Hi All, My name is Damian. I am currently the happy owner of a small suzuki gsx-r 125 cc. I am having lots of fun on it. I bought it in OCT 2017 and have been riding all through the winter, every day. Almost 2000 miles on the clock now. Mainly around zones 2 and 4, West London. It is now time to get started on my full cat A driving license. Hopefully I will get it done along with at least another 2000-2500 miles on my 125cc by April this year. Do you think It is wise to go with my heart and purchase a Ducati Supersport S? Second question is, how forgiving is that bike if you were to make a mistake? I really love this bike. I have been to two dealers to take a look at it. I know the spec quite well. Please advise. I will be buying a 600cc+ bike after I pass my license so I figured out, I might as well go for what will make me smile everyday, when I leave home in the morning! Main pros: The Ducati has an upright, comfy position. It has modes that “dampen” power output and super comfy suspension. I am going to get beaten up here I fear, but the styling in my mind is even prettier than the drop dead sexy Panigale. There, I said it! Main cons: It weighs as near as makes no difference 190kg (60kg more than my current bike), it is still a powerful bike (even in urban mode it would be spitting out 70-80 bhp). Any repairs due to beginner mistakes will result in a broken heart along with a broken wallet...
you'll be fine... Great choice for the step up I think... As far as the weight goes, don't drop it and you'll never find out how heavy it really is! I can pic up my old school ss from it's side ( 186 kg i believe) but not my 748 at 204.. I wish I didn't know this...
Anyone can ride a powerful bike but will you get as much from it as a more experienced rider? Of course not. Although a 125 to a Supersport is like learning in a Fiesta, then buying an Aston. You’ve already pointed out that a newby spill would be expensive. If your pockets are deep enough, fill your boots. If you can only just afford the bike? Well then be careful. Can you afford (and do you know how) to look after it? Chain/ACF50 etc? What does the insurance company think of your choice vs experience? Personally I’d recommend caution, buy a cheaper, less powerful and easier to repair bike. Do a couple of years, then buy the dream. What about a Monster? Old 750SS? Scrambler?
Thanks chizel, I really appreciate your opinion. I am going to get the swing arm, levers and front fork protectors... pretty much anything there is on the options list for safety. I am also thinking of getting the Akra twin tubes, the UK legal ones, they are not a cool as the full Akra twin botties but they get rid of 3kg and still sound... perky :-D
Stick it in urban mode and you'll be fine. There are enough safety-aids to keep you the right way up but you in your heart will know how you ride. Are you learning how to ride, figuring things out like body positioning and how to influence the behaviour of the bike using brakes, throttle etc? Also do you have somewhere safe / dry to keep the bike? You're in London and the combination of lots of city riding and the whole theft thing are natural opponents. Perhaps chat with @chizel about that as he's got experience of Ducatis in the smoke. Lastly, IMO you learn how to ride by pushing slightly beyond your limits after careful thought (and by taking training and paying attention to it - I'm not just advocating experimental lunacy)... it's a ramp up though. You don't hop straight off a 125 onto a litre-class bike and expect it not to object to ham-fistedness. You get more of a margin for error on a bike with less power as clumsy inputs have a less immediate and more forgiving effect. Also, a smaller bike is on it from @ 50mph - 120mph whereas a bigger bike might be just waking up at 120mph. If I was coming off a 125cc bike now then I'd be looking at Yamaha MT-07 or Yamaha MT-09. Cheap, loads of fun and great for figuring out motorcycles on. For the price of a new Supersport you could get an MT-07 (@ £4k) and an older sporty Ducati (older SS, 748, 749, 848) for high days and holidays (@ £7k). Two bikes are better than one anyway... Whatever you get, whatever advice you take or disregard, welcome and have fun! Stay safe.
Hi Lord Farquaad, Very good points. 1. My knowledge would not give this bike justice for sure. I am lucky though to have two friends who can undo the bike to the basic bolts and do it up again. They are very supportive. Only problem is they are pushing me towards Japanese bikes, which I am, not a big fan of. Had to go for a GSX r because had to start from something and my wife can fully touch the floor while on it, which inspired her confidence. 2. Monsters are really nice but again, I feel like the Supersport is just calling me. I am, almost completely fine with the bills for my potential idiocy, will just need to compromise on other things, you know swings and roundabouts... hopefully less swings! 3. I think you needn’t ask the question relating to the insurance, because you know the answer to that :-D they would bump up my insurance by another £800.00 (which would come to £1600.00- almost double my current policy value). Funny enough almost any bike I picked, even an MT-09 was the same increase... except for MV Agusta, which was just ridiculous. Ready?.. £4,800.00 per year was the cheapest insurance for the brutale dragster!
go for it, do take it easy, I'm sure you will as I'm guessing you are paying for it! in my humble opinion, once you master clutch/throttle control / braking/ hill starts etc on a small bike, you are good to go on pretty much anything. It's your mentality that will get you into trouble. If you are a show off or feel you have to see how fast your bike will go even though you lack experience, you are more than likely to come unstuck... make sure you post plenty of pics of the new ride if and when you get it.
