Really want a HARLEY!

[KyleR]

It took me a few weeks to get used to the extra weight of my Ducati 749 compared to the 125kg racing bike that i'd previously been on and those are effectively the same type of bike, going from a lightish commuter style bike to an American cruiser would be pretty daunting in my opinion.

 

Best of luck OP

 

Ducatis are (or always used to be) quite heavy. I remember getting off a zx6r onto a ducati 747SPS and that weighted a ton in comparison. You were also perched very high up, so getting knee down seemed to mean leaning over miles.

 

HD for first bike can be done. The aforementioned ex neighbours of mine, that was there very first bike. He passed his test and they went out and bought a harley. They loved it, used to tour all over europe on it.

 

Anything pre 916 series was pretty heavy in comparison to similar bikes, but since then they've made huge strides under the 200kg mark matching weight for weight with Yamaha etc, they also now tend to have a lower seating position by over an inch in comparison to the R6 for example. Best handling bikes i've ever ridden, but I think an amount of that is due to the L-twin engine

[rabbitstew]

Best handling bikes i've ever ridden, but I think an amount of that is due to the L-twin engine

 

Have to say I wasnt impressed with my 748SPS at all. Previous owner paid nearly 12k for it new. I bought it when it was 2 months old and it only had 400 miles on the clock. The engine blew up at 600miles and went back to Ducati for them to fix (took them 3 months!)(a valve had dropped into the cylinder head destroying one head, piston & liner). I then did about 10,000 miles on it after then in 8 months (used it as my daily commuter). It took me ages to set the suspension up on it, as from the factory the back shock is set so hard the back end would slide out on roundabouts / bends. At first I thought maybe id hit some oil, but it was the shock setting. Once I set it up it was fine, but it never handled anywhere near as good as my ZXR750L2 did. Performance wise, I had it superchipped and terminini carbon cans on it, but it just didnt have enough power compared to 4 stoke 600`s. I never managed to get used to the low rev limit, and the v-twin lent itself to more relaxing "leave it in 6th gear" poodling about. The best thing about it was the sheer noise the engine made with those race cans. I sold it to a guy from Glasgow who hired a van and drove a 700 mile round trip to my house and bought the bike for cash without even riding it. I went out and bought a nearly new R1 and a VFR750 with the money & still had change.

 

I did try a friends TL1000R a few times afterwards and found that much better powerwise as its a bigger engine - so maybe id have got on better with a 996 or something.

[SteveM]

if you liked the TLR try and get a ride on a TLS

 

had mine flowed and tuned, power commander and full race system.. was an absolute animal and was so much fun to ride if a little dangerous! it would head shake and twist and buck at the slightest change in road conditions... nearly threw me off just for accelerating out of a corner numbers of times but i loved it! the noise and the feel of the V twin power curve was great. and the wheelies

 

decided it was going to either lose me my licence or my life so i sold it and got my first 12r... had that tuned and with a full Akra system and a few hours on the rolling road saw 170bhp at the rear wheel and an indicated 216mph bouncing off the limiter on the rolling road

 

calmed down a bit now.. gone back to a limited although still tuned 2005 12r which doesnt quite have the same punch as the 2000s...

 

toyed with getting a mille R for the V twin feel but the 12 just suits me so well

[KyleR]

Best handling bikes i've ever ridden, but I think an amount of that is due to the L-twin engine

 

Have to say I wasnt impressed with my 748SPS at all. Previous owner paid nearly 12k for it new. I bought it when it was 2 months old and it only had 400 miles on the clock. The engine blew up at 600miles and went back to Ducati for them to fix (took them 3 months!)(a valve had dropped into the cylinder head destroying one head, piston & liner). I then did about 10,000 miles on it after then in 8 months (used it as my daily commuter). It took me ages to set the suspension up on it, as from the factory the back shock is set so hard the back end would slide out on roundabouts / bends. At first I thought maybe id hit some oil, but it was the shock setting. Once I set it up it was fine, but it never handled anywhere near as good as my ZXR750L2 did. Performance wise, I had it superchipped and terminini carbon cans on it, but it just didnt have enough power compared to 4 stoke 600`s. I never managed to get used to the low rev limit, and the v-twin lent itself to more relaxing "leave it in 6th gear" poodling about. The best thing about it was the sheer noise the engine made with those race cans. I sold it to a guy from Glasgow who hired a van and drove a 700 mile round trip to my house and bought the bike for cash without even riding it. I went out and bought a nearly new R1 and a VFR750 with the money & still had change.

