oh well, here you go.
Epic Motorcycle Trip Part 1 – Purchase and ride report
I really wanted a new motorcycle. Narrowed my search last summer and decided on a new Ducati Streetfighter. One of my friends from college, turns out to be the General Manager of Motocorsa, the Ducati dealer in Portland OR. I called him and we put together a deal. Then I worked on scheduling of how to buy a bike and get it home. I also worked on selling the old R1100S as my wife made that a condition of buying the new one. Since I was going to have to be in the bay area in CA this week, and next weekend is a long weakened, I decided to do a 2 part journey on the bike. I would fly out Saturday morning, buy the bike, ride it to CA, work the week here, then ride home (Denver) next weekend.
Saturday, my wife and kids drove me to the airport and I hopped on a United flight to Portland. In case you were wondering (I was) a full face helmet does fit in the overhead bin on a CRJ700. Whew. When I got into PDX, my friend picked me up from the airport and we headed over to Motocorsa. What an awesome dealership! Great bikes everywhere. My new Ducati Streetfighter S – in black, was in the Red room. I got to sit on it and look it over.
From there it was off to the accessories counter – I needed to make a few changes to the bike. With a long ride home first up was comfort – I added the DP comfort seat and opted to raise the bars some over stock. Then there was performance. With a weight of 368 lbs and 155hp the bike was already fast, but a 14 tooth (rather than stock 15) sprocket up front meant that the bike runs more in the thick of the power band around town – now it goes even faster! Also on the accessory list were some frame sliders, a new tail tidy to clean up the back end, and new LED turnsignals. Finally I added a disc lock/alarm to keep the bike from disappearing while I am traveling.
Once the accessory list was complete, it was off to the shop. The planned 3.5 hours of install turned into more like 5.5 as the tail tidy didn’t come with instructions, and the body work on the tail was painful to deal with. About 6pm the bike was complete. They snapped some pictures of me in the “red room” with the bike, and I set out on my ride.
With a late start I opted to start day 1 on the interstate to make up some time. It had been raining off and on all day, and I am glad I put on the rainsuit before heading out. Day 1 was 250 miles from Portland down I-5 to Grant’s Pass OR. Most of the ride was in the rain. I stopped for gas and to stretch a couple times along the way. Ended up in Grant’s Pass a little after 10pm. By the time I got in, I was frozen. 38 degrees Fahrenheit and rain is not comfy riding weather. I cranked up the heater in the room, and slept very well.
Sunday morning I got up to overcast skies but no rain, and temps around 40 degrees. After a quick complementary breakfast at the hotel, I checked out and hit the road. I hopped off I-5 and rode 199 over to the coast. What a great road! Fun sweeping corners, very little traffic – it was a blast. When I got to the coast, I then rode down the coast on 101. Great views and another great road. As I went I got to play with the bike more and more. I arrived at my hotel in the bay area about 5:30 last night. After 750 total miles so far, I am duly impressed with this bike. I know I made the right choice.
So, my initial impressions: FAST, Seriously Fast! With 150% of the power of my old bike and with 170 lbs less to carry around this thing is fast. The sound! Even with the stock pipes (for now) the bike is louder than the BMW was with the remus pipes and the sound is amazing. It is great to listen to hat motor all day as you ride. Handling: I cant believe how easily this thing goes around corners, it is great. Comfort: after riding 750 miles in under 24 hours, I can say that this bike is just as comfortable as my old R1100S – it could stand some more luggage room, but otherwise, I have no complaints.
I am going to work the week here, get the bike it’s 600 mile initial service, and then will hit the road for home next weekend. I am looking forward to it. Wonder if I can use that next ride to qualify for the ironbutt award on the streetfighter? LOL I’ll have to look into it.
Some Pics from along the way:
First of my bike:
Linear Mode
