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05 Ducati ST3 discussion forum:RE: mr |
| RE: mr |
| Michael Young said 2005-08-25 05:52 |
| I have an ´05 ST3, and I have to agree with the ratings that are posted here. The chassis and suspension do not like to be off the pavement; though it is very stable and tracks well on unpaved roads, the suspension was not designed for this and makes the ride uncomfortable — it seems like the fairing will shake off. I don´t think that´s much of a hindrance though, because of how beautifully well it does what it was designed for, fast touring. The engine is just right, not twitchy, plenty of low end grunt and very fun in high revs. It sounds like a banshee at 8500rpms. Handling is just superb: Perfect road feel and feedback; the bike disappears and you are just riding the road. You can throw it around in curves, doing things that would scare the hooey out of you even on a Triumph SprintST, without raising your heart rate. If you know three lines through a curve, the ST3 will show you five more. You have a crisp and exact feeling for everything it is doing. It won´t lie to you or surprise you by not doing something it seemed ready to do, which gives you a lot of confidence, and you´ll find yourself riding better than you thought you could. The brakes are a little too good, if anything, but I like their feel, and no worries about stopping distance when fully loaded or 2-up. The rear brake barely does anything, so it´s actually useful for trail braking or settling the chassis on a hard stop. It´s comfortable; I feel fine after 300 miles of busy riding. It has longer gearing than you might expect. You can be moving comfortably on the highway without realizing you´ve not gotten into 6th yet; it cruises at 104mph in 6th at 6000rpms. And the engine has sufficient low end and a flat power curve that on many twisties I´ve ridden, you don´t have to shift, just roll on and off the throttle. The wind protection is not what some people might like for a hard-core touring bike, but the emphasis here is more on sport, so that shouldn´t be a problem. Stop-and-go, slow riding on crowded city streets took some practice to get smooth, but you will. The clutch is a bit heavy but is still all right in urban traffic. The engine runs hot, but seems to do fine with it; it´s not unusual to see 215 degrees F in slow traffic. The lights are excellent. The handling is everything. It wants to be ridden with enthusiasm. |
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