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Today was sunny, so I popped out for a ride on my ST4.
I thought I'd post a few pics. Empty roads and just a T shirt under my jacket.
Better than an English summer day because there was almost no traffic.

Tight roads at first, then onto a real peachy blaster. The A-356 Valez-Malaga to Colmenar.
So good I turned around and went back again, past the reservoir at Vinuela.

As I approached Los Castillejos there's a lovely right hand sweeping bend, on the opposite side is a restaurant. About 10 guys on trial bikes stood outside with their helmets on. It looked like an organised tour, they must have been having fun. I know I was.

They turned and looked up early as the roar of the Termignonis announced my arrival. I was hanging off the right side of the bike with my knee out but I took my left hand off the bar and gave them a wave. Every one of them waved back.

Lou Reed came to mind, "Just a perfect day."

Finally got round to having my bike painted by dream machine

Hi All
Today, I took my 899 into the dealer for a service, and at the same time arranged to have a test of the demo 959 so I could get some form of reasonable back to back comparison.
Although it was bloody cold leaving my house at 9am to make the 60 mile trip to the dealer, the roads were pretty dry largely, and it gave me a chance to remember what my 899's really like before going on the new bike.
Here's a few token pics of the 959
I had the 959 for a good couple of hours, so got to give it a proper blast, although with temps hovering around 6deg and the roads really cold with still some ice about, I couldn't really get the tyres warm enough to really give it a blast
Personally, I'm not a big fan of the exhausts, although I do think the Akra option on the test bike look OK, and they're growing on me, but still a £1.2k option on a bike that's so far not being offered with any discount of free exhausts (yet)
The Akra pipes sounds pretty similar to my standard piped 899 at tick over...

Well finally have the 1098S back from Baines and she is all back together, am rather happy with how everything has turned out, all I need is some asv levers which I should be ordering later. I think it looks so much better with the number boards removed and the carbon belly. Am very impressed with the belly pan and the carbon v, both very easy to fit and the finish is great.

Had most of this for ages, but decided to pull my finger out with the Desmo and put some of it on today.

The swing arm covers didn't come pre-drilled so that put the grey matter to try and figure out a way of getting it to all line up. My rather primitive method seemed to work out okay. Looks not too shabby I think sat there against that super expensive MS Production stuff.

Got the new wheels out of their boxes. Discs and sprocket carrier were cleaned up and put on the new rims. I can't wait to get these on the bike. Should manage that tomorrow if all goes to plan.

BTW, I used some of the WD-40 bike products for the first time. They're excellent and work very, very well.

Finally pulled the carbon out the box too. Great pre-preg job on the bodywork and with a few details, will match the oem items. It's that good, it interchanges with the original panels. Nice race nose cone too with ram air duct. Hopefully they'll be painted in the next month or so.

After missing my favourite bands when I was going through Chemo 2014-2015....I'm making up for it this year.........Slipknot in Birmingham,awesome,my grin was a mile wide

The Bologna based company has been recognised for its excellent working conditions
The report by the Top Employers Institute endorses the best companies in terms of Human Resources

Ducati has been declared one of the Top Employers for Italy in 2016. The recognition, for the second year in a row, comes from the Top Employers Institute which certifies the best companiesworldwide in terms of human resources.

Top Employers certification is awarded to companies offering excellent working conditions that train and develop talents at every level throughout the company and which strive continuously to improve and optimise best practices in the field of human resources.

The key point of the procedures followed by Top Employers is a far-reaching and serious research process – the HR Best Practices Survey – and the high standards required must be met. In order to safeguard the validity of the research procedures, each answer undergoes revision by audit. This demonstrates that the working...

We've just moved house, and there is a shell of a workshop at the bottom of the garden which I have spent the first few months kitting out as a workshop/home cinema. Now it's done, I'm going to start Phase 2 of the 899S build. Late last summer I put together the bike you see below and took it over it to Jerez. Unfortunately I ran it in to the gravel and fell off. It's a bit scraped up down one side and needs a bit of TLC. It's been in my office since November last year. I'm also going to take the opportunity to make few more mods. The most significant being fitting Brembo M50s and some beautiful Ducabike rearsets. I'll update the thread as I go........

So to get us started, a couple of pictures of the workshop and bike on the ramp ready for the off....

Ducati Scrambler on display in Scrambler café area
XDiavel welcomes visitors to dedicated area
Ducati store will be there selling the latest 2016 apparel

Ducati UK will present their 2016 Model year range at this year’s Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show.
Up to nine new models will be on display at Excel London as Ducati UK looks to build on a record 2015 which saw them become the fastest growing major motorcycle brand in the UK.

One of the sales successes of last year was the new Ducati Scrambler brand. The Scrambler range has now been expanded with the introduction of the 400cc Scrambler Sixty2 while the bigger engine 800cc Scrambler welcomes the Flat track pro version to the family. The Ducati Scrambler will again have its own area although this time it will be in the form of a Scrambler Café where visitors can view the bikes in a relaxed atmosphere over a coffee.
The bike that will no doubt become one of the most talked about models of 2016 is the XDiavel. Ducati enters...

