If you want to buy a motorcycle, but have no experience in this field, you may feel confused and even somewhat lost since the styling, models and technical characteristics are so wide that can muddle even experienced riders. Beginners will surely be under strong emotional pull. This short guide is an attempt to through the light on a problem of first motorcycle choice.

When you plan to buy your first bike, I'd recommend you to pay your attention to famous manufacturers as in this case you reduce the risk of making a wrong choice. Also note you will need to maintain your bike in good working condition. It's good to learn how to perform basic maintenance like oil level adjusting or changing filters, but beginners usually know nothing about engine and valves, so you cannot avoid service center and a happy owner of brand bike can always visit official service center and solve the problem of bike maintenance in a simple but effective way.

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Torque Wrench, 21mm socket (or 14mm allen head for later model bikes), 10mm Allen Head Socket, Channel Lock Pliers or a Filter Wrench, Oil, Filter, New Crush Washers.

Step 1
The first step is to get all the necessary equipment and tools. The 21mm and 10mm allen
need to be sockets rather than wrenches because you will need to torque them to the correct setting. A torque wrench is required for all kinds of maintenance, so now is the time to bite the bullet and get one (reasonably priced ones are available at Sears and the like). You will also need about 4 liters of your preferred oil (I use 15w50 semi-synthetic Motul, but if your engine has less than 2,000 miles I would not recommend synthetic because the motor is still in the break-in stage). You also can't forget the oil filter and a crush washer for the oil drain plug and a crush washer for the filter screen bolt. The washers are cheap at 50 cents each, the filter is about $10, and the oil runs me $20.


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Making short rides to your job or local supermarket and riding several hours long are totally different things. When the final point is not far from the starting one, all you need is general comfort, but in long hours “iron butt” rides many small things you may have not mentioned previously become particularly important.

If you plan to ride for 20 or 30 hours, there is a series of questions you may ask yourself. First, is your bike good for that? If you are not feather-light, you know how inconvenient smaller sport bikes are. You simply won't get rid of the feeling you’re too big for this bike. On the other hand, too big and heavy bikes are not a great decision either. I saw many riders larger and heavier than me, who stopped their heavy bikes at parking lots and dropped them due to exhaustion. Determining “your” bike is not that difficult – just visit any big retailer or motorcycle exhibition, sit on each bike and imagine you will remain in this position for many hours. Will it be a convenient ride?


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Winter is slowly approaching and soon there will be a time when you will need to prepare your bike for short winter sleep. If you want to get your bike clean, shining and ready for action in spring, the following steps are for you.

First, you should find a place to keep your bike over the winter. This place should be dry. It can be your own garage or sometimes dealers offer Ducati owners use their own garages for storing purposes.

Let’s start with engine related issues. If you’re going to stop riding your bike for more than a month, you should know you cannot leave any petrol in it. If you have spare time, make a last ride on your Ducati. This way you can warm its parts and top off all petrol it has. In case you don't have enough time, just pour out all you have in your tank.


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Nowadays the competition in motorcycle market is so tight that it takes many efforts to choose a brand and model. Ducati is known to produce motorcycles of the highest quality. However, this is not the only thing that can make you love them. Here is the list of reasons why you should pay your attention to these bikes.

1. Ducati means quality. These Italian bikes are known to have huge history as this manufacturer produces bikes for more than 50 years! Ducks are constant winners in world's major motorcycling competitions, showing total dominance in Superbike class. Ducati team has even such motorcycling celebrities as Nicky Hayden who has recently joined it. The company never stops developing new, more sophisticated bike models to show the best not only on race track, but on a road as well.

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WD-40, Chain Wax or Chain Lube, Rags, Rear Stand

Lubing the chain is one of the easiest things you can do. It's also one of the most frequent things you need to do. Every 500 or so miles, just follow these steps and your chain will live a long and healthy life.

Step 1
First go for a quick ride to heat the chain up (if you are using chain
wax- if you're not, you don't need to perform this step). Then
continue by getting the bike on a rear stand.

Then slowly turn the wheel (with the bike in neutral, of course) and wipe off all the gunk that's on there.

Then, while rotating the wheel, spray WD-40 all along it to break up the old lube and grease.

hen you can get the tire going at a pretty good clip and wipe all the WD-40 and grease off.

It may take a little bit to get it completely clean, but I'm a perfectionist so it took me about 15 minutes. Don't forget all the surrounding areas!




