with a brand new Italian lathe ~30years ago and don't want a repeat experience. 
. Biggest thing stopping me...besides the big $$$, is that I had an unpleasant adventure with a brand new Italian lathe ~30years ago and don't want a repeat experience. For a lot of years I would never recommend a Ducati to anyone. I figured if you had to be convinced to buy one, you shouldn't. And if you were already truly bitten, nothing I said would matter anyway, so why bother? ;-)
There are quite a few horror stories out there about them. Some deserved, most not. I've owned 12 or so over the past 30 years and have never had a nightmare experience. But there are certain personalities that should never own one.
It sometimes helps if you keep in mind that Ducati and Honda started building bikes right around the same time. The same year that Ducati hit one million bikes built, Honda hit 300 million bikes built. Ducati is a relatively small company (now owned by a huge company) and they do not do things like a large conglomerate. That's changing now under VW ownership, but in the past...
Plus they're Italian, so, there's that.
I've been to the factory a few times. It's kind of cool to me to think that every Ducati I've ever owned, from a '66 to a 2022, was built in that building. Not ALL Ducatis have been built there. But all of mine were.
There are quite a few horror stories out there about them. Some deserved, most not. I've owned 12 or so over the past 30 years and have never had a nightmare experience. But there are certain personalities that should never own one.
It sometimes helps if you keep in mind that Ducati and Honda started building bikes right around the same time. The same year that Ducati hit one million bikes built, Honda hit 300 million bikes built. Ducati is a relatively small company (now owned by a huge company) and they do not do things like a large conglomerate. That's changing now under VW ownership, but in the past...
Plus they're Italian, so, there's that.
I've been to the factory a few times. It's kind of cool to me to think that every Ducati I've ever owned, from a '66 to a 2022, was built in that building. Not ALL Ducatis have been built there. But all of mine were.
I didn't go, but we had pics looking down on the factory floor of the lathe manufacturer (Columbo)...in hindsight, it explained a lot and has colored my opinion of 'made in Italy' manufacturing 
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However, I also raced against a bunch of Ducatis ~'90-'91...that too, colored my opinion
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.However, I also raced against a bunch of Ducatis ~'90-'91...that too, colored my opinion
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It's not a matter of needing convinced...it's just the options available. I can narrow the field of new (or new to me) bikes down to about ~5 with little effort...after that, I just start running in circles...then revert to my three back burner options...and then figure, why bother, I'll just build up one of my current bikes.
Then I start the whole routine over again...and again...and again.
Then I start the whole routine over again...and again...and again.
I’m trying to remember a Kawasaki that I didn’t like. I’m sure there was one somewhere sometime.
Naaah. . . probably not.
Naaah. . . probably not.
Completed step 1 (freeing it from entombment) a few weeks ago...it was even out in the sun for a while!
However, somehow, even though it's been inside a semi-heated garage...it's started rusting under the paint
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...and looking at that makes go back to a 'new or new to me' bike.
I'll still stand by my previous comments on the speed triple and the super dukeCompleted step 1 (freeing it from entombment) a few weeks ago...it was even out in the sun for a while!
However, somehow, even though it's been inside a semi-heated garage...it's started rusting under the paint
View attachment 210431
...and looking at that makes go back to a 'new or new to me' bike.
Currently watching this on eBay...
...Steven Tyler's Hellcat! It will blow past my budget, but I can 'dream on' while it's still in range.
...Steven Tyler's Hellcat! It will blow past my budget, but I can 'dream on' while it's still in range.
You're a machinist. Crank out a sweet Buell mutant build
That's two of my 'three back burner options'
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As much as I adore Kawasakis, that was one of their ugliest paint jobs, and it certainly deserves to be sanded down to bare metal and decorated appropriately.Completed step 1 (freeing it from entombment) a few weeks ago...it was even out in the sun for a while!
However, somehow, even though it's been inside a semi-heated garage...it's started rusting under the paint
View attachment 210431
...and looking at that makes go back to a 'new or new to me' bike.
So much depends on the condition of the rest of the bike.
I almost didn’t buy my first Kawasaki because of that myth about green motorcycles being bad luck. It’s probably just because so many of them crashed on the Isle of Man, but anyhow my first Kawasaki was beautiful metal flake green with seafoam green and gold pinstriping.
They were never as custom looking as a Harley Davidson paint job, but they were half as expensive too.
I bought mine on credit from Mrs. Matthews, who ran the Fresno Harley shop. I bought it thinking that I would ride it for a little while, and polish it up and take it back when it was paid off, and trade it in on a Harley.
After 45 years with Kawasakis that never actually happened.
Green turned out to be a very lucky color.
