There are few things more difficult than leaving your favorite moto behind in the care of strangers.
(This is topped only by watching someone else ride off on your motorcycle. Doesn't matter if its friend, family, or a guy who you know can ride circles, backwards, blindfolded, and handcuffed, around you. It is never ever a good feeling.)
This past weekend, I deposited my 2011 Ducati Evo848, Giovanni, into the care of the Duc Pond Ducati shop in Winchester, Virginia. It is the first time anyone other than the guys at Ducati Forza in Pompano Beach, Florida, will have cracked open Giovanni's fairings to mess with his innards.
The Duc Pond was highly recommended to me by a number of long-time Ducati riders and experienced racers. I know that Giovanni will be fine. I was also very tempted to load Gio onto the Amtrak Auto Train, running between D.C. and Orlando, and ride him to Ducati Forza for his first major appointment.
Alas, time and money were not on my side. Giovanni was going to have to undergo his 7,500-mile service someplace new with unknown persons messing with his belts and adjusting his valves. I think the service manager thought he was going to have to pry me off my motorcycle and physically remove me from the premises.
If I can't ride Giovanni, I can write about him. And, after 7,500-miles, and 10-months, it seems like an opportune time to contemplate a Long-Term Review for my Ducati 848Evo.
First, the add-ons. Because as awesome as the 848Evo is, it's not quite out-of-the-crate ready.
The 848Evo enjoys a 10-pony advantage over the 848. Except EPA noise regulations resulted in longer, horsepower-killing, exhaust cans. The cans were also hideously clunky and didn't sound all that Ducati fabulous.
Solution: Termignoni carbon fiber slash-cut slip-ons.
The Termis not only improved sound and appearence, but performance was markedly better, too. Maybe it was the re-awakening of those extra 10 ponies or a far better tune than the stock ECU, but the new chip and cans resulted in a superior motorcycle ride.
The clutch and brake levers were more something engineers fished out of the factory throw-away parts bin than levers one would expect to find on a svelte Italian superbike as mechanized art.
And, as a girl, I also have smaller hands than the average Ducati rider, making oversized, chunky levers a riding annoyance as well as visual eyesore.
Solution: CRG roll-a-click adjustable levers.
The levers now look like they belong on the bike and not at a swap meet. My left hand isn't cramped beyond recognition after five minutes in traffic.
A higher performance slave clutch cylinder will further smooth things out and make for an easier clutch pull. Not critical, and I've survived 7,500-miles without it. But it is a future modification.
Short legs made the peg placement nearly unbearable. Gilles adjustable rearsets shifted the footpegs forward and up. Now I'm not driving myself into the tank every time I put weight on the pegs unless I first plunk my butt so far back in the saddle I can barely reach the bars.
Included with the package: better shifting and the carbon fiber accents are hot.
The Ducati Performance SBK racing seat was a big help in maintaining body position as well.
A Puig smoke double bubble windscreen provides a higher ceiling of rider wind protection. And I replaced the silver windscreen screws. With black, of course.
As for the Pirelli Diablo Supercorse SP tires? Love them!
Mechanically the bike has been nearly problem-free. An oil change and slight adjustment to the timing belt were the only two issues addressed between the 600-mile break-in service and the first big service at 7,500-miles.
Keeping the 848Evo Dark Stealth clean and spot-free has been a challenge. Any cleaner that includes a shine or wax component will render the bike a streaky mess.
Mild brake cleaner will eliminate those streaks, but add a few new swirls, which are virtually impossible to rub out. I finally asked Ducati North America's service guru what to use. He said any mild dish washing soap would do.
Yep, I wash my Ducati Superbike with Dawn dish soap. And it works like a charm.
While the Ducati 848Evo detests traffic and does not hesitate to alert the rider to its unhappiness by streaming scorching air directly to the rider's legs, the 848Evo is feloniously happy when let loose on backroads, twisties, and sweepers, and remains rail-smooth and utterly unflappable in turns.
(I refuse to take Giovanni on a track until I have enough savings to pay for his repairs, but I have to believe that reports of the 848Evo being a superior track bike to its time as a streetbike are true. Faster on an 848Evo is better; its geared high for the street, and rarely do you have opportunity to take advantage of the stock Brembo Monobloc brakes.)