If you can afford it, I’d crack on. Stick it in urban mode, stay smooth, and enjoy it. Definitely invest in some advanced training, Bikesafe, IAM etc. They’ll help you find your limits and teach you to ride safely, identifying and mitigating hazards. If you were 19, I’d say don’t do it. But by the sound of it you’re a bit older, wiser and married....which should keep you grounded.
It's all about how you ride not what you ride, even at 19. At 17 and 3 months after passing my test (many moons ago) I traded in my 250 and bought a Z1000, at 18 it was Turbocharged. I'm still here (I think)
I couldn’t agree more, but younger riders do tend to feel invincible. Fact. Factors such as age, relationships etc have a bearing on how most people ride/drive. By my early 20s I too had litre sportsbikes.....and I sometimes wonder how I survived
still here by the grace of some evil god... We are glad though. But don't be telling the young man to rag it silly, he may not posses your uncanny ability to come up smelling of roses...
hey, @DamianU , where in London are ya? I'm out west and get down the ace most weekends for a cuppa ( only as it's close and there are bikes to look at, it's not a good ride) if you are handy enough, be good to meet ya.
Wow, I posted this an hour ago and already got a bunch of replies...guess it’s true what they say about the reliability of the Ducati. Instead of riding, you poor guys wait for the call from the repair centre and in the meantime you stay at home and write on a forum, helping poor sods like me ;-D Seriously though, excellent comment Fire 3500, I am really grateful. Thank you for the welcome! Urban mode is definitely the way forward. I am a responsible guy and would no want to go too crazy too fast. I’ll select it, and gaffer tape the buttons with a marker pen message “do not unstick until 7000 miles”. I am learning the body and bike movement all the time. Richmond, ealing and Kingston traffic are a great teacher. I am riding everyday since OCT 2017, in the rain, in the slush, in the ice. Had the back end twitching a couple of times and managed to engine break or power out of trouble. Still no falls except on my CBT test- locked up the front wheel and fell over. My head missed a Porsche Cayenne tyre by half a metre, some pee came out, I got back on and passed with flying colours, on the next attempt. Storage I am fine with for now. Thank you for pointing this out, it’s super important. I will also have Biketrac on the bike, which is superb (currently using one the suzuki it and has not skipped a beat!) Now, I will NEVER say that an MT is a bad bike... They are just not for me. They feel a bit plasticky to me. I thought about it and I think that it would be best to buy new from the dealer and get a good deal on servicing. Also when I go to a dealer/ brand new, the insurance premium comes down quite a bit. Ducati also have an option to go to Italy and train motorbike riding for three days, when you buy brand new, which I think would be a very useful experience. I am also going to have quite a lot of riding hours on a bigger bike, before I pass my CAT A license. I want to be ready for the Supersport as best as I can.
Hi Lord Farquaad, Thanks a bunch. I am going to get quite a few of these courses. I feel an investment in Many riding hours plus some courses will be a good way forward before I purchase the beast. I’m 30 and I have a wife and a baby boy on the way so yes, I want to be safe and approach this as best as I can. Thanks for pitching me the courses. Wanted to ask somebody if they are worth it. I will now research this further!
I’m in Ealing. Ace cafe is about 20 minutes from me :-D I am going to the motorcycle show on the 18th of feb in Excel. Will be looking again at the Supersport and the Street Triple RS. After today tough, I think I am quite sold on the white Ducati...
Welcome @DamianU, please join the map linked below. Ride within your own limits & don't be pressured to ride faster than you can comfortably stop! https://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=1768775
Hi Exige, Thanks for your input, much appreciated. You seem to me as a fan of the right handle bar :-D I’m sure I will be too... once I put a serious amount of miles on the clock. For now I just want to look good, sound good and enjoy my commute on a sporty looking monster chassis with panigale- like ferrings :-D It’s good to hear a “go for it and have fun” opinion. Take care and stay safe!
