Well… I broke my ducati cherry in 2011 with a 749s. What a bike. Been riding fireblades through the years, going from model to new model since 2003 etc and finishing off with the 2008 model. I was needy of something more involving (?). Took the leap, bought a Duke !:wink: I didn’t really have any issues with the bike at all, it was cared for by previous owner and myself. Nice clean bike. The only woe I had was when I blew a 3 amp fuse on a Saturday in the middle of Austria, somewhere far from anywhere, our hotel was on Garmish. This turned out to be the fault of the guy who fitted the alarm a couple of months previous. The cretin never secured the CDI unit closed the way it should and when we went through the worst rain I have ever ridden in, the water seaped in and caused a short. So no great shakes. Timmelsjoch Pass The 749s was my first duke. It was a daunting switch I’ll be honest. However, as I we got familiar with each other, it was soon a relationship with a bike I never had. Seriously. Im not gonna bang on that the dukes are the best bike in the world ( they are ! ) etc but really, they are like no other bike I have ridden, be that Honda, ducati, Yamaha, suzuki, triumph. Road into Garmisch So, inevitably, I got the itch for an 848. I was considering a 999 but I thought with the 749s it was a case of been there, done that (?). An 8484 came up and boom, headshot, I was hooked, again. There is a difference between the two bikes, the 848 feels more refined, smoother. Searching for the right words but they escape me. I aint knocking the 749, savage bike, prob more so than the 8484 but I love the way the 848 delivers power, handles, doesn’t heat up as quick either J But one thing, the 848 is a little heavier on the juice, no question about it. So yeah, all in all, very, very happy I made the switch. Will I ever go back to a jap sports bike….i don’t think so. Ducati’s ( without sounding all cliché ) are something different. They feel more rewarding, more joyous, more exclusive, less common, more appealing, sound better, built better ( in most cases )ride better. I really don’t know why I didn’t get one years ago…I think listening too much to the haters. So I will have the final word here, the “duke haters” have been proved so wrong. ……….ride on eh. Big euro trip next year planned.
