Mike Robins
New member
blimey........
i am nearly lost for words. i picked up the RC8 today. it is an amazing bike to ride. i bought it because it's a bike of the moment and i like the "stealth fighter" styling. as far as i am concerned those factors are now utterly irrelevant. it is a sublime ride. i cannot praise it enough.
here's the background. i came back to biking 2 years ago after passing my test on a Suzuki GP100 (remeber them?) in 1986. then in 2006 I bought a 999R, followed by a 1098S, then 1098R. I've only ever ridden Ducatis in the sportsbike cataogory. I accept that I probably haven't got enough talent to appreciate how to ride these beautiful motorcycles that well. however, i've become a Knockhill trackday devotee to try and improve my riding skills as the pace hots up. But the thing is it's always been difficult for me to get the buggers 'round the corners. on the road it's worse to be honest, i've lost count of teh times that i've literally been papping me breeks as i approach a sweeper at a good speed, wondering if i'm gonna make it round in one piece. i've never been totally confident of the front ends and it always feels like i'm wrestling the bike for superiority.
all that changed today, totally. from the second I climbed on the RC8 it fell into corners with pin point accuracy. the front end feels like its on rails. i felt like weeping with joy. it's nothing short of a personal revelation. i feel that i can now ride a motorcycle. stunning!
the bike feels smaller than the 1098. how I imagine a GSXR750 feels like. i'm running it in, so no more than 6k revs. in top gear that's 10mph lower than the 1098R that i'm also running in with the same rev limit. there's a bit less power in the RC8 in this lower part of the rev range, but somehow the bike's more usuable on the road as a result. i have the RC8 set in track mode, with hard suspension settings and high pegs and I like it that way. it feels nice and stiff and properly focused (a bit like me riding such a good bike!!). The gearbox isn't as precise as the 1098R and I had a few failed clutchless shifts up the box. I didn't try any downshifts without the clutch. the clutch by the way is very , very light.
so, after 2 short rides on my 2 new bikes i'm blown away by the RC8. it's less than 1/2 the price of the R and in terms of fit and finish I guess the right Ducati to compare it to is the 1098 which is just £1k more. The RC8 has great White Power goodies, so in a way i think that it's more like a 1098S in terms of spec. Which ever way you look at it, it's a reletive bargain.
The killer point for me here is that I can't wait to get up tomorrow and ride my new bike. The issue for the big part of me that is a Ducatisti, is that the bike i'll take out is the KTM.
better go and join the KTM forum I guess. seriously guys, you have to try out the KTM.
M
i am nearly lost for words. i picked up the RC8 today. it is an amazing bike to ride. i bought it because it's a bike of the moment and i like the "stealth fighter" styling. as far as i am concerned those factors are now utterly irrelevant. it is a sublime ride. i cannot praise it enough.
here's the background. i came back to biking 2 years ago after passing my test on a Suzuki GP100 (remeber them?) in 1986. then in 2006 I bought a 999R, followed by a 1098S, then 1098R. I've only ever ridden Ducatis in the sportsbike cataogory. I accept that I probably haven't got enough talent to appreciate how to ride these beautiful motorcycles that well. however, i've become a Knockhill trackday devotee to try and improve my riding skills as the pace hots up. But the thing is it's always been difficult for me to get the buggers 'round the corners. on the road it's worse to be honest, i've lost count of teh times that i've literally been papping me breeks as i approach a sweeper at a good speed, wondering if i'm gonna make it round in one piece. i've never been totally confident of the front ends and it always feels like i'm wrestling the bike for superiority.
all that changed today, totally. from the second I climbed on the RC8 it fell into corners with pin point accuracy. the front end feels like its on rails. i felt like weeping with joy. it's nothing short of a personal revelation. i feel that i can now ride a motorcycle. stunning!
the bike feels smaller than the 1098. how I imagine a GSXR750 feels like. i'm running it in, so no more than 6k revs. in top gear that's 10mph lower than the 1098R that i'm also running in with the same rev limit. there's a bit less power in the RC8 in this lower part of the rev range, but somehow the bike's more usuable on the road as a result. i have the RC8 set in track mode, with hard suspension settings and high pegs and I like it that way. it feels nice and stiff and properly focused (a bit like me riding such a good bike!!). The gearbox isn't as precise as the 1098R and I had a few failed clutchless shifts up the box. I didn't try any downshifts without the clutch. the clutch by the way is very , very light.
so, after 2 short rides on my 2 new bikes i'm blown away by the RC8. it's less than 1/2 the price of the R and in terms of fit and finish I guess the right Ducati to compare it to is the 1098 which is just £1k more. The RC8 has great White Power goodies, so in a way i think that it's more like a 1098S in terms of spec. Which ever way you look at it, it's a reletive bargain.
The killer point for me here is that I can't wait to get up tomorrow and ride my new bike. The issue for the big part of me that is a Ducatisti, is that the bike i'll take out is the KTM.
better go and join the KTM forum I guess. seriously guys, you have to try out the KTM.
M
