Ducati has come out with its 1098R but the details are still trickling in about all the components and options for this beautiful machine. It is pumping 180 bhp with a few finely tuned parts made to make this machine run even smoother then the previous releases. The first thing I notice are the gold marchenisi rims which give this machine a different twist. More details will be coming along, I can’t wait to see this work of art.
Ducati has at last redesigned the successful Ducati Monster to retain its history while giving it a new edge. I have always been a huge fan of the Monster, but this iteration is something else. I can’t wait to get my leg over the new one and take it for a spin. They have designed the new 696 to be more muscular looking as well as providing a lighter machine with a little bit more umph. The one thing I love about the new Monster is the new front light integrated with modern technology, it is also lighter which makes it easier to meneauver. An increase in both torque and hp while a 5 kg drop in weight is going to be great for handling. The best part about any monster is the ability to customize the machine, so there will be a lot of unique machines being created once its released.
The funny part is that this is the basic version, I can’t wait to see the other versions of this machine that they will come out with. Ducati is getting it right with all their machines these days, hopefully they keep going with these amazing designs and more.
Link: WebBikeWorld
I haven’t had a good chance to ride in a while, so I was planning to ride saturday as much as I can and ride I did. I met up with vampire at 9:10 am at Marina Crescent parking lot and we headed out from there. We took the Fahaheel to Mina Abdulla, then we took the inside roads to Starbucks Julai for something to eat and drink since we were both hungry. I really do enjoy stopping there and I think they chose the perfect location for that Starbucks. After finishing up there with a few funny events taking place we tried going to Bnaider, but they stopped us and wouldn’t let us cross at the naval base. From there we decided to had back down Fahaheel expressway to Marina Mall for a quick cold water which helped us continue on the seaside. It was a fantastic day with so many riders out, we were riding like it was a time attack. I love the sweeping corners, we were really enjoying the ride the whole way but as usual there were some idiots on the road (First Idiot in a Citroen, and the second idiot in a Suburban)
Notable Events:
- Started at 2634 km on my odometer, ended the day at 3000 km on the mark.
- We were told off by the Minister of Interior for stopping in the middle of the road in Mina Abdulla, I honestly thought it was hilarious, and vampire pointed out who he was, I thought he looked familiar, the Minister of Interior was ready to tell us off. He said we would stop traffic even though it was 9:36am in Mina Abdulla on Saturday morning on an inside road with no traffic in either direction for at least the 5 minutes that we were stopped there. But we apologized to the man because he was worked up, and I wanted to laugh, he said fine and drove off as we were about to get on our bikes.
- As we were riding out of Julai’a a herd of at least 40 camels were crossing in front of us so we slowed down to 5 – 10 km/h, it was hilarious they would stop and look at us when they were crossing, who says camels don’t have attitude. Then when we got close a lot of them wanted to cross quickly in front of us, it was just a funny site I couldn’t stop and take pictures because we had to get some gas.
- I ran out of gas before coming to a gas station with ultra, so I had to fill up with super since I was couldn’t go anywhere in the state I was in. So vampire had to tag along for the fill up.
- We saw three kids no older then 10 years old driving in the beach house areas in the morning and it scared the crap out of me while we were riding.
I woke up early Saturday morning with the urge to get up and go riding right away. I just look forward to riding in Kuwait when the roads are empty and when there is a cool breeze. I have been noticing the I have been pushing myself more with the bike these days then usual, I’m able to go faster around certain corners without thinking about it. Its a good and bad thing, I’m getting more comfortable with my capabilities as a rider, but in Kuwait I shouldn’t be pushing my luck because I know there is probably somebody who is about to do something stupid I just don’t know from which direction. I was really enjoying myself though, I got the bike nice and low and I felt the thrill of the ride. I really need to get this machine on a track and try it out, and hopefully improve my riding even more, I can always improve my riding.
Aside from that I stopped by Marina Crescent to go Starbucks, but as I was walking I met some people I know at Johnny Rockets which was nice. And so I got myself a strawberry milkshake but that didn’t really hit the spot, I would have preferred something even colder then that. Then I continued the ride, and I was really enjoying myself before heading home for some good old fashioned Halo 3.
I woke around 8 am, and I really wanted to go riding and since it was early enough I knew I could go in different directions. I went straight to gas station to fill up and from there I headed south to Julai’a. It was an insane ride, the road was mostly empty so I was testing a few things as I was riding. I like taking Fahaheel Highway since the highway curves at different points, and at high speed those curves are a lot of fun. As soon as I came close to Mina Abdullah I took the inside roads because they are so much fun, the curves are what makes riding so much fun, some roads go up and some down. I was getting pumped up just riding in those empty roads, and the weather was a mix of cool and hot, it felt like there was no decision and I was just riding in the direction of the road. My first stop was Starbuck Julai’a, and I made there in 23 minutes since I was averaging around 220 kph on the highway.
