Somebody stop me...

Yeah. I really want the air cooled engine for simplicity of maintenance. Much less of a hassle than having to deal with cooling lines. Also, the radiator on the water cooled bikes (S4R/S/T) sticks out like Will Smith's ears. Only having to replace four sets of valve shims is also a big plus - much easier and faster.

Just seemed like a better idea than getting one of the S4R variants and having a bunch of power I can't use on the street. I don't need this bike to be faster than my R6, just gruntier. Still say I'm "settling" on the Duc though. I wanted a 1L v-twin in a classic Standard, and had been thinking of building my own. Reality hit me in the face and so I decided a pre-built bike was a smarter option than a custom frankenbike (more expensive for the Duc, but I ain't got the kind of time for a serious project).

So we'll see if everything falls into place. I know I've got the bike itself locked down - I get first ride and chance at deposit. It's the financing I'm playing with.

Hey now, I never said "chrome"!

(and WTF is with that swingarm?! And is that........TWO rear tires?!)

 

Ugh, chrome on a Ducati? How gauche! Only the finest bits of hand-polished aluminum and titanium, straight from Mama Italia will do! Bella macchina è la suprema!

 

Heh, I'm tempted to slap some black race tape over the Ducati logos, although the dry clutch is a dead giveaway. This is going to be my commuter/goof-around bike. I'll miss riding my R6 every day, but that'll just make those few sunny weekends and track days extra-special. Riding a supersport as a daily commuter is just too frustrating (traffic always ruins the curves, doing anything under the speed limit feels like you're barely moving, and you can't relax on longer rides).

I'm not a particular fan of the brand, but Ducati built the bike that I'm most interested in. I only ignored the SV1000 because I want a bike with more classic lines. Just a shame that desmo engines are so damn particular about maintenance. I had originally wanted to shove an SV1000 engine into an old BMW R frame (with necessary modifications). Would take too much time and space, neither of which I have in great supply.

Although I do look forward to annoying the hell out of my wife with the dry clutch... :evil4:

 

Don't let my wife see this. She hates the jingle-jangle, and it's sooooo much fun to watch her cringe every time a Duc rolls by at TNC.

I'm indifferent. I just love the trolleriffic opportunity to ride along with her on the back, knowing she's wincing in her helmet at every red light. :devil:

 

Oh, and here's even more reason why more serious people get disgusted with Ducati:

(picture removed - changed my mind)

This kind of thing is rampant in the Ducati community, even among the dealers (who encourage it for additional sales - douchebags have money).

I like bikes. I even like Ducatis. I shop at a Ducati dealership on a regular basis. Hell, I'm buying one FFS. But this kind of crap has always rankled me. Image-conscious posers flock to Ducati because they are image-conscious posers. They make real enthusiasts look bad by association. Dealers are a business, so they do whatever it takes to bring in more sales, and the easiest sale is to an image-conscious poser (just ask Apple). Posers get catered to, and it puts others off.

It's gotten to the point where if you actually appreciate a Ducati for its strengths but also lambast its weaknesses, you're a heretic. Douchebag fanatics run the show.

Okay, I'm gonna get off my soapbox.

 

Eh, I'm a competent enough mech. No pro by any means, but I've built and maintained a Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4, built a Jeep XJ from scrap, and tore down my S2000 for shits 'n giggles. No prissy little piece of Italian engineering can scare me.

German crap on the other hand? Those machines are designed from the ground up to be as hard to fix and maintain as humanly possible. Need to fix a speedo? Be prepared to replace the entire dash, because you're probably going to break every single piece of plastic in there trying to get at the cluster. Water pump? Have the Red Cross on speed-dial. Germans HATE independent/shade-tree mechanics, and will stop at NOTHING to maim and/or kill anyone brave enough to try fixing their own broken machine. I refuse to own a German car or bike after what I went through. :rant

Italian stuff breaks, but it's at least fairly easy to fix!



Got my final pay-off numbers today from my banks. Next step is the final meeting with my credit union, then wait for the bike to be ready for sale. Gotta keep the momentum up...