Buying my First Ducati

I figure you guys would like to know how I have finally come to buy a Ducati Monster.

I have been riding the same bike since 1991 when I bought a 1991 Kawasaki Ninja C model. I learned to ride 6 months before I bought that bike. It has served me well over the years. It was my daily transportation when I was in the Army. It was my daily transportation when I lived in Jaurez, Mexico. College. California. I have been roadracng for 10 years so the street bike got ridden hard. Every part that could break on the bike did.

During my senior year in college I had a poster of a Ducati 900SS on my wall. I knew that when I finally graduated from college that I was going to buy that bike. In red. And then my wife got pregnant.

So here I am in Austin, TX. The Ninja is on the 3rd motor and I still want a Ducati. Every once and a while I see a monster in the neighborhood and I get the bug for a Ducati again. I hear that the Monster is a great bike. The guys that I Endurance Race with both buy Ducati's. Damn, they sound good. That Monster in the neighborhood looks good. I can see myself on one of those.

I finally decide to buy a new bike. I have decided to go for a hoolagan. I start looking for Triumph Speed III or IV. There is one for sale here in Austin at the dealership. I talk with the shop and they want to give me a demo. The salesman and I have a lot in common and talk seems to keep turning to his bike (916). I bought a new street jacket from the dealership. Yellow. To make the story short, the Speed III sold before I got to ride it. I rode the Speed IV and just didn't like it.

Time to start looking for a different bike. So I was talking with the other bikers at work about my motorcycle search. I was talking with one of the other guys about how I didn't like the ride of the Speed IV and he mentioned how he went though the same problems with his latest bike. Either you like the ride or you don't. So Friday night was spent going over the "cycletrader". I picked 2 bikes to go look at on Saturday.

Saturday morning was spent teaching my son to ride a bicycle. On the way bike I heard a motorcycle go by. By the sound it had to be a Ducati. I mentioned something to my wife as a hint to let her know that I was seriously looking for a bike.

So I get back to the house and there is a motorcycle sitting in front of my house. Yellow. The guy is using a cell phone-while sitting on his Monster. I have already decided to start looking at Monsters so I figure I might as well ask this guy his opinion. We talk. He starts to describe the options on the bike. It's one of the bikes that I was going to look at later that day. The guy lives on my block. The bike that I see every 6 months and lust over has been sitting in a garage down the street. Yellow. I just bought a yellow jacket.

Let's start it up. Lets hear what it sounds like...... You know what it sounded like. Maybe I'll take it for a ride and hate it. Listen to that dry clutch. What a racket. I love it. I haven't even taken off. ****. I can't hear anything but that angry noise of the motor. Let's ride it. Maybe I'll hate the way it rides. Sweet. Front tire is just where I want it. I shift into 2nd while riding around the neighborhood. I look at the speedo and get disappointed becuase the speedo is in 'kph' and needs to be changed. Actually that was 'mph'. Maybe this bike likes to run.


It's now Thrusday. People talk to me and all I hear is that motor. My wife talks and I hear the clutch.

I think I have problems.

I think I know the solution. I made the offer tonight. $5,100 for a yellow monster. Its mine. faring. c/f. 916 forks and brakes. Money changes hands on Monday. T-5 days and counting. How will I make it through the weekend? How I will be able to work on Monday?

so now you know how i found the bike of my dreams sitting in front of my house. Its been hiding down the street the whole time - patiently waiting.