Trackday on Sunday, commute...
Trackday on Sunday, commute on Monday.
Miles Ridden: 4,200
Modifications: Tires, swingarm cover
For months now I have been commuting with a purpose- built racebike. I've made it more comfortable and easier to ride. In fact, I've been riding it on the freeway so much I managed to square off the tires. How embarrassing for a Ducati.
This month I decided to unleash the inner beast I've been trying to suppress and take my almighty Ducati back to its place of birth. No, not Italy, but the racetrack.
Round is good...and the grip...
Round is good...and the grip was great.
It's funny how all the things you bitch about when riding on the street are quickly forgotten on the racetrack. Gone from my mind was the hot underseat exhaust, semi-cramped riding position and buzzy mirrors. All I could do was ride in amazement at how perfect the bike felt on the track. The course at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada, is probably my favorite track. It's not too fast, not too slow and is the perfect playground for a mid-sized V-twin.
SoCal Track Days (www.socaltrackdays.com)operates its trackdays without sessions so I was free to ride as much as I wanted. The number of riders is also limited, which meant at times I was the only rider on the course. How about that? A Ducati 848 and my own private track.
I swapped out the squared-off Pirellis for a set of Dunlop Qualifiers. These babies took every bit of what I could throw at them with room for lots more. There is nothing like having complete confidence in your tires. Between the awesome bike, new rubber, open track time and perfect weather, I really couldn't find anything to complain about. The worst day at the track is better than the best day in front of a computer, after all.
On the mod side, I installed a carbon fiber swingarm cover to continue my desire to black out any silver left on the bike. Installation took all of five minutes and looked pretty good.
I'm running out of places to improve the 848 without spending a ton of cash. I'm thinking of installing a set of black adjustable rearsets for that final bit of anti-bling and a little more comfort. My foot kept slipping off the pegs at the track, so a bit more grip would be nice as well.
Aside from that minor gripe, the 848 continues to be one the best bikes I have ridden out of the box. I'm not sure if I'm going to let this bike go at the end of the year.
Coming next month: Rearsets