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First shown as a concept bike in 1998, Ducati announced in 2000 that they would build 2,000 examples of a bike inspired by Mike Hailwood’s Isle of Mann TT winning racer (subject itself to an earlier replica in 1979). Designed by Pierre Terblanche the stylist responsible for both the controversial 999 and the gorgeous Supermono the model offered a modern interpretation of the traditional lines of the Ducati sport twin.



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Team Foremost Ducati’s Larry Pegram took to the dirt once again at the Indianapolis Mile race on August 29th choosing a Ducati powered flat tracker to take on the ubiquitous Harley’s. Pegram narrowly missed the final after some bad luck in the heats.

Pegram’s mount for the Springfield Mile was a modified Ducati Sport Classic but for the Indianapolis Mile the machine was equipped with a specialist dirt track frame so confidence was high. To qualify for the final, riders had to finish in the top 3 in their heat or failing that finish in the top 3 in the semi qualifier. Unfortunately Pegram was forced to lay the bike down in his heat to avoid a collision with his Lloyd Brothers team-mate for the event.


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Rossi Puts his Team-mate in his Place

Valentino Rossi reasserted himself at the top of the leader board by convincingly beating his younger team-mate, Jorge Lorenzo, by 2.4 seconds during the San Marino MotoGP at Misano after besting him in every practice and qualifying session. Lorenzo finished second to trail Rossi by 30 points in the championship whilst Dani Pedrosa took the final spot on the podium. It was a mixed day for Ducati fans with newly re-signed Nicky Hayden knocked off on the first corner of the first lap whilst Mika Kallio finished a creditable 7th.

At his home circuit the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) sported a ‘The Donkey’ helmet making fun of his rare mistake last weekend at Indianapolis. Pedrosa bolted from the start and took some passing but as soon as Rossi began to pull away at the front, Lorenzo was past too and the two of them quickly dropped the Repsol Honda man. Elias, racing like he needed a job, stayed up the front for the first few laps but went slowly backwards as first Andrea Dovizioso and then a fast riding Loris Capirossi on the Suzuki went by.


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Foremost Insurance Pegram Ducati’s Larry Pegram will race this weekend in the AMA Pro American Superbike season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Pegram looks to top off a successful season in New Jersey, one that has seen him earn three victories during his return season to the Superbike class.

While Larry has already made his season memorable with the unforgettable Road America shootout with seven-time AMA Superbike champion Mat Mladin and with his stunning Topeka double victory, he has two more chances to put the Ducati 1098R into victory circle this weekend.


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Taking cues from the Ducati Monster, Olivier Henrichot has put his photoshop skills towards creating a Ducati & Fila branded athletic shoe that takes the Monster’s frame and fuel tank visuals, and incorporated them into the shoe’s design elements.

Before Ducati hired Puma to put the Italian brand on every garment the company created, Fila use to partner with Ducati, providing shirts, hats, etc. Drawing on that inspiration, Henrichot has come up with a reimagining of what a joint Ducati/Fila shoe could look like today.

We personally like the integration of the trellis frame into the arch of the shoe, and we think the red/black/magnesium look would match our Streetfighter quite nicely. Check out the rest of Henrichot’s portfolio for a glimpse at what he’s done with the Ferrari mark as well.

Source: Coroflot via AutoBlog

Dear Ducati,
Just release this bike already. We’re tired of seeing it all wrapped up in duct tape, and on people’s camera phones.

Sincerely,
Everybody.

Photo: motoblog.it

This weekend’s American Superbike, World Superbike and MotoGP racing should offer compelling viewing for every race fan. Mat Madin competes for the last time on a road racer in American Superbike racing whilst battle is resumed in two feuds featuring Noriyuki Haga and Ben Spies in the World Superbike Championship and Valentino Rossi and his young team-mate Jorge Lorenzo in MotoGP. Light the blue touch paper and stand well back!


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Back at it Again...

The bike is slipping into second gear as the sunshine flickers. Bright and dark rays shutter through the weeds. Spill onto the road. Laying out a pattern of texture that’s deep with shades of gray but very little black and white…

And then the torque starts to talk…

Big hits of power slam into the road. Punch the asphalt straight in the face as the bike gnarls, and snares, and grabs hold. Wringing the last bit of grip as the power envelops not only the moment, but my mind. And it’s evil and it’s vicious and it’s just down-right mean… After three or four hits I find myself thinking the poor road didn’t even do anything to deserve this sort of punishment… And yet it’s still getting knocked silly… Rip after rip…


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Pegram Takes the Double, Moves into 3rd in the Series!