As long as the bike is moving at above-legal speeds, the 848Evo is a comfortable ride. I've put more than 600-miles on it in a single day and not wanted to shoot myself or the bike afterward.
Despite Ducatis reputation for temperamental attitude and unreliable constitution, you can run this Ducati as a tour bike for multiple days and it won't flinch or stall. Or try to toss you.
The only hitch with touring 848Evo-style is that the motorcycle is deceptively fast, a product of a tamer mid-range torque from the 848Evo's predecessor and utter confidence with which the 848Evo consumes pavement.
Think you're doing 85mph? Try again.
Your bike just topped 115mph. And that speeding ticket exceeded your monthly rent.
(Unless you hit the improved 10,500 peak rev, in which case, you know exactly that you are going sick fast and increasing speed with stomach-dropping intensity.)
The biggest negative with 848Evo is the cost and relentlessness of its service intervals. Even if you choose not to ride your Ducati 848Evo often, after two years, whether you've reached 7,500-miles or not, you will still need to bring your Duc in for its service.
Painful. After a few of these maintenances, and a couple Pirelli tires, you start feeling like you could've bought a second motorcycle with the money that went in to keeping your Ducati on the road.
Ducati has addressed the service issue in the past year, introducing engines that do not require a major maintenance until 15,000-miles. This is an outstanding development and I am looking forward to someday owning one of these Ducati models.
In the meantime, I am stuck with the 848Evo's service schedule. But it is more than worth it.
Not as brutal as the 1098 and 1198, this smaller superbike will still make you pay if you fail to remain attentive to your riding and the machine. This isn't a bike on which you can relax; you have to ride this motorcycle.
The 848Evo probably a little much to handle for me, is better suited for the track, and I spend a fair amount of time bitching about some of its more Italian quirks.
Ducati isn't for everyone. Some people will always be happier on an in-line four. Others prefer the Triumph and MV Agusta triples.
And the 848Evo is all Ducati.
But for me, there is nothing else that compares. There is no feeling like it; you'll grin from the time you start that desmo engine to when the ride is complete. And a few more hours after that.
The final analysis: I love my 848Evo. But it is a bike best suited for people who not only love motorcycles and love to ride them, but who love to ride Ducati.
Cheers!
(This is topped only by watching someone else ride off on your motorcycle. Doesn't matter if its friend, family, or a guy who you know can ride circles, backwards, blindfolded, and handcuffed, around you. It is never ever a good feeling.)
This past weekend, I deposited my 2011 Ducati Evo848, Giovanni, into the care of the Duc Pond Ducati shop in Winchester, Virginia. It is the first time anyone other than the guys at Ducati Forza in Pompano Beach, Florida, will have cracked open Giovanni's fairings to mess with his innards.
The Duc Pond was highly recommended to me by a number of long-time Ducati riders and experienced racers. I know that Giovanni will be fine. I was also very tempted to load Gio onto the Amtrak Auto Train, running between D.C. and Orlando, and ride him to Ducati Forza for his first major appointment.
Alas, time and money were not on my side. Giovanni was going to have to undergo his 7,500-mile service someplace new with unknown persons messing with his belts and adjusting his valves. I think the service manager thought he was going to have to pry me off my motorcycle and physically remove me from the premises.
If I can't ride Giovanni, I can write about him. And, after 7,500-miles, and 10-months, it seems like an opportune time to contemplate a Long-Term Review for my Ducati 848Evo.
First, the add-ons. Because as awesome as the 848Evo is, it's not quite out-of-the-crate ready.
The 848Evo enjoys a 10-pony advantage over the 848. Except EPA noise regulations resulted in longer, horsepower-killing, exhaust cans. The cans were also hideously clunky and didn't sound all that Ducati fabulous.
Solution: Termignoni carbon fiber slash-cut slip-ons.
The Termis not only improved sound and appearence, but performance was markedly better, too. Maybe it was the re-awakening of those extra 10 ponies or a far better tune than the stock ECU, but the new chip and cans resulted in a superior motorcycle ride.
The clutch and brake levers were more something engineers fished out of the factory throw-away parts bin than levers one would expect to find on a svelte Italian superbike as mechanized art.
And, as a girl, I also have smaller hands than the average Ducati rider, making oversized, chunky levers a riding annoyance as well as visual eyesore.
Solution: CRG roll-a-click adjustable levers.
