Cbr1000, r1, r6 . . .

[80MPHdownhill]

Sold my '09 Ninjette a few weeks ago.

I've had since 1985 a 1981 Kawi GPz 550 (first street bike), '86 Ninja 600 (blue/red/white, loved that bike in the 80s), then Gixxer 1100, two different Honda Hurricane 600s, Interceptor 500, Ducati Monster 900i.e., and a few others.

But I put more miles on my Ninjette over the last couple years than any other bike I've owned. It's the only bike that I've done an extended amount of time (almost 2 years) of daily driving commuting on. It's a fantastic bike, that I put up on my personal Motorcycle Wall of Fame.

I wasn't sure what to replace it with. Looked at R6s, which I really liked, never had a Yamaha before so I thought I'd try it. Made on offer on a '12 with 3K miles on it, but the seller didn't accept (I offered $8,000, they would only go to $8,300).

Then looked at CBR1000RRs. Found an '09 that I would have bought, but found out it was a 49 state model that I can't register in California. So no go.

Then looked at more "commuter" kinds, like the '12 Ninja 650R. I found one with 2K miles on it, he was asking $5,700, I offered as high as $5,300, he came down to $5,400 but neither of us would budge over that $100! I'm really glad, though. I liked the bike ok, but didn't love it. It's a nice commuter, for sure.

Then saw an add for an '06 Ducati Supersport 800, low miles, close to the house. Put the cash in my wallet, drove over, bought it and rode it home.

I like it a lot so far. I love the funky Italian styling. I like it much better than the Monster that I had (I never really warmed to the Monster for some reason). Also like the fact that it is a very simple bike, air-cooled 2 cylinder, very easy to work on. It of course rides very, very different than a high revving Japanese sport bike (which I'm more used to). It's a little weird redlining at 9K, but it's just a matter of getting used to it. The upside, of course, is the torque it has between 4 and 9K. It pulls pretty nicely.

So, farewell Ninjetters, have fun and stay safe.

[csmith12]

Gratz! Why leave? Your Italian stallion is still welcome here. Ride it a bit and let us know what's up.

[80MPHdownhill]

Thanks!

I just might do that. I haven't joined any Ducati boards, although there seem to be some decent ones out there.

I've had fun commuting on the bike the past few weeks. It's also an enjoyable bike to work on. I've changed the cam belts, flushed brake and clutch fluids, changed the in-tank fuel filter, and some other routine maintenance.

Will be adjusting the Desmo valves later this fall.

It's nice not having a radiator and all the associated "stuff" that goes with it, makes for easier access to most things.

We'll see how it goes, though. At heart, I've historically been a high rev'er, both with cars and bikes. We'll see if I can find long-term love at under 9,000 rpm!

[csmith12]

I came from cruisers, so I feel ya about a rev range preference lol. I rode a big twin some time ago (KTM RC8) and loved it. On the flip side, I get on my r6 and rev the crap outta it. Maybe you can make the switch easy enough ah?