If you couldn't tell of my previous post about the newly announced 848, I have had one in the back of my mind for quite some time. It was perhaps the hardest decision I've had to make in motorcycling to sell my beloved 1992 Ducati 851, but I decided to sell her, and my 2003 Aprilia RSV-R in order to make room for a brand new 2008 Ducati 848. Here's my initial impressions...So I could hardly sleep last night anticipating my first "real" (e.g.: not mostly highway or in the city) ride on my 848. Fired her up and took my time getting up to Southern NH where I met up with a couple of friends... we eased into the day, eventually finding the better, and faster roads. About an hour in, hit one of my favorite roads, and one I know very well... I couldn't resist, and let it rip... That has to be, by far, the fastest I have *ever* gone down that stretch of twisty tarmac..
Being able to compare the 848 directly to the 675 I had in '06, and the RSV Mille which I sold prior to getting my 848 provides an excellent contrasting reference to judge the 848's qualities against. From the ~250 miles we did today, most of it was in the... erm... decent pace range on nice back roads... She is every bit as light and agile as the 675, but that's where the comparisons end.
The engine is phenomenal and I'm confident she would pull a 675 easily. While the RSV (mine had a 1060 big bore kit) has one of the gruntiest, most addicting motors I've ever had, the 848 motor I would take in a heart beat. The Mille commands attention and respect, and is a complete bear to handle below 4k rpm... you have to pay 100% attention on that bike, where the 848's mill is so smooth and refined, you quickly forget about anything but the natural connection between your right wrist and the ground. And my oh my, does she love to rev!! I was, and am continually amazed at the 848's power up top and the sheer velocity with which the tach goes from 6k rpm to redline... it's so fast, you almost can't react to the shift lights... phenomenal.
One aside, for any of you who havn't changed your gearing... DO SO NOW. Drop 1 tooth on the front sprocket at a MINIMUM. She is STILL geared tall, and lugs on the highway in top gear... I'm debating going up 2 teeth in the rear, and will surely do so for the track (I race / ride at Loudon, which is very tight)... but we'll see how that gearing works for the street. But either way, stock would be simply ridiculous and unwarranted... do yourself a favor and spend the $50 for a 14T front if you buy one of these fantastic machines.
The brakes are just about zen for fast riding, perhaps a *scosh* soft for full on racing, but anything shy of that and I can't find one, single fault with them. 'Nuf said! The 675's binders were good, but did not offer nearly the same paradigm of feel, and the RSV's brakes were definitely grabby. The addition of radial masters is a huge improvement (vs. the Mille or older Ducs), and the fact that the 848/1098/1098R do NOT use 4 pad calipers is a sign that Brembo may have "admitted" getting something wrong with that caliper.... they are known for being excessively grabby and maintenance intensive. I see no such issues arising with the 4 piston, 2 pad setup on the 848, they are amazing!
The suspension was vastly improved with some fiddling... after riding her home from the shop, I took a solid 2 full turns out of the preload on the rear shock, and finally got my sag set at 32mm front / rear. Bounced the forks, and WAY too stiff, so the clicks come almost all the way out (I'm 225 lbs, mind), and the bike STILL feels stiff, but now in a good way. The more I rode today, the more I liked the way she's set up now...the bumps never upset the chassis and she drove hard out of corners. I would give the 848 a healthy advantage over the 675, but this is the one category where the Mille R simply outclasses the 848. As good as the 848 is, it's no match for Ohlins R&T forks and fully adjustable Ohlins Shock that was standard equipment on the Mille R models at the time. That said, after reading forum after forum, I was prepared for the worst with the 848's suspension, but after some fiddling I am quite happy with the stock setup... at least for the street. I will still be bringing the bike to GMD as soon as I can afford the visit for a Penske Triple Clicker and some SBK valving in the forks, but at least for now I won't be parking the bike anytime soon, that's for sure! But I also won't be pushing the bike at or near it's limits, but up to around 90% or basically for street riding... the stock stuff offers a firm but sure footed ride and at least the adjustments I made had a noticeable effect. I'm tempted to dial out some more preload and maybe she'll get even better!
However, if you're anywhere south of 180 lbs, the suspension is down right dangerously stiff.... get your shop or a local suspension guru to swap out the springs and get everything dialed in asap!!! I weigh 225 and had 20mm of sag when I first sat on the bike... that is way, way less than even a full on track setup, and not acceptable for street riding. So I guess this might be the ONLY occasion where being a bigger guy means good things on a Ducati superbike...
Other items like the dash are very trick and cool gadgetry, I've found the dash to be very easy to read and get used to, although the shift lights do NOT all come on as approaching the rev limiter, but I think this is something I need to program in. I was surprised to bounce off the limiter and only have the first shift light illuminated! The computer has all kinds of neat functions I haven't begun to figure out, and the warning lights / blinker lights / etc are all easily noticeable, I even noticed them in time to turn off my blinkers, something I am horribly notorious for forgetting to do whilst street riding.
Even the sound... stock, is addicting. Perhaps the best sounding stock Ducati I've ever heard. It's that happy medium between hearing the beautiful music and drawing too much attention to yourself. 'Course that said, I'll be getting the Termi slip-ons and ECU at the 600 mile service, which I kinda need after 1 weekend of riding!
Perhaps the ONE drawback is the seat after 200+ miles definitely gets a little hard. I've already planned for a Sargent seat and will look into bar-risers, just to get em up a touch... because this will be my only bike for a while she'll need to work at the track, and on 300+ mile trips to VT. I think it's off to a good start though
So.... to wrap things up, this was the most fun I've had on the street in as long as I can remember... I'd gotten into the habit of not looking forward to street rides lately, as there simply is nowhere suitable for the mother-of-an-engine the Mille has... it was no fun around town, and needed wide open spaces to romp. I was afraid the 848 would be similar, but the engine is so playful, just begging you to click through the gears... it was like my first trip to the track, or first ride on my very first street bike. I was giggling in my helmet anytime a small crest of a hill approached... one click into 2nd and the wheel lofts down in the air with ease, and very much composed. I even got the front to hover about 6-10" driving out of a corner from first through a change into 2nd (whilst fairly leaned over, mind!!), which I can't remember ever accomplishing on the street before... or at least without a serious lump in my throat appearing shortly there-after! No muss, no fuss, no drama.. just brake, turn, twist, grip and away she goes.. just, breathtaking really.
I had huge, HUGE reservations buying my first-ever brand new Ducati... some nagging voices in my head saying, "Will I regret not getting an 1098?" Or... man, that's a lot of $$ for what might be something I can only enjoy on the track.... Today put those nagging voices to bed, forever. The 848 is the perfect bike. At least for me... (for now)
Big thanks to Seacoast Sport Cycle Ducati in Derry, NH for providing the most satisfying purchasing experience I've ever had. Charles and his staff have earned my business for years to come!
I will be chronicling the track-setup progress as I upgrade the suspension and get her ready for her track debut October 13-14 at Virginia International Raceway.
