Alpha's thougnhts on the '07 Ducati lineup

[Alphamazing]

After working here at DucatiAustin for a while now I've had a chance to ride a number of Ducatis, as well as have to push them around the shop. Most of my rides aren't for very long (around the shop, down the street), but these are my initial impressions of each model based on my experiences with them and what I've gathered from our techs and my own conclusions.

Supersport 800
This would be an excellent transition from the GS500. It has a similar engine, 2-valves-per-cylinder air cooled twin, just with a bit more pep to it (77HP and 54 lb-ft). For the street, the 800 engine is just fine, offering controllable low end torque with an easy to modulate hydraulic wet clutch. Since most of the GS crowd seems to want to transfer to supersports, this would fit the bill pretty nicely. It has a long reach to the bars (seriously, like, long reach is long), and the clip ons are surprisingly low. With high quality 43mm forks and a fully adjustable Showa shock, handling is no doubt going to be just fine for street riding. The fuel injection is smooth, and the hydraulic clutch makes clutch slipping easy. With an MSRP of $8500 it is on par with most supersports, plus you get the Ducati name along with it. Brakes are fine for your average street duty, with 2x 320mm discs and four-pot calipers.

ST3
I will never buy an ST3. Ever. Poor fit and finish, and the bars hit the inner fairing at full lock left and right. Heavy, hard to push around, and a long wheelbase.

ST3S ABS
All the crappiness of the standard ST3, just with better suspension and ABS. I would never consider one of these as a venerable sport tourer. FJR is better in every way.

Sport 1000
I love this bike. Not only does it mate an excellent engine, the 1000DS, to a nice chassis, but it looks awesome while doing it. Another excellent step up from the GS, the 1000DS engine puts out 92HP and 67.3 HP, and pretty much all of it is readily available in the rev range. The clip ons are raised a bit, but it still has the typical Ducati reach to the tank (looong), which will take some getting used to. It's not as much of a torture rack as the S1000S is, but it's still pretty damned aggressive. High quality brakes and suspension components will satisfy all but the most demanding riders. The inverted forks are non-adjustable, but the rear shock is. The seat is narrow in the front, helping shorter riders get their feet down, but riding close to the tank can cause easy pinching of the unmentionables. Riding a passenger is not recommended. It comes straight out of the box looking awesome, with bar end mirrors and a sweet paintjob, the attention to detail is excellent. If I had my choice, I'd get the Special Edition gold and black Monoposto version. Mmm, sexy.

Sport 1000S
Same as above, just with even LOWER bars, a half fairing, and monoposto only. It's pretty much the Paul Smart for '07, minus the blingy suspension and paint. The riding position on this bike is pure sport. Extremely low clipons and a long reach to the bars force you into a aggressive tuck, unless you want to look like a poser and ride stiff armed. Ducati Performance's full fairing kit makes it look straight out of the 70s. The SportClassic line went to a wet clutch in 2007 (except the Sport 1000 SE, which retained the dry clutch), so look for an '06 if you want the dry clutch ching-ching-ching.

GT1000
Same engine and chassis as the Sport 1000, just with higher bars, a wider and more comfortable seat, and a wider tank. In all seriousness, it feels like a bigger, sexier GS, just with twice the engine and better suspension and tire selection. Nice, comfortable upright seating position, cushy seat, and a place for a passenger.

Multistrada 1100/S
I love this bike the more I ride it. I've spent more time on this one than any of the others (we have a demo bike), and it's just an amazing all around bike. The engine has PLENTY of pull to it for my needs, and can easily throttle wheelie itself if you get too happy with your throttle hand. Sweet ass single sided swingarm looks awesome as can be, the dry clutch rattle, the sound of a Ducati L-twin, carbon fiber bits sprinkled about, and fully adjustable Ohlins front and rear make this bike awesome all over. Compared to the GS it's MUCH bigger. It's taller, but has a narrow seat. It's bigger, more roomy, and I could easily pack on miles onto one of them. I still haven't gotten over just how damn ugly the Multistrada is, but when I ride it I don't care. It's just an absolutely fantastically competent all around bike. The base model doesn't come with the CF bling or the Ohlins, but either would be excellent choices for an all arounder. Definitely competitive with the V-Strom 1000.

I'll get to the Monsters, 1098s, and the Hypermotard later

[Johnny5]

I love that Special Edition, love it!

Interested to see your thoughts on the Monsters.

[brett]

I'm planning on getting a new bike at the end of the year. I'm gonna look at a few other brands, but I plan on walking into the Ducati dealership and saying, "Except for the sport tourers, I want to look at every single bike you sell." I could see myself on pretty much any of them save the 1098, but maybe I can string 'em along for a 1098 test ride. (Hah! In my dreams.)

[spc]

Thanks for the insider look alpha, keep it coming.  Great information

[sys49152]

Wow.  I was totally sold on the ST3 -- on paper it seems like the perfect sport touring bike.  Great power, sporty riding position without being painful, sexy looks and gorgeous matching hard luggage.  Fit and finish issues?  That's pretty damn disappointing.  And the bars hitting at full lock.. ridiculous.