Team Foremost Ducati’s Larry Pegram made it a double by taking the win in race 2 of the AMA American Superbike Championship round at Heartland Park, Topeka today catapulting him to 3rd in the series standings.

Ducati North America probably can’t believe it’s luck. Supporting Team Foremost Ducati allowed for a relatively inexpensive pseudo return to factory Ducati racing in the AMA series but the expectations can’t have been too high. They obviously weren’t counting on Larry Pegram, who broke his decade long drought of Superbike wins by standing on top of the dais at Road America and then has followed that up with double victories this weekend to move into 3rd in the standings for the inaugural, AMA American Superbike Championship.


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Larry Wins Again on the Foremost Ducati 1098R!

After setting pole on Friday, Team Foremost Ducati owner and racer, Larry Pegram, took his Ducati 1098R to a flag to flag victory during Race 1 of the AMA American Superbike Championship round at Heartland Park, Topeka yesterday.

At the flag, Larry was 2.1 seconds ahead of Ben Bostrum’s Yamaha R1, whilst Suzuki’s Blake Young took the final podium spot.

«For me, it’s validation. At Road America, we beat maybe the best guy out there in a straight-up fight. To do it again and win here in Kansas, it proves to me we can win and it certainly feels great to do it. I always knew at the bottom of my heart I could win races if I could get on a bike capable and this Ducati 1098R certainly is capable. It’s been a great machine since the day we picked them up at the dealership and began building them into race bikes. To win here at a track where there’s more than just a fast straight is good, too. The entire team is really happy with this win.»

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I know this site is dedicated to Ducati, but sometimes it is worth resetting the lens to look at something significant in our sport. Today Mat Mladin announced his retirement from motorcycle road racing at the end of 2009 and I wanted to acknowledge his amazing career. Beside he raced a Fast by Ferraci Ducati and a Cagiva 500GP bike so that qualifies him as a Ducatista!

Mladin won his first national championship in Australia in 1981 on the dirt (flat track). He followed that up with 3 motocross championships in a single year. His switch to road-racing marked him as a phenom since he began winning almost immediately taking the Australian 250 Production championship in 1991 and followed that up with the Australian Superbike championship the very next year on a Team Kawasaki Australia ZXR750. The following year he was a factory 500GP racer. Just pause for a second to absorb all that. Imagine you started road-racing this year and in 2011 you had a MotoGP ride racing with Valentino Rossi and company? I know, it’s almost inconceivable. For young, inexperienced Mladin the pressure of trying to race at the pinnacle of 2 wheeled sport on the global stage on the less than ideal Cagiva proved difficult.


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After months of speculation Ducati has finally confirmed the existence of the Adventure Tourer and that it will be unveiled to the public at the EICMA Milan show in November.

Ducati has been developing a new model which has been variously described as a replacement for the Multistrada, and Adventure tourer and the Strada Aperta (Open Road). During a recent interview, Ducati marketing executive, Diego Sgorbati, confirmed that the new model would be shown at the EICMA show in Milan this November.

What are you bringing to EICMA 2009? 2010? «For 2009 there will be quite a few surprises, and multiple new bikes. The ‘road enduro’ of which many spy photos exist will be there… however, we don’t think of it as an ‘road enduro’ like the mags describe it.»

Source: Translation by ducati.ms forum member alexio

Xerox Ducati’s Noriyuki Haga defied the odds yesterday to emerge from the Brno round of the 2009 World Superbike championship with his series lead intact despite riding only weeks after he fractured his right ulna and cracked his left scapula in 3 places at the Donington Park round.

After severe pain from his injured scapula (which ducatinewstoday knows full well unfortunately) meant he could qualify only 14th fastest, it seemed a foregone conclusion that unexpected pole-sitter, Yamaha’s Ben Spies, would fight for a double win and take the points lead for the first time this year.

Race 1
However Haga’s teammate, Michel Fabrizio, and a fast Max Biaggi on the new Aprilia RSV4 had other ideas. During the first race Fabrizio did Haga a huge, presumably inadvertent favor when he lost the front and took himself and Spies out of the event as you can see below.




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This stunning machine was created in just 4 weeks by Shift-Tech and Moto Corse Performance and will be shown at the Ducati Concorso during the Indianapolis MotoGP, August 28-30th. If you will be there you owe it to yourself to check it out!