My son just picked up this mint and gorgeous Ducati Sport Classic.
Amazes me that they were slow sellers when new.
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I really didn’t need to see that beauty.
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Yes, as newer bikes get more FUNCTION and FIT, but WAY, WAY less FORM, the older designs look better and better.
And, they also, have improved function and fit that has been worked out over the years. There is no real downside to modern retro. Remember, it is retro BECAUSE it is a beautiful bike to run the miles on in comfort. The Triumph series, Moto Guzzi V7 (mine has 16,000 in a year) / V85, Royal Enfields and this Ducat plus several others are fantastic bikes and fully modern on the inside but still retain the simple uncluttered classic outside. Sure, a few less HP but I never notice it cruising the backroads around 60 MPH. If you look at your bike and not just over the handlebars, a retro is a good bike to have.
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And it must have a dry clutch.
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Which the Sport Classic does not. He said sadly.
I love the questions: What’s that racket? Is something broken?
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Exactly.
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Strangely, if you run a dry clutch for years, a “modern" wet clutch is squishy with all the plates engaging at slightly different times. A dry clutch has ONE pressure plate and has a nice even and solid engagement. The R100RT, V7 and V85 all have the same great feel. The V100S? Nope, it was always second guessing me on the exact engagement point. You get used the dry clutch precision at the clutch lever. Noise? Yes, just load the clutch lever a touch if it bugs you.
I have my ClearView V7 touring shield arriving, I’ll post a picture if it. I should be able to remove that deflector on the one I’m using now as the new one is as high without it. One less gadget. And, I can ride it in cooler weather with the better windshield. The V85 is great with the touring GIVI.
Galen
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To my ears, the sound of a Ducati is unmistakable. And I miss the noise of the dry clutch on the Sport Classic.
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Excellent point, Galen.
Ron is right, too.
This is where I’ll respectfully diverge. I love the sound of a Termignoni terminated L twin spinning up, but a clattering clutch drives me nuts. The BMW oil head boxer valve racket also kept me on the anxious edge of obsession for far too long. The fix for both I was told was earplugs or an open face helmet. The midlife Harley fixation also quickly faded and I eventually found my way back to where it began for me, the uninspiring but carefree Japanese sewing machines.
Yes, the BMW R100RT had valves singing all the time. But the part that bugged me was getting a good valve adjustment to sound the same on both sides. The two Guzzi’s, although the same general system but a tad tighter specs by 2-mil on the intake, same 8-mil, exhaust, are a far bunch quieter.
Get the valves adjusted right and it is just all part of the symphony of normal. I always wear ear plugs and a ARAI SIGNET helmet anyway to actually hear BETTER, and it burnishes off the high pitch clatter. I never felt the engines weren’t happy singing along. I never even pay too much attention to the dry clutch irregular disengaged clatter. I seldom sit long enough for it to matter.
I missed the sounds of the valves on the V100S. That squishy clutch engagement bugged me EVERY shift more than the quiet made up for it. Engines isn’t as happy with the oil trying to serve three master; the tranny (gears have to be cut differently for oil versus gear oil), engine and clutch (special friction modifiers needed). Always behind the game somewhere.
Galen
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I am impressed. Only a knowing enthusiast is aware the Ducati is an L twin.
I can understand an open, dry clutch could drive one a bit nuts. For whatever reason I find it amusing, I think because I understand how it works and why it does what it does. I can look down and see it engage and disengage, and change the sound it makes while it does so.
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OK, a real complex topic with love and hate all mixed in to some balance….WINDSHIELDS! Ya, those things. I just got my ClearView “touring" version for the V7. I ordered it an inch higher , 17.5”, because I sit taller at 5’10” and I wanted to mitigate at least half the bugs over my face shield. Fit and finish is excellent. It is 77-mil thick shield and has NO FLEX into the wind. I recommend the ClearView brand.
Does it work? The shield is also WIDER and WOW, does that take the pressure off your arms pulling you around. Great! The height works, mostly. Bugs still hit my face shield up higher mostly but, if it is much taller you can’t look over the top edge, and I’m a look over it rider and see about three inches above the shield, perfect really. Overall a big improvement in comfort, wind is pushed around you and the dead air space is all but the very top of my helmet faceshield.
I stuck the DEFLECTOR on and will see what it does for air over the shield, but so far it seems it will be a distraction even all the way down, more than a help. Seems too tall but riding the bike will answer that. Strangely, sitting on the bike doesn’t tell you the truth for the sight-line when riding.
I had to buy the Guzzi fairing for the V7 to get the really solid mounting brackets the ClearView uses. They don’t supply hardware, just the shield. As costy as this was, like $500.00, it is super solid and looks OEM.
My rides are several hours long and naked just isn’t any fun in the midwest with all the bugs and often riding into a 15-20 MPH west to east wind. Windshields make stuff more fun. No, the V7 isn’t the V85TT in wind managment but it is oh so close.
Now stop looking at those red jugs!
Galen
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I have only owned sport bikes and nakeds. That is, not much experience with windscreens.
Same as Elk. But anything that makes riding more enjoyable needs no excuses in my opinion.
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Symphony of normal. Love it. It is interesting how we respond to sound differently.
At least the Clear View does a good job of not calling attention to itself, which is not easy to pull off
I didn’t have a short riding season as a reason to install screens. I love the classics / UJM look but bikes have always been more of a tool than toy for me so I tried to turn every bike into a sport touring by adding screens and bags. I finally just started buying sport tourers. The plastic just gets to be too much of a PITA.
I had a ‘98 Pacific Coast for a couple of years that was awesome. I could stop on the way home from work and drop 2 gallons of milk and a mega pack to Pampers in the trunk with room to spare. I went looking for the engine once but never did find it under all the plastic.
Chalk it up as one benefit of an otherwise unhealthy obsession.
You can appreciate function over form. But I get the impression your also a pretty serious gear head. Other than taking a notch or two out of preload, I’ve never adjusted suspension and don’t tinker with stuff. It just works. Maybe I’m just an Accord kinda guy.
Guilty as charged.
Eh, for real fun, ride a BMW that BMW enthusiasts turn their nose up at. You show up and they ask what you ride and they respond with “Oh! Oh!! Well, okay.”
Quiet. Low vibes. 56 mpg. Belt drive. What’s not to love??
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I’m guessing you’re referring to the F Series? A bit to time in the ADV chapter of the obsession was devoted to an F800. I came to understand them to be great bikes but I didn’t pick up on them being dissed by the proper boxer crowd. I guess it’s little different than the Sportster’s rep among the big twin crowd.