SeekingFire Ducati Blog
First Impressions: The Riders Perspective
October 01, 2007
The brand-new Ducati 900 Campione del Mundo Desmodue Supersport double-barreled magnum Cafe Racer filled me with feelings of lust every time I looked at it. Others felt the same way. My garage quickly became a magnet for drooling superbike groupies. They quarreled and bitched at each other about who would be the first to help me evaluate my new toy... And I did, of course, need a certain spectrum of opinions, besides my own, to properly judge this motorcycle.
[PIC from the top, looking down] Everything feels tiny [PIC of controls] The light weight The “long” feel The riders saddle Similarly, the passenger seat Seat is comfortable, passengers seem to like it too. Tendency to slide forward under braking, probably due to the pronounced fork dive. Narrows at the front which is great for shorter riders like myself. The riding position Footpegs (both sets) Mirrors The reach to the clutch and brake levers are adjustable on both bikes but on the Ducati the differences between the settings seem too large. On the clutch, for example, 2 of the 4 possible settings fall out of the range of common sense unless one enjoys squashed fingers. [PIC of adjustable levers] The foot controls are also adjustable. Both controls are set very high from the factory. The gear selector has the traditional threaded rod and adjusted it works great with no binding or other issues. The brake lever has problems with the brake light switch, the angle gets worse and worse as you lower the control. I’ve got it as low as I can without risking the brake light switch and I’ll have to rig up a better connection between the two to get the few extra millimeters of rotation downwards that I want. It has a wet clutch which has, in theory, reduced effort and quieter operation over previous years. That’s a mixed bag as on one hand the sound of a dry clutch (some would call it a horrible rattle but they just don’t understand, or I’m told) has been associated with Ducatis for years and on the other hand if this is the reduced lever effort I’d hate to see what they had before! The clutch on the Bandit was much lighter, and that’s not due to wear—it was rebuilt within the last ten thousand kilometers. The ST3 clutch gives excellent feel, however, and has never even hinted at slipping inappropriately. Integrated luggage came standard with the ST3. Sadly, the luggage uses a separate key from the ignition and the clasp is fairly finicky. The luggage will just barely hold my large Shoei RF1000 helmet if I position everything carefully. It’s also possible to remove the saddlebags (or panniers, depending on whether you speak the Queen’s English or the President’s English) and raise the pipes up for more clearance. That’s an innovative idea that highlights the sporting intentions of the Ducati designers. I’ve found the integrated luggage so useful, though, that I can’t see myself ever removing them. I don’t have to carry my helmet and rain gear around with me everywhere anymore, and that brings a sense of freedom that makes using the bike more practical. It’s my first bike with real luggage and I’m now a believer. Having a European-style headlight flashing trigger on the left grip is a novel experience for me. I’ve used one on a Buell but never had one on my own bikes. It’s small and nicely out of the way of the primary controls. It might be useful one day for signaling while keeping a hand firmly on the other controls. Windscreen and fairing coverage Instrument cluster U-lock under seat Accessory socket (and the second secret one!) Heated grips fuse, awesome idea.
