SHOOTOUT
P86
2013 MIDDLEWEIGHT SPORTBIKE SHOOTOUT PART II
levels of sensitivity, and on our test
ride the Ducati escaped a gravel
slide that took out a fellow rider in
our entourage. Thankfully, no one
was seriously injured – and the heroic save on the Ducati is credited
to Massimo, who didn't panic, but
the DTC surely contributed.
Brembo monoblocs make for
fine spec-sheet bling, but they
don't do the Ducati any big favors
on the scoresheet. Initial bite is so
powerful, most of our testers preferred less aggressive and more
progressive setups for the street.
"Out of all the bikes in the
test, the 848EVO's Brembos
bite the hardest with its powerful twin monobloc calipers.
Squeeze the lever too hard initially and expect the rear tire to
kiss the air," says Adey.
Brian argues a dissenting opinion, appreciating the raw performance edge: "The Brembos are
super powerful. The initial bite is
a little grabby, but it definitely inspired confidence in the brakes
so you can run it in deeper and
carry more corner speed."
Rider ergonomics and comfort are where the Ducati loses
the most ground on the street.
It's an uncompromising riding
position, with a long stretch to
the bars. The thin seat allows for
easy movement on the bike, but
isn't palatable for long-distance
runs and slides the rider's crotch
into the tank on quick stops. It
also doesn't help that the underseat twin exhaust gets quite
warm, like chestnuts-roastingon-an-open-fire warm.
"I want so bad to love every
part of this bike," says Nathon,
who later taps the 848 as his For
My Money selection, "but the
848 rider comfort is the most disappointing for me. The seat gets
extremely hot from the exhaust,
which isn't bad on cool nights but
long summer rides during the day
it's a bummer."
On the plus side, most riders
favored the Ducati's clean dash
and instrumentation – which
conveys a high-end, racing vibe.
One caveat is rider input needed
to change settings on the DTC
and the other information displayed isn't intuitive. A Ducatisti
at heart, Massimo explains it
