Stunting takes a certain level of skill and on a motorcycle you have to be very skilled, and that rider is Rok Bagoros. Such control of the machine is amazing and also the build of this KTM Duke 125 does help to perform these stunts, very cool.

8 am Meet up and heading out right away, we wanted to make the best out of the time we had without any delays. But then we faced one major delay we weren’t expecting, our friend got caugt in a speed trap on 5th ring road at 7:48 am. That was the last thign I expected that early in the morning, we took some time but things worked out and the guy managed to get out of it without getting his bike towed which is a miracle. So we started off an hour later and took the roads as usual, and more people came out this weekend then the week before, seems a lot of people were back in town.

We were riding hard and enjoying every corner, there were four of us, all Ducatis surprisingly, until about halfway through the GulfRoad an old friend joined us with a BMW 1000RR and he rode it like a mad man. Then I noticed his bike, no light, number in the front, no plates, and running on slicks. He was riding a full on race bike and we was making us look like old ladies. When we stopped and I talked to him it seems he has been racing professionaly on his own in the SBK Championsihp (Superbike) and now he is ranked 12th in the Gulf. He has been taking his bike from Bahrain to Qatar and to other locations to practice and race on the back of his Chevy pick up truck. Now that takes a lot of dedication, and the last time I rode with the guy was about 2 years ago and he is insanely better then what he used to be.

It was a hell of ride and we took another which had a lot of fun turns heading to Doha which was entertaining and still I want to find new roads.

The Machines:

• Ducati Mosnter S4RS
• Ducati 1098
• Ducati 1098S
• Ducati Diavel Carbon Red
• BMW 1000RR – The One Stragler Coming Along For A Bit

4 Italians & 1 Road!

The last Friday of 2011 and we really wanted to go riding, meeting up at 8 am in Starbucks Arjan in Bede’a. Surprisingly there were a lot of people still in town and I was really looking forward to the ride. The best part about the people I was with is that they knew how to ride hard and fast in a group, they knew the rules of staying together, and they knew how to handle themselves. We were supposed to take it easy, but that didn’t really work out, we were flying like demons from the start and there was Nobody on the roads. Everybody was out of town or at home sleep so we took full advantage of it.

We went to Doha as usual because its a fun route and there are some nice long straights and a few bendy curves on the way. Then we took the 7th ring road to the Airport road to Subhan and kept on going. It was a blast, I loved hearing the exhaust of all the different machines, and we were pushing the limits of our bikes through every turn and loved it.

The Bikes We Were Riding:

• Ducati Diavel Carbon Red – I Was Riding Like a Madman!
• MV Agust 312R – Demon On The Road
• Ducati 1098 TriColore – Pure Speed
• Ducati Monster S4RS – That was a very loud machine!

This was probably one of most unorganized rides I have ever had and we kept adding more and more people throughout the ride. Towards the end of our ride we were Eight Bikes and One Ariel Atom so it was quiet a high speed tour of Kuwait. We had our mix of machines and mix of riders, from the extremely well experienced to the novice so it was a learning curve for a few people.

• 3 Ducati 1198’s (TriColore, 1198, 1198s Pearl White)
• 1 MV Agusta 312R
• 2 Diavel Carbons (One Red & One Black)
• 1 KTM RC8
• 1 BMW 1000 RR
• 1 Ariel Atom

The weather couldn’t have been any better, sunny and slightly cold, the perfect weather to go riding. We had a route in mind but we didn’t a chance since one of the guys ran of out gas but we still had a fun time. One of our friends had a close call from a woman who cut across three lanes and almost took him out in a round about but he managed to avoid being taken out even though he still get hit. The crazy thing is that she didn’t even bother to stop on check on him, I stopped to check on him and had the urge to chase after her. The whole road was empty and she had all the road only to almost take him out. Luckily that didn’t kill our mood after we made sure everything was ok.

We are planning to be slightly more organized next week for a better ride and a lot longer. Keeping this many people on schedule is difficult as hell but when you get everyone on time its a ton of fun.

This wasn’t the usual combination of riders and we also ran into the wolf pack while we were riding this time around. The wolf pack are a bunch of guys who love everything about riding and it doesn’t matter what they ride they are always together and I love that.

We were 2 Ducati Diavels and one Harley V-Rod, and we can all assume who were having more fun out of the road. I kept help but poke a little bit of fun at Harley but I can always respect those riders because they are a dedicated group and always watch out for other riders, and that is something I respect.

We went all the way to Doha for our usual route with a few changes and heading back down the 7th ring road since we wanted to try something a little different. Whats fun is that we know our limits but still have a lot of fun, I can’t keep the smile off my face when I’m riding the Diavel. One thing to note is that the Diavel can do 0-62 mph in 2.6 seconds which is just ridiculous for a sport cruiser, and I love that it can handle. And one thing that drivers never learn is that most bikes are faster then cars, unless you have jet turbine in your car, and a highly modified Nissan GT-R had to learn that the hard way, and I could see the disappointment in his face at 8 am on a Friday morning.

Thanks to Poach for letting me know that you can take pics at Villa Moda in Shuweikh, I remember when I tried taking pictures there in 2007 and security would try chasing me off. This time around the place looked sad and deserted. From the heights of being an international phenomenon Villa Moda has dropped so low and so hard, its so saddening.

