I've fallen in lust with enough Ducatis over the years that I'm skeptical about competition from any other European V-Twin sportbike contender. How could any company compete with Ducati's legendary race history and artful, sensuous styling?
Ducati’s superbike series has been impressing over several generations, a concoction made even more desirable since the debut of the 1098/1198 series launched in 2007, later enlarged to 1198 potent cubic centimeters in 2009. Gorgeous, soulful and devilishly brutal, Ducati’s 1198 is a very special motorcycle.
The Monster 1100 is the latest bike in Ducati's lineup to receive the EVO (Evoluzione Desmodue) up-spec treatment. With 246,483 Monsters sold since the model line’s 1993 debut, creating a model like the 1100 EVO seems a good way to kick off the 18th year of Monster production.
It was easy to love last year’s Kawasaki KX250F. Yes, it had a carburetor, handling was merely average and even the looks and ergonomics were a little dated. What made it such a hit? Power. The 2010 KX250F engine ran so strongly nothing else mattered. The 2010 bike was so good that KX250F sales rose 18% while other brands of 250Fs saw sales drop.
Does a middleweight sportbike powered by a carbureted, air/oil-cooled engine with a claimed 106 crank horsepower spinning a slim 140 x 70/18 rear tire sound exciting? If it was 1985, and the above mystery bike’s color scheme is blue and white, then it was the Suzuki GSX-R750 that would’ve had you geeked.