• How do you find it on the road, unbridled joy or too much like hard work? Still think about trading in my RSV for an 1198s. The RSV is pretty uncompromising but aware an 1198s is even more so.

  • The engine / exhaust gets smoking hot, it doesn't like city traffic much and imo it's definitely not passenger friendly. It can be a bit jerky on the throttle in both 1st and in 2nd gear at low rpm which can make for interesting hairpins.

    The saddle is thin, slippery and doesn't do a great job of protecting your arse from the exhaust heat. Might be nice in winter but not so much during the Italian summer time.

    Suspension is top notch and so is the front brake. I've hardly used the rear brake simply because the lever is just a tad short for me to reach haha. I really need to look for it. I'll guess I'll have to opt for a rear set to modify it to my liking.

    The sound is music to my ears (quite deafening actually even with earplugs) and I've grown to appreciate the sound of a wrench that's bouncing around in the engine bay at the traffic light, aka the dry clutch. You really need to pay attention when downshifting as the rear wheel locks up easily and your crown jewels will get smashed against the tank over and over again. The riding position can be considered "aggressive" and I like to compare it a bit with riding in the drops constantly on your road bike. Guess those hours on the turbo are finally paying off...

    I can literally bring a disc lock and a credit card, that's all that I can fit in its "cargo" bay. Fuel tank is a tad small to my liking and it's not very fuel economic either.

    But all of those things don't really matter to me as I bought the bike purely for myself and any negative is completely transformed into a positive as soon as I walk into the garage to fire it up, open up the throttle, let it rip and you get enjoy the sound of the Termi's.

    I really enjoyed the Aprilia but owning the RSV felt like owning an RSV... Owning the Ducati, to me, feels like owning something beautiful, timeless and special. I guess that's what it's all about.

  • Solid review this.
    How I feel about the MTS1200.

    Sunday worship though, I'll take an RSV4 with a GP exhaust though. Aural excellence.

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