Last Updated: 6/18/07

My brother Tom recently purchased a new Ducati 1098s, and I just got a chance to ride it yesterday afternoon around the scenic, (if not somewhat straight), byways of Flagler County, Fl.  The bike felt great from the start, I didn't think the seating position was as severe as on my R1.  The seat was wide, if not a little hard, but provided reasonable comfort for this type of motorcycle.  The bike looked and felt well put together and tight.  The quality of workmanship was impressive.  The desmo takes a little getting used to coming from a steady diet of inline fours.  First off, it makes a racket, from the clatter of the dry clutch, to the clacking valves, it lets you know its alive.  It runs smooth though, and revs quick, and there's a much different feeling from the v-twin power pulses.  The bike was light and responsive, a blast to ride.  It has the look and feel of an exotic, and draws the attention of everyone from the casual observer to the Harley cut-off tee shirt crowd.  Anyone can appreciate such a well designed and thoroughly engineered machine.  We're going to have to fit a mountain trip in soon so I can get a good dose of what it's like to ride in the twisties and wear the tires in properly. 

Me pretending like I own it.