2008 Ducati Desmosedici D16RR

I love mine despite the fact it took nearly two years to get here.

I put my name in the hat for a Desmosedici RR the day the reservation forms were released to the dealers. I just couldn't believe a motorcycle manufacturer was going to actually sell something so close to their real ... MotoGP bikes. That it was going ot be a true MotoGP replica made it a bargain in my eyes.

I haven't ridden it much, but I can sit and stare at it for hours, yet no matter how long or how many times I look at it I always find something new and amazing every time I do. Words simply cannot describe the level of craftsmanship put into this bike. It's nothing like a normal production Ducati. It's like a jewel.

Even more amazing is the sound it makes. It is simply impossible to describe the warbling wail the D16RR makes as it rips through the the rev range. I have the "track" pipe and ECU on mine and it simply sounds exquisite. Everywhere it goes the sound turns heads, even at idle. The crank orientation and firing order make it sound like no other motorcycle on the planet. There is something so visceral about that you go up and down through the gears just to listen to the music it makes... Truly awe inspiring.

It may be hard to believe, but the engine is actually quite controllable, with a wide powerband and great torque down low. At first it seems almost docile, but then as the revs rise you realize you are accelerating far faster than you thought you were, and the higher the revs go the more substantial the pull. It's like being pulled forward by an amazingly long and strong rubber band... The higher you rev the more you feel like you are being shot out of a slingshot. Nothing like an inline four, but not like a twin, either... Very similar to that wonderful Honda V-$ thrust, just an indescribably larger amount that is unbelievable to experience.

And the bike is tiny, tiny and very, very light. You change direction almost by thought control. Yes the suspension is stiff and the brakes fierce, but that's exactly how it should be. The bike feels as though it would not suffer fools lightly, but it certainly does reward a deft yet aggressive touch. Ride it with conviction and confidence and you feel like Casey Stoner... Ride it with trepidation and inattention and it feels like a skittish wild pony.

I couldn't be happier with mine. IMHO it is simply the most amazing motorcycle ever built, and the most outrageous, too. Only Ducati could have done it!