Yesterday I had the opportunity to ride the Ducati 899 courtesy of Ducati Cape Town. For those interested here are some quick notes on the bike. I must begin by saying this was a dream experience, I’ve ridden loads of different bikes but very few “dream machines”. Ducati are bikes that motorcycle riders desire to own, they’re recognized as something special by non-motorcyclists and are hung on walls as posters. No one can deny the emotion these bikes bring with them.
Starting with the good; the 899 is incredibly striking, it’s a spitting image of its bigger brothers but has a conventional rear swing arm. It attracted plenty of looks from people and it does make the rider feel extraordinarily special. It’s like owning an exotic car, people notice you. The aesthetic details throughout the bike are incredible, and following one on my ride I couldn’t stop looking at those rear lights, truly spectacular.
The 899 motor is very sweet for a middle of the range sport bike. It’s a lot meatier then a 600, and fills in what a 600 lacks in bottom end grunt. But if you’re used to 1000cc sport bikes, you will be left underwhelmed by the claimed 148 hp pull of the bike. That being said, I wasn’t expecting it to be a monster so was very surprised and pleased by the 899. It is all the motor you will ever need. The V-twin sounds great and has something special about it. It is rough in the lower RPM range compared to a conventional in-line four but it adds so much character, and levels out at riding speeds.
The brakes on this bike are some of the best I’ve ever felt, riding through town they weren’t snappy but in the mountain passes they gave great feedback and feel. The bike felt planted, the front end and brakes were confidence inspiring.
The whole bike is incredibly small and narrow, the seat is half the size of a Japanese counterpart which is both a negative and positive. I would categorize the size of the bike as similar to a 600. The foot pegs are very far back which made it incredibly comfortable for me. I am rather tall, and my legs are usually an issue on superbikes. The small dimensions of the bike again leave it feeling nimble, which through a mountain pass is great. The 899 is light bike weighing in at only 169kg dry. This is 5kg more than the 1199, but that isn’t an issue in my opinion.
Build quality and switch gear is generally an issue on European bikes, but I must say I was impressed with everything on the 899. The panel gaps were all right, the switches were where I wanted them, and the interface was easy to use. This is usually something the Japanese bikes excel at but this Ducati is a nicely built piece of kit. Not totally sure how it would age as the bike I rode was brand new. It's got all the electronics and rider aids you could want. Doubt you would need them all though, I rode the bike in Race mode with all the electronic interventions set to their lowest settings. The 899 is fitted with a quickshifter and I found it to be a great, considering it is stock from the factory. Comparing it to the BMW’s rough standard shifter, this was smooth and easy to use.
Now on to the issues and criticisms I had with the bike. I must say I had to sit down and really think about what my issues with the 899 were. I was buzzing with excitement the whole time, and did try and climb onto the bike with an open mind. The exhaust comes up under the seat and you can really feel it cooking your ass going through town at lower speeds. Once up to more… um… exciting speeds, it cools down substantially and disappears.
The side stand is an exquisite piece of art, but is impossible to get to with your boot. You’ll need to stretch down to reach it with your hand. Doesn’t sound like a massive gripe, but you could look a bit silly pulling up to a cafĂ© in Camps Bay while being watched by some attractive models.
The same can be said for the foot pegs, they look great but lack some grip. I found myself second guessing my foot placement in case the ball of my foot were to slip off at speed or mid-corner. As stated before, they are correctly placed for me but shorter riders did comment on them being too far back.
The 899 isn’t cheap, no Ducati is, but if you have the money lying around and want something special to take out on a Sunday morning and thrash through the passes, this could well be it. It is a great motorcycle, but it’s a special bike to be taken out for an occasion rather than an everyday event.
Thanks to Anston Collins from Ducati Cape Town for the opportunity to ride the bike.
