To much Bike for Beginner?

-Josh- · 08-09-2005, 02:59 PM

Now that i know what i'll be making and wont have to live paycheck to paycheck anymore i was thinking of broadening my horizons and getting a Sport bike. And i've always been really impressed with Ducati, and you dont really see to many of those if any at all where i'm from, mostly suzuki's and yamaha's. Anyway, i was looking into something like the one in the link below. Do you think that would be to much for a starting bike? I feel pretty confident in the fact that i'm a quick learner. What do you guys think though?

Linky

karll · 08-09-2005, 03:09 PM

best info on begginer bikes though im sure you may have read this.

Everyone on the forum says 600cc or smaller. And if it is 600cc then it ought to be an older bike. Apparently it's a lot easier to kill yourself with 600ccs than 250ccs.

-Josh- · 08-09-2005, 03:20 PM

Well i would definately say it falls under the negative category for a beginner then. Especially since my only experience is riding dirt bikes...way different. I'm still going to look into Ducati though, they have my eye.

karll · 08-09-2005, 03:28 PM

From what I hear they are a lot of maintenace. Apparently it costs a lot to get them serviced or something. All hearsay. Just things I've read.

-Josh- · 08-09-2005, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karll

From what I hear they are a lot of maintenace. Apparently it costs a lot to get them serviced or something. All hearsay. Just things I've read.

Interesting, i'll keep that in mind to, although i work at a GM dealer so i have a shop to use after hours. I'll do the work myself most likely, which will save on labor costs.

speediva · 08-09-2005, 04:28 PM

Josh, welcome to my forum!

That said, you can't do a lot of work on Ducati's because you need special tools that are NOT for sale to the public. Do yourself a favor, there is a REASON that Suzuki and Yamaha (et. al.) are around so often... they aren't in the shop getting fixed.

Take it with my $.02 and a grain of salt, though.

-Josh- · 08-09-2005, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saturntangerine

Josh, welcome to my forum!

That said, you can't do a lot of work on Ducati's because you need special tools that are NOT for sale to the public. Do yourself a favor, there is a REASON that Suzuki and Yamaha (et. al.) are around so often... they aren't in the shop getting fixed.

Take it with my $.02 and a grain of salt, though.

Well since YOU said it, i'll take your word for it. That sucks though, those are some sexy bikes. I'm gonna take some classes this winter, and hopefully i'll get a bike by next summer. So i'll have plenty of more time to research this. Maybe take a cruise out to good ole PA again next summer

, that was fun. Thanks for the advice you two.

karll · 08-09-2005, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Z28Josh

Well since YOU said it, i'll take your word for it. That sucks though, those are some sexy bikes. I'm gonna take some classes this winter, and hopefully i'll get a bike by next summer. So i'll have plenty of more time to research this. Maybe take a cruise out to good ole PA again next summer

, that was fun. Thanks for the advice you two.

Oh so you trust the tangerine, who has plenty of experience and knowledge about bikes, but you don't trust good old karll has just read a bunch of stuff. Yea I see how it is.

just messing. Glad to be of some help for a change.

Aces0vr8s · 08-09-2005, 04:47 PM

why a ducati...hell mise well get a twin turbo charged NAAWWSSSS equiped 1300 Busa! if your gonna go out do it with a bang!

King Of Crunk · 08-09-2005, 05:19 PM

you'll have to excuse ace.... he has H.A.S-Horsepower addiction syndrome.... and he likes to throw in some ricer talk too.... welcome to the bike forums josh and if you have some decent riding experience i wouuld go with the duke...they're great italian machines.... and if you can fix em yourself they shouldn't be too much to fix... good luck..

DealsGap · 08-10-2005, 04:08 AM

Ok, lots of misinformation going on here.

I used to own an SS series Ducati and it had just turned 50k miles of ultra-agressive riding when I sold it. The bike never had 1 single failure or problem from 1993 when it was bought new up until 2003 when I sold it. I don't know if anything has changed now, but the previous generation of Ducati Supersports gets my vote as one of, if not the best motorcycle ever built. It did everything I ever asked of it, and it did it without a hiccup. They even crash well too...

Valves have a suggested service interval that is more frequent than the jap bikes, but out of 50k miles I had 1 valve that was ever even adjusted and it wasnt even out of spec. Valve services are a bit pricey, and trustworthy Ducati mechanics can be hard to find, but its not anywhere near the horror story people will make it out to be. You can buy the valve adjustment tools yourself, but I do NOT recommend you ever try it yourself without having been trained by the factory.

As far as engine size, CC's is a bad way to judge a motorcycles performance. The SS series Ducati's are not a pure sportbike. They are really in their own little niche market, best compared to something like an SV650 in the japanese world. They are capable of everything from commuting to club racing, and are bulletproof designs. That said, they are not the high tech, on-edge race machines that the japanese sportbikes are. Ducati has a different line of bikes for that purpose. The SS series bikes are a great, easy to ride, torquey twin that I dont think you can go wrong with. I would suggest a 750SS as a great introduction to the sportbike world.

If I could afford a Ducati track bike, you can believe there would be one of the 4-valve models in my garage right now instead of my R6. Nothing flies like a Duc!

-Josh- · 08-10-2005, 08:09 AM

hmm, interesting...

The plot thickens...

Kurtdg19 · 08-10-2005, 11:11 AM

Welcome to the forum Josh! Good luck on your future purchase, but please be aware of the responsibilities when riding. Bikes are very fast, and their capabilities more than likely outweigh the riders (especially a new rider). There are people who are really good on a bike, but it didn't happen overnight. Making a smart first bike decision helps keep your skin off the pavement.

As far as Ducati's go I can't really say I know to much about them. I've never owned one, nor any of my friends. All I know is that my 93 CBR 600 is as strong as its ever been with 19k miles. No problems at all. Plus the transmission is as smooth as a babies behind. If you are interested in checking out some of the Ducati SS's, I would also look into the Suzuki SV's. Their both a V-twin, and believe me when I say that a V-twin with a pipe is about the best sounding bike you will hear.

Z_Fanatic · 08-10-2005, 05:18 PM

Not to be picky, but I think the sweet sound of v-twin is debatable. I never came to terms with how it could be the best sound on bikes. I mean I hate the potatoe-chopper sounds made my Harleys, and haven't found the special vibe from sportbike twins. It's personal for every person. Because it's pretty much 4-stroke inline that gets me off. I'm not a fan of whiny 2-stroke GP bikes and dirtbikes sounds either.

-Josh- · 08-10-2005, 07:37 PM

Yeah i gotta say that V Twin sounds really curdles my blood in a good way. I'm sure they make some Ducati's for beginners, i'll look into all the bikes i can before i make an exact decision, thanks for all the input guys!

POST REPLY TO THIS THREAD