An unexpected phone call announced an opportunity to test ride the Ducati Superbike 848 several hours hence. Sweet. Sexy, sleek, bright Ducati red, and Italian, the Ducati 848 beckoned me to climb on, snap down my Arai RX-Q's visor and tuck in. With a ridiculous amount of low-end torque, I am eager to shift up and let the bike stretch its legs. The condition of the local roads is not conducive to the Ducati 848's race-ready suspension, so I found myself dialing back a bit on a particular stretch that I've whipped through much faster on other bikes. This surprised me as I've ridden liter bikes often enough--most recently, the KTM RC8 at the Skip Barber Superbike School. On the plus side of things, the bike feels like a featherweight. Its 370 (claimed dry) pounds are well-balanced and the slightest lean or extra weight on the foot peg turns the bike effortlessly. An upright Ducati makes much more sense for real world conditions, and I am a big fan of the Monster series (watch for my test of the 2011 Monster 796 in an upcoming print issue).
Ducati’s latest idea of a middleweight resumes to combining a 370 pounds dry weight with the 134 hp at 10000 rpm and 70.8 lb-ft of torque at 8250 rpm developed by the liquid-cooled 849.4 cc, L-Twin cylinder, four valves per cylinder Desmodromic engine, which was specially developed for the bike.
meets Euro3 regulations without sacrificing performance. Easy to pull, great feedback provider, all translating into impressive time laps.
The tubular steel trellis frame meeting the fully adjustable 43mm Showa upside-down fork at a 24.5-degree angle and the fully adjustable Showa monoshock are all the result of the "Ducati 848" being built with performance in mind. The bike rides on Marchesini 5-spoke light alloy 17-inch wheels with Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa rubber.
Ducati may not have set the 2010 standard Ducati 848 superbike apart from the previous model year, but they do offer an extremly cool Nicky Hayden Edition exclusively for the North American market. With the Ducati 848, Ducati goes mainly against the Japanese middleweight supersport motorcycles, which are all powered by 600cc inline-four engines. On the sides, the fairing is smooth and the aggressive cooling scoop remind us once again of the bike’s bigger sibling. The Ducati 848 Nicky Hayden gets the Hayden Laguna Seca Special Livery with Red frame and Black wheels, which is guaranteed to turn heads.
At the slowest speeds, around parking lots, or making u-turns, the Ducati 848 Dark is easy to keep under control. Zero to forty disappears in an unadvised blink of the eye. The same easy action clutch level that allowed for easy low speed cruising works effortlessly with the shift lever to make changing gears a dream. The stock 41mm Showa shocks still do a good job reducing wheel hop, and front end diving. The wind resistance blowing on your visor and embracing your head lifts the weight off your straining neck muscles, relaxing your upper back, and allows you to ride fatigue free for hours