Ducati GT 1000, Buell XB12x Ulysses, Triumph Bonneville

[CasterTroy]

Today I ran down the hiway an hour south to mow my buddy Brian's grass

Brian was my buddy that died Sept 5th in an accident up in the mountains on one of our motard adventures.

I'm doing my part to take care of his wife, and that means yardwork and bike maint.

Brian has a BMW K1200RS and a 1960's something Honda 50 dream. PLUS while his neighbor was in Iraq Brian was babysitting/riding his neighbors Ducati GT 1000, Buell XB12x Ulysses &Triumph Bonneville.

So it's now MY job to keep them all running and charged till he gets back.

Tough job but someone has to do it


So I try to crank the K1200RS......battery wilted! So I set it to charge while I take my inaugural ride on the Ducati.

Brian always commented that the Ducati was a LOT like his 916 and loved to wheelie…but I’ve NEVER been impressed with the LOOKS of a GT1000..until I rode it.

Holy BALLS is this bike a HOOT!!!

MAN this thing is PERFECT in every way. Ergonomics, weight, turn-in and transition all RAWK. Too bad it looks like SUCH a stuffed shirt..because it’s a dream to ride.

To ME….this is the PERFECT commuter bike where you intentionally take the long way home every day.

It would bring the front up in 1st easily…and if you shifted to 2nd aggressively, WHOO HOOO it was SKYHIGH

Next was the buell…..started it up and it LITERALLY shook itself across the shop. Rode it for a bit but HATED every second….MAN that thing was a rattle trap. No power , and I found no usefulness in the bike at all. Transitioning was OK, and it did have a snap shifting into second…but the ducati would wax it’s ass all day in every way.

Last was the Bonneville. Whatta BRICK…this bike HAD to weigh 600 pounds….HAD too. No personality at all…NONE.

To sum it up, if you strapped a BMX bike to a treadmill firmly, then set the treadmill to 20mph, then sat on the bike and tried to lean…THAT’S what riding a Bonneville would be like. Leaning the strapped BMX bike AND treadmill would be easier.

Would not get out of it’s own way.

Got the RS started and rode it…seemed like a limo compared to the rest…but made for an interesting afternoon.

LOVE me some GT1000 now…..DANG