Which Ducati to get?

[jmillheiser]

I was just gonna suggest that. Get some experience on a lesser bike (the monster if you have your heart set on a ducati) then move up to your dream machine.

Maybe even do it in smaller steps. Start on the small bike then move up to a middleweight (the ducati 749 is basically a 999 but power is akin to 600cc supersport which is still an immense amount of power for a bike). After some time on the middleweight then move up to the superbike.

[PhilD9er]

Drop your budget into the 4.5k range and get the little air cooled monster, used. You'll find a lot of them with less than 2k miles at that price. Use your extra dollars for maintenance.

OR, buy a brand new Suzuki sv650. A much better bike, and bulletproof reliable.

[RavenM3]

Thanks for the advice guys.
I will be taking the MSF course as well as soon as I get a bike.
So I should start with something less powerful, although I really would like to get one bike(999 or a 749) and keep it at that without having to go through buying one and then losing money selling it to get another and therefore.. but I'm going to stick with the advices given and get something smaller, the monster really isn't appealing to me honestly so I was considering the GS500F, anything I should be aware before I buy one of these?

[Kal]

Thats sounding good now both the bike you are looking at and the MSF course.

The GS has been built forever so they really do know what they are doing with it. Over here the naked version gets used by training schools a lot.

Duken started his career on Honda's CB500 which is in the same class a couple of years ago. Last weekend he took it down a drag strip to get 14.19sec @ 92.49 mph and 14.16sec @94.99mph in the quarter mile so as your skills improve the Bike will still have a lot to give you.

A solid and well maintained GS shouldnt depreciate much as their is a solid market or entry level bikes. Aside from that I'd encourage you to splash out some good money on safety gear, a workshop manual and to have fun.

[Aggroton]

i only hear good things about the gs500's. and i second the spend money on good gear. and try everything on and make sure its snug...im stuck with a large jacket when should have bought the small...i look like a tool riding in it and i dont think its very safe either.

[Gilfy650a]

or you could do what this dude did, took a SV650 and pretty much turned it into a Ducati 916 so he got the best of both worlds.






If i had the funds i would do that in a heartbeat.

maybe as your next bike that is, i would have to definatly agree that a gs500f is a really good bike to learn on not quite as good as the gs500e cause of the expensive plastic youll have to replace when you drop it. but a rather good bike nontheless.