A blissful sportbike
Written: Nov 22 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Handling, Style, Sound, User friendliness
Cons: May draw to much attention for introverts.
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| DeitySlayer's Full Review: 2000 Ducati Super Sport |
I have been the owner of a red 1999 Ducati Supersport 900 for about 3 months now and I can say without reservation that it is the finest motorcycle I have ever ridden. I considered and tested virtually every sportbike on the market before I finally settled on this one. By the way my bike was lightly modified when I got it. It has a Corbin seat and Ducati Performance Titanium slip-on mufflers which sound very nice.
In order to better qualify my opinion let me give you a little background info. I am 27 years old and have been riding streetbikes for 11 years. I have owned 4 bikes of the following displacements 100cc, 400cc, 600cc, 900cc. My most recent bike before the Ducati was a Yamaha YZF600. The other bikes I was strongly considering were a Ducati 996, Yamaha YZF R6 or R1, and Triumphs Daytona 955i.
Why I chose my Supersport.
1. Design - My 900SS is what I have been searching for all these years. A relatively simple (air/oil cooled, 2 valve twin) powerplant in a cutting edge top quality chassis. I also love the way they look. Pictures do not do them justice.
2. Handling - Light weight combined with fully adjustable Showa suspension and top quality Brembo brakes and wheels make for one very satisfying ride. It gobbles up twisty roads in the N. Georgia mountains better than anything else I have ridden. Except maybe an RZ350 which is a little better on very tight twisty roads.
3. User friendliness - This is a bike that (unlike most japanese 4s) you can actually do your own maintenance on. Spark plug and oil changes are a snap. The fuel inkection on the new model is flawless once it's warm, no more fiddling with carbs. The wiring is simple. Ducati took special care to use only a few sizes of fasteners on the bike thereby minimizing the number of tools you need to carry. Unless you are a very competent mechanic I would suggest leaving valve adjustments to your dealers mechanics. A note on maintenance costs. Valve adjustments aren't cheap, and they do have to be done more often than on jap bikes but the supersports are less expensive to maintain than the superbikes which have four valve heads. You can do them yourself it just requires a small investment in tools and learning time.
4. Power - A lot of the hesitancy people seem to have for this bike has to do with the price to power ratio. 12K for something that only makes 80HP! First of all don't let MSRP fool you I got my 1 year old bike in showroom condition with less than 2000 miles for $8600. Secondly 80HP is enough (Especially when you get it at 7500 RPMs). How many of us can really use 130HP on the street anyway? People who need that much power to go fast either live in Montana or are making up for some inadequacy in their riding style.
5. Road presence - This comes down to two things exclusivity and sound. The sound gets their attention the rarity keeps it there. People who obviously know nothing about motorcycles are interested in this bike, and will come up and tell you so.
This is not the bike for poseurs or people who live and buy by the opinions of magazine editors and other bench racers. This is the perfect bike for those who appreciate superb road manners and lots of personality. if you get one it may be the last sportbike you ever buy. I ride with guys on 900SSs that are ten and twenty years old. How many twenty year old Jap sportbikes are still maintained and loved today? Not many.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
DeitySlayer
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Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 1 member
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