Thread: I decided to get a Ducati....

Best advice! Here in the uk at certain ages your not allowed to ride the big boys toys and it's a very good idea! I pottered around on a small used bike for nearly 1 year before jumping on my 900 brand new!

GWalkaa

Been riding for 10 years... I ride a BMWR1100S and a Ducati Monster until I got T-boned in August by an SUV... I'm lucky to be walking, never mind alive!

People are right, its usually not you, but you can reduce your chances by learning on a more forgiving bike.

That being said, the BMW was my first, and now only...

Some ducatis are fine for first bikes but start with something a little smaller like a small monster.
Not all ducatis are rockets. I bought my wife a monster for her first bike.

I started on a gsxr600 and I'm still here to talk about it...I also crashed it once, but I rode it fairly responsibly and it wasn't a big deal.
If you take it slow, take an MSF course, and don't ride over your head you will be fine.

Originally Posted by Mburr

Been riding for 10 years... I ride a BMWR1100S and a Ducati Monster until I got T-boned in August by an SUV... I'm lucky to be walking, never mind alive!

People are right, its usually not you, but you can reduce your chances by learning on a more forgiving bike.

glad you walked away from that one.


however, saying its usually not you is totally wrong.

Close to 90% of motorcycle accidents could have been avoided by the rider themselves. In other words, in most cases if the rider had done something differently, its most likely it wouldnt have resulted in an accident.

like not tailgating, or riding in someones blind spot, excessive speeding, lane splitting (though legal here in CA at low speed, Ive seen many people do it at 80 mph), weaving in and out of traffic, riding outside your skill level, riding outside your bikes mechanical ability, or over-riding your tires/suspension/brakes. ignorance about proper tire compounds/pressures/wear, braking vs. suspension and acceleration. Not to mention, trying to show off to other bikers, or cars with chics in them, or just generally doing something stupid, like wheelies on the freeway in 5 pm traffic.


the truth of it is, most accidents are avoidable by the educated and mature motorcycle rider. Im not saying that you could have avoided getting T boned, as I dont know the story, and Im sure youre an intelligent and responsible rider, but Im sure youve heard some of the horror stories I have from sportbike riders about getting in an accident......only to really read between the lines.

"that old lady just looked right at me, put her blinker on and turned right into me, I had no where to go"

"well, maybe you shouldnt have been doing 90 mph on one wheel through a residential neighborhood"


I know its extreme but I was just trying to bring the point home.

I've owned an R6, an R1, 2 GSXR's, an MV Agusta, a Duc 1098 and 1198. By far, my favorite was the 2006 GSXR600. I had about 4k into it in performance upgrades, and it was lowered about 3 inches, but I felt that it out performed the others. The MV Agusta got HOT AS **** after riding for longer than an hour. The Duc's had the best styling, but I really enjoyed the GSXR and R1 the most. Just food for thought.

The first bike I ever owned was a 2008 Ducati 848, but I've ridden dirt bikes since I was young and a few street bikes along the way. Ducati's are great bikes. I still own my 848 and now I have a 2009 1198, but if you are just learning, I suggest something a little different. Maybe something you don't mind getting a few scratches on, because trust me, it'll happen

This my first post so....HEY.....now,like a lot of people are saying,start off with something else and work your way up. I know its tempting ,standing there staring at a shiny new Duc.But if you haven't been riding, start of with something used. You can learn , sell the bike and not really loose much.I've been riding since I was 4 and my worst accident was caused by someone else taking me out resulting in a broken neck.I'm walking around just fine but there was alot of nerve damage done and the pain NEVER stops. Whatever you choose, take a safety course, get the best gear you can ....and wear it. It saved my life

My first bike was a Suzuki SV650-S. Great bike to learn on.

Also don't let everyone scare you. I have ridden for 4+ years, never dropped the bike, no scratches, close calls, etc. And I live in CA with the worst drivers. It takes a certain bit of confidence to be a good rider and to be very attentive. A good rider will always try to calculate and predict every possible outcome on the fly and not put yourself in a spot where you can't manage. The guys who blast down between the car pool in traffic doing 75 while everyone else is doing 25 are the stupid ones. Like everyone else said, start on a less powerful bike as you need to get used to balance, weight distribution, turning, throttle control, etc. On motorcycles, when people panic, the first thing they want to do is pull or squeeze on the handle bars. If you have a bike with some big power you can expect to be on your ass or in someone else's very quick. Take some time and go up in the canyons early mornings to get used to leaning and shifting your weight. A motorcycle can be as dangerous as you want it to be. And like someone else said, all gear all the time. I don't always use that rule but I don't think I went anywhere without the jacket at least. Get a lesser bike and the highest quality gear. Just my .02

*EDIT: This thread was from over 5 months ago...I need to start paying attention to that. Worthless post then --^