Which bike to buy?

[saltydog]

Tough choice mate, The Duke has the styling and heritage for sure, but mates that own them are constantly throwing $$$ at them.
HD.....HHmmm ridden one once and hated it, big time. But horses for courses.
Cant go past a Japper, or the new RC8? Or Beammers new 1200SS?
spoiled for choice......

[popelli]

So are your making a comparision and based this result on a 2 valve 900ss and a 1200cc Hardley? not being rude just asking out of interest.

what do you want me to compare it with?

given you have quoted 1200cc it must be my panhead

2003 900cc ducati vs a 56 year old panhead??

ducati 60 ftlb torque and had just been professionally set up with power commander open airbox and ducati performance pipes

harley panhead 64 ft lbs and that was on the same dyno - however it was being tested to sort out the mixture on a worn our carb borrowed off another bike - never did re test it after the carb was fixed but it definitely ran stronger when teh mixture was sorted

[nallac]

Havn't ridden a Harley - do they really handle that bad?

compared to late model Ducs ,jappa's etc,yes

But ridden how they were designed to be, no
they're not a sports bike but a cruiser....

Maybe a slower one compared to some of the Jap power cruisers M109 etc
but its easier to keep ya license.

[Scouse]

98tls and hiflyer
The true king , is the man that sees no boundaries no limitations,no fear, my gn250 sees nothing but road as i eat up the tarmac as if it was my breakfast.
As you know im only joking i couldnt beat a cb1300 in 1st gear lol

Are you the re-incarnated confusis or just the Glasshopper?

[Michael Smith]

I own both a ducati and a couple of harleys

They are both great bikes, however if I had to have only 1 bike it would be the Harley

1200 sportster is possibly the best compromise if you want a harley for power and handling, the handling is not up there with ducatis but is more than adecuate for general riding and streets ahead of the dyna

Power wise the ducati feels slightly gutless comparecd to the harley, it has to be revved like a jappa to perform, in terms of hp at 8000 revs its impressive, however in terms of torque at normal road speeds it has less power than a harley - have had bikes on a dyno and it comfirmed what I already knew

Thanks Popelli.

To make it clear, I'm looking at 2007 or 2008 models. Ducati Sport 1000 vs HD Dyna Lowrider (or similar). I loved my Norton. Had enough power and handling for me - just reliability and fact that had to spend money on it all time.

Does it cost less to own a HD?

[Scouse]

Have a look at the Triumph Speed Triple

[popelli]

Does it cost less to own a HD?

yes

parts are generally cheaper

maintenance is easier and you can do it yourself

and depreciation is almost non existant