2002 Ducati 999 Comes to America - Motorcycle.com
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Now that we've had our actual paws on the bike for the last couple of weeks, and have ridden it at speed at the Willow Springs North American debut and upon actual U.S. soil, we have a few thoughts of our own.
Why not begin with the beginning then? As luck would have it, Ducati decided to use Pirelli's excellent Supercorsa tires for the Willow Springs launch, which was wise on their part if the goal was to show what the bike is capable of, I mean of what the bike is capable. The Michelin Pilot Sports the bike will be delivered with
On the road, in the actual world of cars and buses and trucks and things -- I personally am on the confused side as to why everything I've read says the 999 is much more comfy than the old bike? The rear of the gas tank is a friendlier shape now, but beyond that it is still a loooong way to the still-really-low clip-ons. We took delivery of a Biposto bike, which as it turns out, does NOT have the adjustable seat/tank unit of the Mono 999, for reasons which seemed obvious when explained to me but escape me now. The Biposto supposedly carries its rider in what would be the middle position on the adjustable version -- and while being able to slide 10mm
Quite a bit of heat exits the engine bay via the rider's legs and butt, too -- nice when it's chilly, probably a real drag in the summer in Florida.
But the one thing that would preclude me, for one, from riding the 999 much on the street, is the fact that the miserable mirrors of the 916 have been made even more useless on the 999. Maybe that seems like a minor thing, but in truth it feels like a huge safety issue in L.A. traffic to me. I for one like to know if there's a Mercedes up my ass, and on the 999 you have to crane around or lift your left arm in the air to check your six. I also tend to ride slightly faster than the posted speed limit, and doing that consistently while retaining a mostly clean license requires eternal vigilance out the rear for fast-closing pursuit vehicles. In Italy, maybe that doesn't matter. In America, it's critical. You could find yourself on COPS before you know there's one behind you. Now that the 999's mirrors are anMore by JohnnyB
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