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Buying A New Bike...

Discussion in 'Ducati General Discussion' started by Pavey, Nov 6, 2017.

  1. Ha ha, never really thought of it in those terms before. It was decision based on aesthetics. I paid for the damage I caused to the test bike. That helped assuage my guilt.
     
  2. Nightmare mate!
     
  3. I do love those old Gixers....now on eBay again!!!!
     
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  4. Winter is the season for test rides. Put your own bike away clean and tidy and go and ride someone else's free of charge. Plus, any bike is nice on a warm summer day. Shitty weather concentrates the mind.

    I bought a Speed Triple without test riding and regretted it. I couldn't get comfortable on it and the engine underwhelmed. I always test ride at least one example of the model I've got in mind even if I don't ride the individual bike I end up buying. I never go just on what other people say when it comes to the riding experience. These things are just too subjective.

    Having said that, FWIW I don't care for the S1000R. Nice chassis, great brakes but the engine is characterless and unexciting and only fast when you're wringing its neck. As it happens, I still had the Speedie when I first tried an S1R but was becoming disillusioned with, hence the test ride, but when I got back on the Triumph afterwards, on the tight, twisty roads I'd been riding on it felt quicker than the BMW because it was gutsier at lower revs.
    I didn't have any vibration problems though and I ridden the XR since and I didn't notice any on that either. I does seem to vary bike to bike so maybe the S1000R is one where you need to ride the individual bike to be sure.
     
  5. Last year I bought an old 750SSie from a dealer, hadn’t been on a bike for 17 years, didn’t test ride it, picked it up some days later, got on it, started it up, put it into gear and it was like 17 years had been 17 hours. Drove away with a big smile on my face.

    Swapped it a month later for a 900SSie that had been sitting at a dealer for 7 years. I picked it up and drove almost 400 km home. That SSie is a torture rack....but I love it!
     
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  6. Yeah I thought the same thing, took me a while to get the bars and levers sorted out and working out how to sit on the bike and then it was fine, bloody hated the ie when I first got one after being a carby-SS rider for eons.
     
    #67 Air Duck, Nov 7, 2017
    Last edited: Nov 7, 2017
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  7. The engine is plenty fast enough for a daily commute in ( nr) London. If you are getting close to wringing it’s neck in rush hour traffic, the characterless engine will be the last of your problems.
    The OP has chosen the bike for predominantly one purpose, whilst there will always be many contenders, I personally think it’s a good choice.
    Hopefully he won’t get a chance to experience the character & soul ( AA recovery).
     
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  8. I actually got to a point late last year where I knew the first names of two RAC guys they picked me up so much. They both loved the 1198 though
     
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  9. @Pavey you have been unlucky with your 1198 mate fair play with sticking with it.
     
  10. I'm at the point now where enough is enough really, will get it fixed again then use it once a year i think. The bike still looks the business and much better than any current model (in my humble opinion) but has really turned me off the brand from a reliability point of view.

    Probably won't get another unless they bring out a new Street Fighter (or Audi sell up and the current designers get moved on).
     
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  11. z1000 is my daily driver....in a biking year i use it about 70% of my riding. Its got a low seat height ( i sit on it bent legged 5'9"), you kinda sit in it so its uber comfortable. Ive been to London on it from Bristol, went to Jens BBQ (300 mile round trip in a day) and i use it for work most days (commuting in heavy city traffic). On long runs i can get in excess of 50mpg ( and not hanging about either ) - a couple of years ago i went to the Kwak day at Silverstone and the fuel bill was 23 quid (at the time). Its never ever failed on me, starts on the button, servicing is easy, valve check isnt til 26k and even then ive heard they usually are within tolerance. Theres a wealth of aftermarket parts available, a full race arrow system is about 600 quid, bore size is the stock 60mm on a single exit pipe so pretty well anything (from the current litre bikes) fits, ecu's are flashable and good gains are made (on a bike with a full system and air filter your looking at about 15bhp) plus other ecu related perks are also available (reduced engine braking, flapper valve removal, primary injector cut times reduced. etc etc) ive not quite hit the top end on it (155) so its plenty fast enough. As a multiple bike owner this fits my requirements perfectly.

    The latest zed has never favoured good reviews ( i dont think KHI are paying enough :))- i think some have said "ok but a bit heavy" - well, just loosing the stock pipe gains you about 7 kilos back (stocker i weighed at 12kilos) - race system coming in at about 5...off the bat. But, for me its the perfect naked bike, looks good, customizable, easy to get one with. And ive gotta say of the 4 bikes i own....its the one that draws the crowds at any bike meets....

    And the other thing....theyre cheap second hand....which is a bonus for a commuter.
     
    #72 comfysofa, Nov 8, 2017
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2017
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  12. Sensibly a test ride should be on the cards for any of us if possible, especially for a new model. But this can also have it's drawbacks. I test rode the S1000RR a couple of years ago and when I got it back in to the showroom and was able to talk through the rictus of a grin that was plastered across my grid, I promptly ordered an HP4 Carbon there and then! Loved it when it came, it was a proper flying machine and a real eyeful, but after 12 months of ownership she had to go, my clean licence needed protection.
    Conversely the Enduro Pro I recently bought was ordered without a test ride or even sight of the bike in the flesh o_O Lovely looking bike and I was very impressed when I took delivery, but over the last six weeks I can't get on with it, so it is going....:sob:
    Unless I had tried this on an extended test ride I don't think I would have discovered either the seating or gearbox issue to be fair, both of which would have most likely prevented me from ordering.
    Every day is a school day :rolleyes::p
     
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  13. 6 points this year so far....(3 on the zed) as its so easy to go fast....still wouldnt sell it though....ironically after the s1000r test ride - my test ride on the zed got as far as sitting on it in the showroom....all i needed was 10 seconds of sitting on it to know that it would suit me down to the ground.
     
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  14. Must have had that 'comfysofa' feel to it then? ;)
     
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  15. Yip....i can ride the thing all day...the most comfortable bike I've ever had...
     
  16. had a K1 too but blue where the red is and it didn't come with the russian bird either sadly
     
  17. There's a joke in there somewhere :innocent:
     
  18. You're buying from the wrong websites.
     
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  19. \pictures?
     
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