 

I did try a friends TL1000R a few times afterwards and found that much better powerwise as its a bigger engine - so maybe id have got on better with a 996 or something.

 

100% agree with the back end, it's set up for a heavier rider and with me being about 11.5 stone kitted up it was a bit stiff, but I couldn't be bothered changing it, I just learnt to dip in slower to corners and use the masses of torque to pull out of the bend like batman on a rocket! The top end power was always a let down on the V and L twins compared to I-4 600's, but now they've only gone a created the greatest license stealing death trap rocket I have ever known in the 1199 Panigale, 195 bhp on 165 kg Imagine that machine with a set of Termi's with race ECU

[geoff-r]

do yourself a favour and dont get a harley as a first bike. they can look cool and sound great but they are a pig to handle / ride and wont make your learning experience very enjoyable or easy. yes you will have passed your test and you may think thats all the learning you need to do but believe me you will continue to learn and make mistakes for a very long time after passing your test

 

This is sound advice, you learn, you pass, you know next to nothing about riding. I felt great about passing, it was a real buzz but I'd only ever ridden on the road under the supervision of an instructor or in my tests. Real world riding is a lot different and it takes a long time to get up to speed.

[Stew]

Best handling bikes i've ever ridden, but I think an amount of that is due to the L-twin engine

 

Have to say I wasnt impressed with my 748SPS at all. Previous owner paid nearly 12k for it new. I bought it when it was 2 months old and it only had 400 miles on the clock. The engine blew up at 600miles and went back to Ducati for them to fix (took them 3 months!)(a valve had dropped into the cylinder head destroying one head, piston & liner). I then did about 10,000 miles on it after then in 8 months (used it as my daily commuter). It took me ages to set the suspension up on it, as from the factory the back shock is set so hard the back end would slide out on roundabouts / bends. At first I thought maybe id hit some oil, but it was the shock setting. Once I set it up it was fine, but it never handled anywhere near as good as my ZXR750L2 did. Performance wise, I had it superchipped and terminini carbon cans on it, but it just didnt have enough power compared to 4 stoke 600`s. I never managed to get used to the low rev limit, and the v-twin lent itself to more relaxing "leave it in 6th gear" poodling about. The best thing about it was the sheer noise the engine made with those race cans. I sold it to a guy from Glasgow who hired a van and drove a 700 mile round trip to my house and bought the bike for cash without even riding it. I went out and bought a nearly new R1 and a VFR750 with the money & still had change.

 

I did try a friends TL1000R a few times afterwards and found that much better powerwise as its a bigger engine - so maybe id have got on better with a 996 or something.

 

100% agree with the back end, it's set up for a heavier rider and with me being about 11.5 stone kitted up it was a bit stiff, but I couldn't be bothered changing it, I just learnt to dip in slower to corners and use the masses of torque to pull out of the bend like batman on a rocket! The top end power was always a let down on the V and L twins compared to I-4 600's, but now they've only gone a created the greatest license stealing death trap rocket I have ever known in the 1199 Panigale, 195 bhp on 165 kg Imagine that machine with a set of Termi's with race ECU

 

 

My neighbour cancelled his order on the new Panigale at the dealer launch. He said it was horribly uncomfortable! The adjustable rear shock dug in.

[KyleR]

Really, i'll have to get a spin on one to see what it's like, but I am a huge Italian Auto fan so I'm sure i'll put it down to "character" and love it

[rtbiscuit]

i've toy'd with the idea of a bike i love them, and although i love sports bike i don't think my dodgy knee would cope with the riding position for longer than 30 min. was planning on getting a honda shadow or equivilant to do my CBT and then make some decions form there.

[rabbitstew]

i've toy'd with the idea of a bike i love them, and although i love sports bike i don't think my dodgy knee would cope with the riding position for longer than 30 min. was planning on getting a honda shadow or equivilant to do my CBT and then make some decions form there.

 

You can go for a sports tourer. They are much more relaxed. My VFR750 is like sitting in a chair - nice relaxed riding position. Big tank range, but sporty enough that you can have fun and throw it around.