2006 Ducati 749 review from United States of America

Nothing.

As reliable as my Ninja - just don't crash it - a lot more expensive to fix!

By the way - it eats tires fast - or maybe it's just me.

-- Killer Looks and Performance --

What else can I say? Truly exotic, and gets looks everytime all the time. I find myself just staring at it after every ride, and I would wake up in the middle of the night just to stare at it again. Is that silly or what? No - that's a Ducati!

The Italians really know how to look sexy. Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Maserati, Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Gianni Versace and so on. They all have sex appeal, but/and I haven't even talked about the performance of my bike yet. The 749/999 has this distinctive sound when in idle and when it revs. The dry clutch is a thing of beauty. You'll know it's a Duc when it passes by.

I have read magazine articles where older Ducs when tested/pitted against more powerful Japanese Superbikes, with the expert riders/testers scratching their heads and wonder why this less powerful bike clocks faster lap times than the more powerful Japanese superbikes?! The other bikes when leaned over have a tendency to stand up, where Ducs will remain in their lean angle position all day all night. Truly mysterious, but amazing. There is nothing else like it in the world - well except another Duc.

I rated comfort as 1 star - the worst. C'mon guys that's the truth. It was primarily designed for speed and not comfort - get a CBR Honda if that's what's important to you. I would not ride my Duc from Cali to Las Vegas (9 hours) but I will track the bike all day for 9 hours, with 15 minute breaks after each hour. Getting old or what? : (Anyway, if you have money saved up for a sportsbike like a Gixxer, Kawi, Honni or Yammie R6/R1 - save a little bit more and get a Duc - it's well worth it. Why do I say that? Well check out current rider's on these Japanese bikes and watch how they drool and sweat when they see a Duc pass by. They always talk about upgrading to a Duc someday. Why upgrade? - just go straight to the point and get a Duc instead.

Upgrades:

Troy Bayliss #21 World Championship Xerox Replica, carbon fiber rear hugger, carbon fiber front fender, carbon fiber heel guard, carbon fiber exhaust guard, PIAA blue plasma bulbs, rims painted red with new Michelin tires, IPOD/MP3 mount interface, but found myself not using it since the sound of the engine is more beautiful than any MP3 sound file out there.

http://www.silverio.com/websites/ducati/

http://www.silverio.com/websites/ducati/TN_S5000271.JPG