I stopped to take pics of the Diavel there, I remember taking pics of my Ducati 1098s in 2007 and the security tried stopping saying that pictures weren’t allowed and now its like they didn’t have a clue why I would visit. It is still a visually stunning building, it sad to see it deserted like this. I kept thinking there is so much that can be done with this building. I kept on going on my ride for that day, even though it was a short ride it was a lot of fun.

Then I was riding down the Gulf Road heading back home a thought popped into my head. Villa Moda is design in a way that would be perfect to setup galleries, I wish someone would buy the building and turn it into a great Art center and creative Boutiques. Unique types of Galleries and you can see into them and boutique stores that people would enjoy, that would help the building turn around.

At last the sexy beast from the Italian firm has been unveiled after months of teasing, we at last get to see the machine we have all been craving to see. Its faster and lighter then 1098 & 1198, and a few design changes have been made to make this a menacing looking machine. Sanity was thrown out the window when they had this machine in mind, its 22 lbs lighter and 20 more horse to get this machine rocketing past any thing on the road.

Ducati have taken it a step further with the Panigale which was unveiled in EICMA at the beginning of November. I really do love the lines of this machine, and especially the LED lights that give it this futuristic look, the first full-LED headlight on a motorcycle . I was always a fan of the underseat exhaust but they wanted to lower the center of gravity to handle better so they took the exhaust down, I’m liking it, I’m really wondering how it sounds but knowing Ducati I know it would sound damn good. The package will set you back $17,995 for the base model, while S trim nudges the MSRP to $22,995. The top-of-the-line S Tricolore will fetch a more heart-stopping $27,995.

They have a lot of electronic additions to this vehicle and one of them the GPS Data Aquisitioning system to give you all the Data Logging info that you could want. You get the traction control system as standard on all bikes but ABS is optional on the Panigale. But the most interesting part for me is the electronically adjustable suspension system which will really change how the ride feels. I really want to get my hands on this bike, so many rumors and to see it in real life would be something else.

Link: Asphalt&Rubber
Link: Autoblog

Riding season is upon us and so we must ride, honestly there is no better feeling of that rush when you first hit the road. I tried with all my will to remain calm and collected, to take it slowly when I get back on that bike, its been a few months since I was on, to get my bearings and the feeling right, but I was TOTALLY over the top and gunned it the moment I could, I didn’t even realize I only had a quarter of the tank left. This was right after work and Tristar just brought my bike back, I just updated my playlist and was ready to ride.

I love riding the Ducati Diavel is appeases my need for top-speed horsepower and throttle-cracking torque. This really feels like an Italian bread machine, everything about it screams Ducati attitude, I especially love the color scheme of carbon fiber and red. Heading down the road I was on a high, taking corner to corner as if my life depended it on it. I tried riding a bit more sensibly but I couldn’t get the excitement out of me. I could even see other riders and how happy they were riding, there were a few idiots on the road but they couldn’t ruin my mood. I was only out riding for two hours but it was a world of time and I made the best of it. Ducati has really come along over the years and the last thing anyone thought they would do a few years ago is make a cruiser, they thought they would stick to race bred machines, but instead they built the Diavel which is stylish, powerful, and an elite enthusiast machine.

Its getting hotter and hotter these days, and you never know when a sandstorm will descend on us. So I ride as much as I can on the weekends and go to as many places as I can. One this ride I went all over town and emptied out the tank twice and the tank on the Diavel is on the bigger side then what I’m used to.

In one day I rode about 380 kms in a five hour period, I didn’t make any long stops except to get hydrated and fill up the tank when needed. I passed by Sahara since I haven’t been there in a very long time, and whats nice is that security opens up the door for me right away. I just went for a quick look before leaving. I always hope more bike friendly places open up in Kuwait in the near future, every year one place or another opens up and I hope they keep making bike friendly places.

I remember the first time I laid eyes on the BMW K1200R in BMW Motorrad on Park Lane in London. I fell in love with the beast, BMW came out with a machine that destoryed the competition that was based purely on the need to make a machine that was based purely on passion and engineering. I was remember ordering mine at the end of 2005 and getting it on Feb 2006, and I rode for so many months, into the heat, and I would smile every time I was on that bike. The BMW K1200R is machine that would make anyone smile the moment they twisted the throttle, amazing around corners and those brakes saved me many times.

Over the last two years I haven’t been riding Robo as much, I would always want to but I would end up riding on Diablo because I would want something light and nimble. I for one have a difficult time parting with my machines, I feel like they are linked to me since I have been through so much with them. A few people asked me if the bike was for sale a long time ago and I would be unsure about it, and I always think about the new owner and decide to keep him. But at this point I have too many bikes and not enough time in the world to ride as much as I want. I used to even go back home and switch bikes then go back out again to make sure I ride them. Now Robo has departed my stable and is with a new loving owner, honestly I wouldn’t sell Robo to anyone who doesn’t know what they are getting or is unaware of motorcycles, I wanted him to be appreciated for being such an amazing motorcycle and a new page for BMW road motorcycles, getting into the gritier side of riding. Well now I am down to three and enjoying them!