TRACK DAZE
Ducati Day with Elite SportbikeJim RichardsonPage 4
continued...
SPORTCLASSIC GT 1000 TOURING This tamer version of the SportClassic, Ducati’s attempt at a retro-standard, didn’t much appeal to me but it was the only bike available for my third session; I took it. I didn’t  expect much – it has a windscreen, ferchrissakes and accommodations for saddlebags. It also has a proper handlebar, an upright seating position and a very “Swinging Sixties” sort of vibe. But it ended up being the surprise of the day. Sure, I felt a bit silly, riding around Talladega in full racing regalia, knee-pucks and all, on what essentially looks like a refugee prop from a vintage Fellini movie; the kind with scary clowns and moody Europeans smoking cigarettes. But to my amazement, the experience took on a pleasure all its own. We may crave horsepower and lean angle at the track but in the real world these attributes require a certain design compromise that can be annoying on the street. Try riding your R6 anywhere at anything less than 12K or trolling around town from light to light in city traffic and tell me, honestly, how much fun it is. While it’s not going to set any lap records, the GT 1000 makes perfect sense as an everyday rider. The bike is comfortable, has a wide, useable powerband and enough juice to defy any state or federal speed limit. It also handles nimbly if not tautly. Sure, it’s a Duck out of water on the track, but you could commute to work on this machine every day or take a month off and ride it from Key West to Alaska if you were so inclined. DUCATI 848 I saved the best for last. Having previously experienced my buddy’s 1098, I wondered what it would be like to ride the machine that all the glossy magazines have called one of the best deals around; a bike with nearly the power of the 1098 and less weight. Unfortunately, the test ride sessions were scheduled immediately after my group’s track session, and despite having our personal Pit Wenches standing by at the Ducati truck with rearstands ready to hoist the bikes while we dismounted and made the sprint to our Italian steeds, both I and another rider arrived precisely as the control rider got under way.
|