The levers now look like they belong on the bike and not at a swap meet. My left hand isn't cramped beyond recognition after five minutes in traffic.
A higher performance slave clutch cylinder will further smooth things out and make for an easier clutch pull. Not critical, and I've survived 7,500-miles without it. But it is a future modification.
Short legs made the peg placement nearly unbearable. Gilles adjustable rearsets shifted the footpegs forward and up. Now I'm not driving myself into the tank every time I put weight on the pegs unless I first plunk my butt so far back in the saddle I can barely reach the bars.
Included with the package: better shifting and the carbon fiber accents are hot.
The Ducati Performance SBK racing seat was a big help in maintaining body position as well.
A Puig smoke double bubble windscreen provides a higher ceiling of rider wind protection. And I replaced the silver windscreen screws. With black, of course.
As for the Pirelli Diablo Supercorse SP tires? Love them!
Mechanically the bike has been nearly problem-free. An oil change and slight adjustment to the timing belt were the only two issues addressed between the 600-mile break-in service and the first big service at 7,500-miles.
Keeping the 848Evo Dark Stealth clean and spot-free has been a challenge. Any cleaner that includes a shine or wax component will render the bike a streaky mess.
Mild brake cleaner will eliminate those streaks, but add a few new swirls, which are virtually impossible to rub out. I finally asked Ducati North America's service guru what to use. He said any mild dish washing soap would do.
Yep, I wash my Ducati Superbike with Dawn dish soap. And it works like a charm.
While the Ducati 848Evo detests traffic and does not hesitate to alert the rider to its unhappiness by streaming scorching air directly to the rider's legs, the 848Evo is feloniously happy when let loose on backroads, twisties, and sweepers, and remains rail-smooth and utterly unflappable in turns.
(I refuse to take Giovanni on a track until I have enough savings to pay for his repairs, but I have to believe that reports of the 848Evo being a superior track bike to its time as a streetbike are true. Faster on an 848Evo is better; its geared high for the street, and rarely do you have opportunity to take advantage of the stock Brembo Monobloc brakes.)
As long as the bike is moving at above-legal speeds, the 848Evo is a comfortable ride. I've put more than 600-miles on it in a single day and not wanted to shoot myself or the bike afterward.
Despite Ducatis reputation for temperamental attitude and unreliable constitution, you can run this Ducati as a tour bike for multiple days and it won't flinch or stall. Or try to toss you.
The only hitch with touring 848Evo-style is that the motorcycle is deceptively fast, a product of a tamer mid-range torque from the 848Evo's predecessor and utter confidence with which the 848Evo consumes pavement.
Think you're doing 85mph? Try again.
Your bike just topped 115mph. And that speeding ticket exceeded your monthly rent.
(Unless you hit the improved 10,500 peak rev, in which case, you know exactly that you are going sick fast and increasing speed with stomach-dropping intensity.)
The biggest negative with 848Evo is the cost and relentlessness of its service intervals. Even if you choose not to ride your Ducati 848Evo often, after two years, whether you've reached 7,500-miles or not, you will still need to bring your Duc in for its service.
Painful. After a few of these maintenances, and a couple Pirelli tires, you start feeling like you could've bought a second motorcycle with the money that went in to keeping your Ducati on the road.
Ducati has addressed the service issue in the past year, introducing engines that do not require a major maintenance until 15,000-miles. This is an outstanding development and I am looking forward to someday owning one of these Ducati models.
In the meantime, I am stuck with the 848Evo's service schedule. But it is more than worth it.
Not as brutal as the 1098 and 1198, this smaller superbike will still make you pay if you fail to remain attentive to your riding and the machine. This isn't a bike on which you can relax; you have to ride this motorcycle.
The 848Evo probably a little much to handle for me, is better suited for the track, and I spend a fair amount of time bitching about some of its more Italian quirks.
Ducati isn't for everyone. Some people will always be happier on an in-line four. Others prefer the Triumph and MV Agusta triples.
And the 848Evo is all Ducati.
But for me, there is nothing else that compares. There is no feeling like it; you'll grin from the time you start that desmo engine to when the ride is complete. And a few more hours after that.
The final analysis: I love my 848Evo. But it is a bike best suited for people who not only love motorcycles and love to ride them, but who love to ride Ducati.
Cheers!