TRACK DAZE
Ducati Day with Elite SportbikeJim RichardsonPage 3
continued... I could go into greater detail and further complaint but that would only antagonize the Monster’s rabid acolytes. Suffice it to say that there was so little fun to be had that I came into the pits early, eager to get off of the thing. The Monster is supposed to be Ducati’s bread-and-butter, with thousands sold, their profits propping up the company and giving it the luxury of creating legends like the 1098R, the desmosedici and Casey Stoner. Personally, I think I could have more fun on a 250 Ninja. But maybe I’m biased.
DUCATI SPORTCLASSIC 1000 A friend of mine has a Paul Smart Limited Edition Sport Classic, a teal-and-silver beauty with a sexy bikini fairing and Termigoni pipes. I’d never ridden it, but I’d sat on it and, upon stretching across the tank to reach the clip-ons,  decided the thing was probably modeled after a long-lost medieval blueprint for one of The Inquisition’s more clever devices, the sort which could cause immense pain while not leaving a mark. Then I rode the basic model, which is essentially the same bike without the fairing and fancy paintwork. It was magic. I wouldn’t want to try an Iron Butt rally on the thing, but on the track, the riding position feels completely natural. I could move on it. I could even have dragged a knee, if I wasn’t under the watchful eyes of the Ducati control riders, who also tried to limit the speed to a liability-insurance-friendly 80 mph. Taking a moment to let the control rider get a bit of a gap and then opening the throttle was a revelation. This is more like what a V-twin should be. In fact, it quickly reached the ton before riding up the tail of the control rider, all the while feeling solid and composed, except for the vibro-massage coming through the footpegs which was actually kinda nice. In a manly, Italian sort of way, of course. I wanted to break free of the control rider. I wanted to see just what this nifty retro-café racer would do when really pushed. Fortunately for their insurer and my wallet, my left brain prevailed and I stuck to the rules. But I could own one of these. Oh yes.
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