Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128088
~ ~Oo( 0 x0 ~ 0 )1J!JCs 2001 Cycle News BOOee Sportbike Shootout PARALYZED PETER MISS DUCATI: LDVE HER DR HATE HER If the doctor called me tonight and told me I had one day left on this good earth, I'd spend it riding down the freeway on the Ducati 748. Why? Because every single minute spent on that uncomfortable motorcycle feels like a freakin' eternity. Okay, that should take care of the mail bin for a while. I've now guaranteed that I will be bombarded by all things Italian, with letters reminding me what a beautiful motorcycle the Ducati is: "But Paolo, it is a work of art, no?" Those will be followed by more letters, all reprimanding me for speaking lowly of the beloved V-twin. Desmo this, desmo that, blah, blah, blah. So before you grab the Mont Blanc from your wonderfully crafted mahogany desk and begin writing on your dollar-a-sheet parchment, let me defend myself for just a second. Don't fret - it won't take me longer than what it takes for your arms to pump up while trying to negotiate traffic on your yellow beauty. Okay, here comes the part that you should really read before putting pen to paper. This part right here: Like you, I believe the 748 is a beautiful motorcycle, a true work of art. You park it next to the others and they pale in comparison. It is fine pasta. They are spaghetti-O's. On the racetrack, the Ducati is a wonderful thing. It requires that its rider know what he's doing, that he is somewhat of a pavement Michelangelo, a person of certain talent who can ride the bike hard enough to truly appreciate that it is a thoroughbred. It requires that you be on top of your game, that you have the dexterity to upshift and downshift when needed, to be able to read a tachometer. It doesn't allow you to be lazy, or get lulled into thinking that any gear is okay as long as it is one in the box. You can turn qUick laps on the 748, but to do so you must put in the effort. When you keep pace with the gentleman ahead of you, with said gentleman riding a cookie-cutter Japanese bike with gobs more horsepower, the experience is tremendously rewarding. You know you've out-ridden him. It's a fact that he also knows and it could very well keep him up at night. The bike is sexy and tantalizing and it wants you to fall in love with it. And that's an easy proposition when you're cut loose on a racetrack for a day of unadulterated fun. But beyond that, the Ducati loses a lot of its appeal. She is a high-maintenance ride, this Miss Ducati. Appealing when the times (you're on a racetrack) are good, agonizing when the times (you're riding down the freeway) turn rough. Paul Carruthers So you want to know how we decided which bike is our winner? Well, it isn't really that complicated. As a matter of fact, it's so simple that it is almost stupid. We didn't want to convolute the vote with a bunch of unnecessary data. So we all listed our picks in order, from one through six for both the street and then again for the track. Then. we awarded six points for first, five for second and so on, down to sixth. which received one point. Then we added the scores for each bike, and divided by five (the number of voters). This gave the bike a numerical rating. Then we averaged the ratings for street and track to get our overall. Now wasn't that easy? Florida take note! Below, for the record, are the actual numerical ratings. Take a look at how close the overall is between the top three. STREET: OVERALL: TRACK: Kawasaki .... _••.... 5.0 Honda .....••••....4.6 Suzuki .....••••... 04.0 Triumph ....•.••... .304 Yamaha ...•••••... .3.0 Ducati ....•••••.... 1.0 Suzuki Yamaha Honda Ducati Kawasaki Triumph 30 JANUARY 24, 2001 • cue .5.6 .504 04.8 2.6 204 1.0 I • n • Suzuki Honda Yamaha Kawasaki Triumph Ducati _ s 04.8 04.7 04.2 3.7 .2.2 1.8 I'm nearly paralyzed by the equally attractive yet subtly different temptations of each of these bikes. The problem is, there's no right answer. And there's no wrong answer. So hell, if only for this one moment, today, Friday morning, January 11, 2001, here are my picks, .going from bottom to top. The Triumph 600 IT is tragically close to being near the top, but it just misses about everywhere. It's a commendable first try and a few parts even excel, such as its chassis. And nearly everything else is almost better than just good. But what it needs most of all is to be made a Triumph. Looking like a cross between a ten-year-old Katana and a year-old F4 is like trying to win a game that no one plays anymore. Triumph's big bikes are distinctive. This thing is...well...indistinct. Oh, the Ducati 748. Can one talk of a Ducati without using metaphors of sex and lust? Yes, but it's hard, so why fight it. The 748 is rough sex. Sure, I gotta try it, but I don't think I can face it everyday. The Kawasaki ZX-6R reminds me of a Kawasaki. Every Kawasaki with a fairing since 1994. Yes, it does everything very, very well. And it is the most comfortable. But so what? Where's the excitement? It makes me wonder if maybe I wouldn't be happier with rough sex. The Yamaha R6 rules. So why am I picking it third? Because it's just a tad too race compromised. Love that damn tailsection and taillights though. Its tail end is simply trend-setting. And love it's ultralight steering. Wait a minute... maybe this is my favorite. The Suzuki GSX-R600 is the best on the track but it's steering is too heavy to live with daily in the real world. It's motor is killer and that's probably what it will do to the competition at racetracks this year. And what a sound, even with the stock pipe! And that motor is killer. Ducati 748. Rough sex. Sorry. You know, a guy's gotta wonder. So, that brings us to the F4i. It's more race than it used to be but only by about an extra 6.17 percent. This results in it being crisper, yet everything is just as easy and friendly as ever, whether negotiating parking lot traffic or going for the win in the local highway IT. It's friendly with an edge. Rather than rough sex, it's tough love. The F4i has a little EFI glitch when the throttle is rolled on from full off, but everything from there on up makes it feel as though the twist grip is wired to your nervous system. The only reason I know this bike isn't perfect is because of some details one or another of the competition got better. But it's the best package. Peter Jones Editor, Motorcycle Street & Strip