Just saw a Desmo

[Stevieboy34]

I just saw a Desmo Ducati pulled over near my house so I pulled the ute over the check it out. I have to say,it was an awesome looking bit of gear. He has the race exhaust about to go on, the thing looks sick!!! The forks are full GP spec Ohlins Gas Canister items, Motec style dash with telemetry...

God, I want one afterseeing it!

[SSKIDD]

Get any pic's? :D

[Alex81]

They are a nice bike and worth 100k to boot

[knute]

a little orange single goes past my place most days

very nice sound and looks

but that l.h. kickstart...sheesh

[LC308]

One of my customer's mates own one, i'm told i know him. I seen seen it 3 time and it sound like nothing else on the road (music to the ears), sound like a quite GP bike. It's a work of art.

One of my customers said he has rode it at the Island not long ago. His bloke can ride pretty fast and said it scared him it was that fast.

Another mate has been on track at the island with it. He said it pass him down the the strait and was gone.

They always build the best looking bikes. The only stuff is the 999 which was designed by a yank for the US market, what a f#$k up that was

[vz300]

AHHHHH still nothing beats the old bevel drives, 750 ss, 79 Mike Hailwood Replica, 900 ss now they were bikes........ My old man use to build them, show quality and works of art won many a trophy up here in Queensland.

There going for a mint these days.

[macca_779]

:worthless:

[SLugg]

hmmm lets see noisy harsh , expensive to service yeah its italian all right

[Stevieboy34]

I didnt get a pic as my phone is poo poo...:bawl:

I have to say I always used to be a Jap bike only man... But the last 18months or so have really openned my eyes. I think the stigma ofthe old Ducati crap reliability etc days are over... 1198 is a great bike, albeit considerably more expensive that an R1 etc.

At the moment, my current idea is to race a RVS4 Factory... Mmmmmm!!!

V4!!! Sounds sweet!

Pure MotoGp baby! I got right up next to Biaggi's at the Word Superbikes and they are Horn looking, very tiny too. Like a GP bike!

[LC308]

Aprilia reliability is f@#ked. I bought a RXV450 in July 07 (NEW) and they fixed it and i got it back fixed July 09.

It was in the shops 15+ times and never fixed, wouldn't start cold. In the end the dealer told me not to bring it back. It's now done 1200k and i have never got 2 tanks of fuel with something going wrong. Lost the front pot last time i rode it. It was only the sparkplug boot but it end stops, been through over 10 set of plugs

[Pickles]

A mate of mine has a 1098R...spent $3.5k on a special exhaust....a beautiful bit of machinery.....a two wheel Ferrari I reckon!
Cheers, Pickles.

[Stevieboy34]

Aprilia reliability is f@#ked. I bought a RXV450 in July 07 (NEW) and they fixed it and i got it back fixed July 09.

It was in the shops 15+ times and never fixed, wouldn't start cold. In the end the dealer told me not to bring it back. It's now done 1200k and i have never got 2 tanks of fuel with something going wrong. Lost the front pot last time i rode it. It was only the sparkplug boot but it end stops, been through over 10 set of plugs

Wow! What a shocker. Nothing worse than that. Sometimes certain models or even a individual bike can justbe a freekin lemon that sucks!

Saying that though, I know a mate who on his first ride of his RSV4 it blew and oil seal and his day was finished before it started... But they look so good:bow:

Sorry to hear about your bike, I say flogg it and get something else!!! I guess you really cant beat a Honda etc for reliability...

[Scoots]

I have no idea how they are road legal, they are soooo loud stock! Not that its a bad thing :P

[KMA]

Aprilia reliability is f@#ked. I bought a RXV450 in July 07 (NEW) and they fixed it and i got it back fixed July 09.

It was in the shops 15+ times and never fixed, wouldn't start cold. In the end the dealer told me not to bring it back. It's now done 1200k and i have never got 2 tanks of fuel with something going wrong. Lost the front pot last time i rode it. It was only the sparkplug boot but it end stops, been through over 10 set of plugs

The RXV were real shitters in 06 to 07. They got them sorted in 08 but there's a lot of maintenance to keep them running well.
Aprilia's these days are pretty good like the RSV4 and the twins in the Dorso' and Shiver.
I rode a Shiver a couple of months ago and it was a really comfortable bike.

As for the Desmo's, well all Ducs after about 1950 were desmos.
With an extra cam to close the valves known as the desmodromic system.
Wether the cams are driven by bevel gears like the early models or rubber tooth belts like they have been for the last 25 years makes no difference, there all still Desmos.
So if you see a Ducati, it's a desmo, no matter the model.

Service intervals these days are 12000kms and even though the servicing will cost you around $800 each time, it's a price worth paying for riding a Ducati.
Nothing handles, or sounds like a Duc', and nothing drives you out of a corner better than a Desmo V-twin.
I've owned 7 over the last 25 years, 2 valves and 4 valves, and would never have a Jap bike in my garage.

PS. ...and by the way, the 999's rocked, I had a '05 749s a few years back, same series, and the bike was a beast.
It would hit 160kmh in second gear and handled like it was on rails.
They look gorgeous in real life when your standing next to one.