04/04/06 Finally a ride on the PS, taking Skyline at an easy pace on a sunny afternoon. The speed is primarily dictated by the fact that it's Tracy's first time on a bike in a while and I don't want to run away too far (I do run ahead every now and then, for a bit). Also there's the need to keep it under 5K rpm for the first 600 miles and occasionally there's traffic. The PS is a cool machine but it does want to run faster than this - it's not a cruiser :) It also needs better sounding exhaust. Oh, and the mirrors ought to be replaced because they doesn't fit in very well with the retro theme. All in good time. A very nice outing just the same. At one place along the route there are some good-sized speed bumps in the road and I took them at about 40 mph to test the bracket clearance (guess the bumps weren't serving their intended purpose, huh?). No issues and the bracket stayed clear of the tire. The telltale zip tie says the shock came within exactly one inch of the bump stop - if I hadn't adjusted the preload it would have been all the way to the stop and the bracket would have hit. Tracy is a lot lighter than I am so we left her bike with stock settings (ended up being about 1.25" sag) and her bracket stayed clear over the same bumps as well, although the shock did travel 1/4" farther. This answers the question of who Ducati set the bikes up for - apparently they think Sport Classics are for girls! ;) As long as the suspension is correctly adjusted there should be no issues with bracket clearance. Still, I think I'll make sure to stand up a bit when going over bumps. Just for comfort, both mental and physical :)

Now I need to do some extended rides to get the break-in taken care of, then it'll be time to hit the track. Weather is still spotty this time of year so I guess I'll just have to grab opportunities as they present themselves.

04/05/06 Well, there's no time like the present and since I was at Motocorsa picking up the touchup paint for the 748, decided to get a set of Ducati bar-end mirrors. A big improvement visually, I think. And they even come with nice hardware to put in the holes where original mirrors went.

Compare to the originals below:

Even though the new mirrors are smaller overall, they work better because they actually show what's behind instead of mostly my elbows. Not exactly cheap at $150 for the pair but not outrageous either and the quality is very nice. Plus they're a lot easier to remove/install at trackdays.

04/23/06 The beautiful weather lately was too much to resist - had to do a ride. This one was the longest so far, going to Cannon Beach on the coast via some twisty backroads, then running route 53 before returning home. A little over 200 miles in all, this is my customary break-in route for the various vehicles - the Elise, the Box, the Mini and now the PS. It has a good variety of roads and surfaces and it's both fun and scenic. The pace is still fairly sedate while Tracy is getting used to her bike but she's progressing well and while I still play run-away-then-wait on tighter roads, the long sweepers are not an issue. This helps the overall comfort because there is some support from the wind at speed. The PS is not a very comfortable long-distance mount. This ride is about as far as I'd want to go on it in a day. The aggressive riding position, the firm suspension, the stiff clutch and some driveline lash all add up to an experience that wears on you after a while. Great in the twisties but not so much on long straight runs. It should be a very fun track machine though so I'm looking forward to completing the break-in (440 miles on the clock so far, out of 600 needed) and seeing how it does at PIR. That said, overall the ride was a very enjoyable experience despite the growing discomfort and I felt that the relaxing hottub soak afterwards was well earned. Of course there was a reminder of the variety of unexpected hazards that await a motorcyclist - a bee-type insect of some kind got into my helmet and stung me. Not pleasant, although fortunately I'm not allergic to bee stings so it was only an annoyance rather than an emergency. Had to pull over and get the thing out of the helmet. Still beats hitting a hawk, as I did on the track at 135mph a while back...

While I do look forward to the first track outing for the PS, ultimately the 748 will remain the primary track bike. That machine is getting race bodywork and more track-oriented tires and hopefully will be back in action in less than a month. Now that it's been down I worry about it much less so that will help me focus on the riding more. Or that's the theory. Of all the bikes I have, the 900 is the most usable on the street so it will get the street ride duty when the occasion calls for such (I don't really like street riding so it won't be too often, but every now and then a good outing is fun). That leaves the PS primarily as an art object. After its first trackday it will get parked in the livingroom again and will see only very occasional use. I do really enjoy staring at it though - the bike is so mechanical, so basic and yet quite sophisticated. So each motorcycle in the stable has a clear purpose. Which reminds me - when women ask me why I need so many vehicles I usually reply "it's like shoes" and they instantly understand. Works for me.