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2006 Ducati SportClassics: Paul Smart 7000 LE and Sport 7000 Sport 1DDD For the Sport 1000, we also must flash back in time to 1973. That is the year when the 7S0 Sport first came out (the predecessor to the Super Sport 750). The yellow 750 Sport was a production Cafe Racer with its clip-on handlebars, racing stripe and solo seat. The first production 750 Sport was shown at the Paris Motorcycle Show in October of 1972, where it was shown with an optional half fairing very similar to the Super Sport's. The bike was only in production until the end of 1974, and then it was axed. The Sport 1000 is as raw and purposeful a motorcycle as there is made today - just as the 750 Sport was in '73. There is something captivating about a motorcycle as simplistic as this. The bike's image is completely dominated by the beautifully sculpted yellow fuel tank, with its black racing stripe and polished-aluminum fuel cap. On the road, the bike feels light and flickable, with only the view of the white-faced gauges in front of you. With so little weight over the front of the bike and no steering damper, the front end feels lively. Not in a negative way at all - you can really tell what the front tire is doing. Hit a slight rise in the road, and power wheelies are a breeze with all that torque from the 1000 D5 motor at your command. As mentioned above, the bike shares the same geome- try and wheelbase as the Paul 5mart, except for a two-degreesteeper steering angle from its different fork offset. Just like the Paul Smart model, the riding position is low and forward - like any Cafe racer with c1ip-ons should be. Of course, after a few miles, the wrists start to feel the burn, especially in urban traffic. Out on the open road, it isn't a problem at all, because the wind on your upper torso takes the pressure off your wrists. Like the Paul Smart, the rear-set footpegs are high, so if you don't know a chiropractor now, you soon will. Despite the fact that the 5port 1000 is only four pounds lighter than the Paul5mart, it feels even more so. Maybe it's just the fact that there isn't that large fairing in front of you, tricking your brain into thinking there is more mass present than there actually is. Or, it's more likely the fact that without a steering damper, the bike responds so much quicker and steers so much lighter [hat the bike feels substantially lighter. Whether it's just visual or something else. the bike feels so nimble that on tight roads. I prefer the handling of the Sport 1000 to that of the Paul Smart. For its diminutive size, the Sport 1000 feels like it has a lot of motor and a lot of brake - two of the last things I would ever complain about. The chassis and the motor are identical to the Paul Smart except for a few little changes. First. the 5port 1000 has different fork offset, which gives it a 28-degree steering angle instead of the Smart's 30. The frame is the same except for the lack of the steering damper moum poim, and the color. The same goes for the motors, which are exactly the same right down to the transmission final drive ratios (15/38). The raw simplicity of the 5port 1000 makes it the ultimate cafe racer. This is the perfect bike for those weekend blasts down to the local bike hangout. But if you see a tight and twiSty road along the way, make sure you take it, because this bike is a blast to ride when things get curvy. The Sport I000 proves once and for all that less ;s more. ALS 450 steel tubular trellis frame (painted sea green, as mentioned above). The Paul Smart features a 1425mm (57-inch) wheelbase, which is more akin to the typically longer bikes of the '70s than the contemporary Ducatis, such as the Supersport 1000 DS (which has a 55.8-inch wheelbase), but still shorter than the 15001530mm (60-61.2-inch) that the Super Sport 750s had between '71 and '78. The Paul Smart has 103mm of trail, with 24 degrees of rake and 25mm of fork offset, giving it a 3D-degree steering angle. Among the unique features on the Paul Smart and the Sport 1000 are the 60mm tubular swingarms. On the left side where the single fully adjustable Ohlins shock bolts on - is a straight tubular arm, while the right arm is an elliptical banana shape to allow clearance of the blackedout, stainless-steel, twin-stacked exhaust pipes. Chain adjustment is made via a pair of plugs on the ends of the swingarm, with internal sliding elements. A robust, hydro- 28 NOVEMBER 2, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS The plain, simple and exceptionally entertaining Sport 1000. formed cross member adds the rigidity the unit needs to cope with the loads and the use of a single shock. The reason that the bike features a single shock out back is to highlight the exhaust pipes on the right side, and it allows them to be routed higher up. Up front, the Paul Smart features a fully adjustable 43mm Ohlins upside-down fork. On the road, the Paul Smart is an absolute blast to ride, and you would never know that the bike has a slightly longer wheelbase than the Supersport 1000 DS (powered by the same motor). Turn-in is quick, but once you're leaned in, it's also extremely stable. The bike feels firm without being harsh, thanks, at least in part, to the excellent spring rates of the Ohlins suspension - front and rear. The Paul Smart isn't as nimble as the 5port 1000 (which has different fork offset numbers), but it makes up for this by tackling sweepers with great composure - not to mention that the polished steering damper keeps the front