I have never owned a bike in my life.. I am going to get one... SOON!!

I have an option in front of me for a Ducati 750SS 1998 for $3500
Good Deal I am pretty sure..

The delima: I am 5'7" and weigh 140lbs
is this a bad combo????

Big bike, little person?????

 

have you riden before?

 

my only riding experience consists of a dirt bike when i was like 13..

So .. no .. not really...

this will be my first attempt.. I dont want really fast, but I dont want retard slow either.. I was looking for something around a 600cc... but this sounded like a good deal..

I have found a lot of other bikes as well..
some CBR's and some ninja's and a few katana's


[Modified by Lildrgn, 3:00 AM 10/1/2002]

 

I think a 750cc Ducatti is a bit much for a new rider. Even the newer 600cc sportbikes can be a handful. Take the MSF class. See how you feel on a smaller bike, and remember a 750cc Ducatti is going to be like 10X faster and twitchy.

I don't want to tell you that that bike will not work for you. A lot of it has to do with rider skill, mentality and responsibilty. It'll only go as fast as you tell it to, BUT on the larger bikes things happen a lot faster and small mistakes can become big problems a lot easier on a bike with 100HP compared to a bike with 50HP.

I'll swallow my pride and tell you a little story from my MSF class. I have riden before both street and dirtbikes. I don't have a ton of experience, but I have enough that I am comfortable riding and feel in control. Anyways, day three of MSF. We are doing this excercise that you go into the curve leaning, then straighten the bike up and quick stop. So, I come in a little hot, leaning a little more than I should have for the tight turn (cause I was going too fast). SO I straighten it out and hit the brakes hard. My left hand slipped off the clutch lever and I was still on the gas cause my wrist was not in the proper position. The bike lurched, and I physically held it back with the front brake and my body from spurting out from under me until I grabbed the clutch again.

Moral of the story: Small displacement, small (weight) bike and you can do **** like that (by accident) and not hurt yourself or trash your bike. If I was on my bike (600cc 2002 F4i) I would have either, stood the bike up and fallen straight down on my back with the bike possibly landing on me. Or had the bike shoot out from under me and crash into the building 20 feet away. I am sure some of the other guys on the board can think of some more creative hazards.

Cliff notes: It isn't just the size of the bike that makes it a good or bad starter bike, but you have to realize that the larger bikes are going to be less forgiving once you **** up.

I am sure there are others with more experience than I that will have some other insight to share.

Kyle

 

the price is too nice though
id buy it, just be safe.

 

Buy it. Ducati's are not near as powerful as say a Gixxer 750. The powerband is a bit more manageable than a 600, less peaks. But, like someone up top said "take the MSF course" It saved my life numerous times and I do not have any regrets about spending 8 hours of my life on it. I figure that it kept me from at least 24months in the hospital.

 

you will be fine. my first bike was an fzr-1000. i had no problems whatsoever. sure, i was a little wary at first, but i would be with any bike, regardless of size.

 

I found an 89 CBR 600 with only 11k miles on it.. looks pretty good.
any thoughts?
They want $2400 Obo

 

Personally, If I had a chance to jump on a Ducati for that price, I would take it. Hondas are a dime a dozen bike and you really don't see a whole of Duc's on the road (at least not in MIchigan).

 

Just respect he bike and you'll be fine.

 

ducati's are very throttle friendly. Very healthy torque for a bike, not class leading peak hp. Only problem is theft, looking ugly compared to the bike and dropping it.