Well, true to form, the guy backed out after I was convinced it was all a go. Then, from outta the blue, Zina says, "let's just get the 916 anyway!" What a great lady - don't'chya wish you had one, too?
Fruity 4 valver(TM) is a term I coined whilst talking waaay too much trash about 4 valvers at the height of the Guerra de valvola (war of the valves - 2V vs 4V) on an Internet mailing list.
Well, since I've got a 4 valver now, I guess the war was finally won by the 4 valvers...
On my test ride, I knew the nine one sex was something special. I had never ridden the famous and infamous Angeles Crest. Zina and I rode up to PI on our SSs to meet Ben Bostrom and also hook up with the former owner of my 916 for a test ride.
Todd has a 900SS/SP, so there's no real worry with him riding my SS while I test his 916. We set out... I first notice the seating position. Then I notice how refined the 916 feels after riding a hopped up SS. The injection allows usable revs from as low as 1300 rpm!
We got going and I initially thought the 916 felt similar to the SS in the steering feel. A touch heavy with great confidence in the turn. I quickly found that the four valver would easily vary speed without need of the brakes. It was easy to set my corner speed without any drama and as the pace increased, so did the lean angles. It was then that I found how the 916 fonrt end instills huge confidence.
The more you lean the 916, the better it gets. I started dialing in throttle earlier and earlier. I couldn't believe how much better it felt than my SS. I even started putting the power down over bumps in corners. This Ducati will definitely make you feel like Foggy or Frankie! Or like Ben? Nahhh, I haven't the pecks...
Todd kept up with me and we quickly left our riding partners. Since I was keeping good safety margains, he was able to get by me on my SS when it was time to chill out before potential Cop zones. We stopped at Newcombs and I had to give back the 916. =( That's OK, I got it a week later.