I still don't think it's fair to compare it to the FJR.  That's an entirely different beast especially if you still want to hit the canyons at a reasonable pace.  I guess the VFR is still king, or maybe the Sprint?  I'm sort of torn between which one of these bikes will work best for someone that wants to transition away from a 600 sport bike to something a bit more comfortable but with enough flickability for the occasional canyon thrashing.

Thanks for the review though. 

[bettingpython]

I am not the fastest guy around but most people don't have to wait on me. I rode a 1000 mile trip through north central Arkansas and southern Missouri last fall and a friend of mine rode his FJR. It is an extremely good handling bike we swapped machines for a 60 mile stretch and once I was comfortable throwing a big bike around again I must say it was stunning.  Don't knock the FJR till you try it

[sys49152]

Fair enough, point taken.  I haven't tried either bike so I really cannot comment from first hand experience.  My previous boss does ride a '97 VFR and recently did a road trip through Australia on a rented FJR.  He loved it for the comfort but missed the sportiness of his VFR.  He also felt that it uncomfortably heavy to handle in the city.  I'm sure he'd get use to it given enough time though.

[Unnamed]

What is the supersport 800? I haven't heard anything about it in magazines and it doesn't seem to be on the Ducati website... their only 800 I'm seeing there is the Monster.

[Alphamazing]

What is the supersport 800? I haven't heard anything about it in magazines and it doesn't seem to be on the Ducati website... their only 800 I'm seeing there is the Monster.

www.ducatiusa.com

Goin' to bed, I'll answer all questions and finish updates tomorrow.

[Mk1inCali]

As an owner of an '00 ST2, I agree that the ST3 is less impressive than the older ST2 or ST4 or ST4s, and I'll sound like a Ducati fan-boy saying this, but do you have more than one each of the ST3 and ST3s?  I've seen some Ducatis that are definitely "Friday or Monday" builds, but for the bulk of the bikes I've seen (quite a few, being a member of a couple different SoCal Duc groups and attending the meetings, plus scouring SoCal for a 1098S over the past 2 months for a friend) have been nothing but top-quality.

[Alphamazing]

As an owner of an '00 ST2, I agree that the ST3 is less impressive than the older ST2 or ST4 or ST4s, and I'll sound like a Ducati fan-boy saying this, but do you have more than one each of the ST3 and ST3s?  I've seen some Ducatis that are definitely "Friday or Monday" builds, but for the bulk of the bikes I've seen (quite a few, being a member of a couple different SoCal Duc groups and attending the meetings, plus scouring SoCal for a 1098S over the past 2 months for a friend) have been nothing but top-quality.

The ST2 has the same problem of having the bars hit the fairing at full lock. The ST4S we had in the shop didn't have this problem. My experience with the ST3s is based off the ST2s and ST4s we've had in the shop, since they are practically the same bike, just with a different engine. Even though the ST4S didn't exhibit the fairing clearance issue, the panels on it weren't all that well put together, and some of the components were rust prone (passenger footpegs). I'm just not overall impressed with the overall quality of the ST line.

[Unnamed]

What is the supersport 800? I haven't heard anything about it in magazines and it doesn't seem to be on the Ducati website... their only 800 I'm seeing there is the Monster.

www.ducatiusa.com

Goin' to bed, I'll answer all questions and finish updates tomorrow.

If I could afford this I would not only pee myself but put down a deposit immediately. I hate not having money...

[Mk1inCali]

I've never seen an old-style (pre-'02) that hit the bars either direction.  Maybe the example you saw had been dropped and repaired, with a slightly bent fairing stay?

I haven't examined the new-style fairings enough to see where they would hit (I assume the levers are hitting the upper just behind the mirror mounts).

[Alphamazing]

I've never seen an old-style (pre-'02) that hit the bars either direction.  Maybe the example you saw had been dropped and repaired, with a slightly bent fairing stay?

I haven't examined the new-style fairings enough to see where they would hit (I assume the levers are hitting the upper just behind the mirror mounts).

It wouldn't have been mentioned had I not seen it in more than one bike. Neither had been dropped, and everything was in working condition. Both exhibited the same fairing clearance. And yes, the levers (the parts that DON'T move) would smack into the inner fairing.

[Mk1inCali]

Odd.  Well, good reviews, keep riding 'em and checking them out.  Bound to be "that one" for you to really really dig, whatever it is.


Multi grows on you, definitely.

[natedawg120]

I have seen a couple of the SuperSport 800s around here and I like the looks.  There just aren't any Ducati places that are conviently close enough for me to go look at them, so i'll probably go with the SV1000S when I upgrade

[Unnamed]

This isn't directly a bike question, but I love one of the t shirts on Ducati's website- this one. They say it's not available online and I'm not getting any hits on ebay, does your store carry them by any chance, or do you know where I might be able to get one?

[Alphamazing]

This isn't directly a bike question, but I love one of the t shirts on Ducati's website- this one. They say it's not available online and I'm not getting any hits on ebay, does your store carry them by any chance, or do you know where I might be able to get one?

You can get one through me, actually. I'm the eBay/Online Sales guy. Best price I can get for you is cost + 40%. Shipping should be ~$5 for USPS Priority Mail. Red? Black? Size?

Send me a PM and I'll call ya from work today and we can get it worked out.