As soon as I got to Starbucks there were a few people there for early morning coffee. I was just going to order a frapacino until I saw they were making a delivery of doughnuts, and I couldn’t resist a fresh doughnut. They heated the doughnut for me, so I was reading BoingBoing.net on my phone while eating the doughnut and drinking the cool drink. It felt great, and I knew it was just the start of the ride. As soon as I was done, I got back on the bike and headed back up north. The funny part about riding on the highway on a motorcycle in Kuwait is that there will always be someone who wants to race, and some varied machines come for the challenge. The first car was a new Carrera 4S, and he was pushing his car and I was enjoying myself, then I put some distance between us. Another car came up later in the day, but sometimes you can’t resist a challenge in the right circumstances.
As soon as I got to the 6th ring road I took the seaside to Marina to check if there were any riders there, and to my surprise nobody was there so I kept riding on the Gulf Road for a little while. The funny part was catching a motorcycle and an M5 racing, so I decided to put them to shame, which I happily did. Today was just my day and I was enjoying every moment of that morning ride. Then I continued to Shuweikh and filled the tank up again and continued my ride around Shuweikh. Then I headed towards North even more to see how good the roads are, and from there it was just one hell of ride. The funny part about the whole day is that I forgot the camera’s memory chip but I charged it, and I took my mp3 player but I forgot to charge it. I was in such a hurry to get on the bike that I forgot a few things, but it was still a fantastic ride, I managed to ride 212 km for the day.
A complete set of front & rear wavy disc set for the Ducati 1098. These discs have anodized red aluminum centers and all stainless steel floating wavy vented discs. They will enhance your bikes aesthetics as well as offering an advanced quality in braking.
This is a modification I’m thinking about for the 1098 and the brakes will match the red of the body with a slight improvement in breaking. The 1098s already has amazing breaks so this is 70% for looks and 30% for functionality.
Price: £705
Link: MotoCinelliDirect
As soon as I woke up I got into gear to go riding, over the past couple of days I have been sleep so late its morning by the time I pass out, but it is still relatively cool when I was riding in the afternoon. For short trips in Kuwait you are limited in the areas you can go, I wish they developed other areas in Kuwait to be more enjoyable and nice to visit. As soon as I started Pyro the sound wasn’t what I was looking for, I knew I had to go for a decent ride to clear his lungs and mine. I was happy there was less traffic on the road then the day before when I was riding, the only traffic I kept running into was at any road close to a restaurant, and every restaurant seemed packed.
The best part is when I clear traffic and I’m about to enter a curvy road, I can’t help but push the bike to go faster and get the bike as low as possible to one side, its an exhilarating feeling. I have a few modifications in mind to make with the clutch but I’m keeping it stock. I’m hoping that I can sort out the battery issues with Pyro by going for a few more rides, and hoping for a really long ride to charge him up right. The weather has gotten cooler this year then it did last year which is great.
Today was an interesting dar of riding, I woke up in the afternoon to go riding. I showered and got into gear to get on the bike. I decided to go with Pyro today since I have only been riding Robo for the past few weeks. And since the clutch incident I have been a bit hesitent but I knew its going to be fun for sure.
As soon I tried starting Pyro I knew it was going to be one hell of a cold start, so I wasn’t sure it was going to start right up. It took some time but it was either going to be a dead battery or a live engine and I was willing to take the chance. Then I felt the feint rumble of the live engine as its about to start, so I started it up a few more times then I got the result I wanted. The risk I was taking was that the bike might die on me while I am riding, but I need to ride it to charge the battery. As I was riding the bike only died once, but it started right back up so I was really enjoying myself.
I was pushing the engine to get the things cleared internally and to give Pyro a nice run. The ride was nothing short of great, the only problem I had was there were so many damn cars. Pushing the bike felt good, the turns were precise, the sound envigorating, and it was exactly what I wanted. I couldn’t hear my headphones over the sound of the engine and exhaust. I only managed to ride for a little over an hour, but it did the job but I will be riding more when I get the chance. I took some goog pictures, and there were some funny ones.
The one thing about riding during the day in Ramadan is that I used to get very thirst so now for the first day I wanted to take full advantage of being able to ride during this beautiful weather. Its really cool to be only 34C during noon and towards 4 pm the weather is really cool and as long as I’m moving I feel a cool breeze. It was really nice that there weren’t a lot of people on the road and I was really enjoying myself. There were a few nut cases on the road but I managed to get away from them.
I updated my playlist on the mp3 player and it just feels so good, it gets my blood pumping and I start pushing the bike more. The rumble from from the engine, the feeling of the cool breeze, and the beat of the music really gets me going and all of my senses are concentrated on riding and the road around. Funny I ride I see lines on the road that I want to follow and my body just reacts to it, its fantastic when I’m so entranced by the riding that all my reactions turn into instinct. I still think while I’m riding but I’m enjoying myself so much that I’m just happy on a bike.
At last this machine has been introduced, there has been a lot of interest from people after seeing the concept version of this machine. It will be going on sale towards the end of November, and it is one hell of a machine from Suzuki. They really took their gloves off for this machine, it has aggressive styling and the suspension and engine to match the looks. This machine is going to be the most powerful naked bike on the road with the a detuned new Hayabusa Engine with 180 bhp available for your entertainment.
I was happy for a while that my K1200R was the most powerful naked bike and I knew it was only a matter of time until something more powerful comes out. Suzuki came out shooting with this machine, and they tuned the machine to concentrate on mid-range, this is just one hell of a machine. It will be selling for around $13’000 and there might be some options for it.
Link: The Kneeslider
