stuck between two bikes

[murpheus]

Hi, i am stuck between the choice of 2 bikes. I am looking at a Ducati Superbike 999, and a Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa. I will be buying one of them brand new in the spring, and am wondering if anyone can help me decide which one to get.

I have heard a couple bad things about the Ducatis', but have heard nothing bad about Suzukis'. I have heard that Ducatis' are more maintanance and break down more than Suzukis' and i know that parts for a Ducati are much more expensive.

If anyone has either owned a Ducati, or a Suzuki bike, please tell me how your experience with is was, and which you would recommend. My email is pvtsmurf@yahoo.com if anyone would like to email info to me.

Thanks

[Frank Poncherello]

Just like all Italian vehicles, you will spend more time repairing the damn thing than riding it. Look at every single Italian car. A mechanics dream and an owners nightmare. Ducati is nothing short of a disaster waiting to happen.

Ducati's have a cult following that believes they are an exotic bike. Much the same could be said about Arai helmets. You could include Shoei for that matter. Most crotch rocket rideres work in the construction industry. Crotch rocket riders earn a decent living and spend their entire paychecks on partying hard primarily on alcohol. The really successful ones has enough extra cash to buy hard drugs. The drywallers usually have cerosis before the age of 40.

Most motorcycle shops usually go out of business within 5 years. The motorcycle shops that have been in business more than 5 years have a large group of construction workers who have wrecked their bikes 2 or 3 times and been through 6 or more helmets. If Shoei and Arai didn't exist, bike shops would have to mark bikes up at least $1,000 over MSRP.

Fortunatly for the bike shops, idiots are born everyday, If you buy a Ducati you will be in the back pocket of your dealership. Repairs, repairs, repairs.

I've gone off on a tangent. Back to business, buy the Suzuki. Your dealer will be upset with your decision. To make amends buy a couple of Aria helmets to look cool on your bike.

Good Luck!
Ponch

[guitarted]

murpheus-

You are talking about two completely different rigs. The duck is a twin. It puts out about 140 hp and gobs of tourque all the way through the power band. Killer for throwing around and powering through turns. It's an awesome machine, but requires a lot of attention, though. It takes some skills, or it can hurt you. Certainly one of the best Sunday ride day bikes ever made. That said, a GSXR 750 on a tight road with a good rider will dust you off, no problem, and any of the 4 cylinder liter bikes will blow it away top end. As for the 'Busa, well, it is my favorite bike to ride. Unbelievable power. You have to ride it to understand. Big, and I mean BIG (not heavy), long bike. Not good in the twisties- too long. But roll the throttle down the straights and WOW! The Busa is all day touring comfortable and still runs 220+ bone stock. Stable at any speed and gets there quick- runs the qtr mile in the 9's. The new Kawasaki 14RR is supposed to be even faster, but I have not ridden one (yet). The Busa is a one trick pony though- well two- fast and a wheelie monster. And its way cool, too. The questions is not so much what to buy, but how will you ride it? If you’re going out chasing country roads with the buddies, look into the Ducati. If straight line fun and all day comfort is your thing- go ‘Busa. If you’re looking for a fast and stable superbike, check out the new Triumph Daytona 675. I rode one last week at the Triumph ride days and it seems to be all the magazines are saying about it- very smooth and super fast. Hopes this helps…

[guitarted]

You could save a wad of cash and look into the Suzuki SV1000s. Similar to the Ducati for only about $8k. Also the Honda Superhawk 996/1000 is a twin, or a Honda RC51 (very nice)- but both are out of production, but you can still find them new for $7 and 9k, respectively. The twins are losing favor with the superbike crowd. The 4's are just so much faster...

[Maico Shark]

Maybe so but going faster is not always the goal of the dedicated biker. For many, going in style and comfort is more imprtant. After all when some jerk pulls out in front of you in a Hummer H-1.. no matter what helmet you use...you're in deep shit and the faster you're going the deeper it gets.

I can tell you that Italian bikes are built by hand with a single craftsman assembling all the parts, not some assembly line where one guy just puts axle nuts on all day. After he has constructed the bike the assembler takes it to the test track where he tests it. You'll notice the speedo on an Italian bike always comes with at least a mile already on it... sometimes several miles if there was a problem.

I would try each bike out before buying, No one can choose someone elses scoot. When, and if, you actually buy a bike then come back to the forum and tell us about it.