To celebrate Conquest Carbon becoming the sole UK distributors for Ducabike we are offering Ducati forum members an exclusive 20% OFF all Ducabike parts.

The offer will be valid until 29/2/2016

Ducabike only make aftermarket & OEM parts for Ducati, specialising in road & race parts.
You've probably seen their famous clear wet clutch covers for all wet clutch models.

Also available, rearsets, frame plugs, clip-on's, levers & much more.

Contact us (PM) for your forum discount code.

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Just got it back today .. Looks red in pictures .. But it's a reddish orange .. Which really looks good to me. Oh well lets see if it lasts a whole summer

Next ventureshield it ...

This is your fault, @royalwithcream with your BMW thread. Now you've got me at it.
Put down a deposit on this exact bike today. Collecting on Saturday. One of the last 2015 bikes in the country knocked down to £12,000. 2 grand off list price. Bargain.
Its a replacement for my SMT. I love that bike dearly but this has more power and more orangeyness so what can you do. Bang goes my grand tour this year and eating for about the next two..

Today is a big day for me.After a private consultation I am starting a new drug today.Having seriously gone downhill for the last few months with my Autoimmune System Dysfunction/Central Nervous Systems problems I am at the 'Last chance saloon'.
The only possible drug to help me is one normally used for MS,Parkinsons,etc.My GP would not prescribe it for me as it is not on the 'Approved List'.
I therefore had to find my own Consultant who would take on my case and prescribe me the drug.
Only one Pharmacy in the UK holds this particular drug,my prescription arrived today.I have to take it in stepped doses up to the max level which will take about 3 months.
I am so looking forward to regaining a bit more of a life and getting to ride my lovely new HP2,or should I say my even lovelier MH.
I am keeping everything crossed.

So got made redundant this week and decided to celebrate being a jobless bum by taking a test ride on a s1000rr in the pouring rain. The bike was ridiculous and I've put down a deposit and trading in the KTM 1190 Adventure R!

I've been looking for a do everything bike since before buying the KTM. I thought the KTM would be the one but despite being a great bike in the twisties I couldn't get around how big and heavy the Adventure bikes are and the lack of wind and weather protection at high speed. Plus you get a full on death wobble once into triple figures which was only made worse when I put the more Offroad orrientated tyres on. Offroad on a big ass Adventure bike is just a silly idea, it's only really good for long open dirt tracks with the odd more hardcore stuff, and this is the most Offroad capable of the Adv bikes as well. Very much marketing over reality IMO, I blame Ewen McG and co.

I tried a Tuono last month and whilst one of the best bikes I've ridden I decided a...

At the Motor Bike Expo of Verona (22-24 January) Ducati will be exhibiting a further addition to its XDiavel cruiser world, the all-new "draXter". This "concept bike" interprets the XDiavel world from a sports viewpoint. The project was developed by the Ducati Style Center's Advanced Design area, a section dedicated to exploring the future style and design concepts of Ducati bikes.
Their ideas and sketches have allowed the Ducati prototype department to come up with the "draXter", starting from a standard production XDiavel. The beating heart of the "draXter" is that of an extreme dragster with premium racing componentry. This is particularly evident, for example, in the suspension and brakes, taken directly from the 1299 Panigale Superbike. This styling exercise has accentuated the lines and proportions of the XDiavel making them more extreme than ever and turning the "draXter" into a unique, breath-taking supersport.

The number 90 on the side of the Ducati "draXter" recalls the...

The Ducati Scrambler Land of Joy will be at the Verona Motor Bike Expo from 22 to 24 January
Peace Sixty2, Revolution and Artika: three new Ducati Scrambler proposals that carry the signatures of Italian designers and customizers
The Ducati Scrambler stand will host a demonstration of the art of personalisation on 23 January


Borgo Panigale, Bologna (Italy), 21 January 2016 – The Land of Joy will be at the Motor Bike Expo from 22 to 24 January with three Ducati Scrambler-based specials. Called Peace Sixty2, Revolution and Artika, these customized bikes will be previewed during the Verona held event on the Ducati Scrambler family stand.

Following the Ducati Café Racer Scrambler, the imaginative Verona-based builder Mr. Martini has now come up with his second Scrambler-based creation. This is the Peace Sixty2. Based on the new Sixty2, it has an even “racier” feel than the previous special designed by this builder, largely thanks to its 1960s-style fairing. The plexiglass nose...

Should anyone want to come down this way for a visit then please take a look at the Blog that my wife has just created. There is some useful information and some great pictures on it. We do not run any sort of business and offer help and guidance for free. This has come about as a result of all the bikers who have visited in 2015.
Dordogne Bikers Blog

It's only taken me four and a half years, but I've finally gotten around to framing this picture I took of the late great Marco Simoncelli at the Silverstone GP in 2011. It now has pride of place in my study
This got me thinking of how MotoGP would look now if he hadn't had his accident. What do you think? Factory Honda rider? Guessing not. I'd like to think he'd be on the factory Ducati. I think a factory team of Simoncelli and Iannone would have been something special to watch? We'll obviously never know, but how do you think he would be getting on?