Sunday 15 May 2005

Look before you leap

Yesterday I went to look at this:



Scruffy but nice in a well used and comfy sort of way. It also had a big crack in the swing arm (the bit holding the back wheel to the frame, for non-bikers) which the seller (genuinely, I think) hadn't spotted. Wups. That's a pulled auction then.

There's something about Ducatis that slightly scares me. They're all nuts and bolts and solid engineering, rather than plastic and electronics and clever manufacturing like japanese bikes. But they're also rare and clever and EXPENSIVE to fix. I have a few doubts about longevity in a climate that seems to include a lot of damp.

I've had a lot of bikes in the past, to the point where I've stopped counting. But this one felt different from anything: long and low, with heels just under your bum. Weight wasn't bad - probably less than the last 500 I owned, but with about double the power :-) It also had a set of open race cans on (sounded completely glorious) and the mechanicals were all quiet. We'll see. If I'm still looking when he replaces the swing arm then I might be interested after all. However I suspect I'll be looking at a Triumph sports-tourer instead.

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