Once again I’ve chosen a non-typically good looking bike, a Ducati Multistrada 1000DS… Its got a strange nose, much like my Versys, but I love it.
Normally bikes fall into two categories when it comes to nose design: Headlights turn with the handlebars or are fixed to the chassis and dont turn. Either is fine, but this decision dictates, if there is a screen, whether that will turn too, makes sense? Except Ducati who, using their wine addled creative flare, decided to make the headlight fixed to the chassis and the screen turn with the handle bars.
Fine.
But you don’t need the windscreen to turn with the handle bars. As if you going fast and need wind protection, you won’t be turning the screen very far away from center. And, if your going slow enough to turn the handles significantly, you aren’t going to need wind protection… But, you might need to see where you are going, which you can’t because the headlights are fixed. Surely lights that turn with the handle bars and a fixed screen would have been a better idea… No?… oh you’re having more wine… ok lets do it your way.
One of the chaps from the bike shop drove me across town to get my licence approved, some WOF, do the Rego and measure my inseam, or whatever they needed. And now I’m legally the owner and allowed to drive my new Ducati on the road!
Throwing my leg over, it’s surprisingly skinny for a 1000cc bike. Also it’s a 90 degree V-twin engine with a dry clutch so it sounds very different to my bike and clatters worryingly when idling at the lights in neutral. Through town it’s a bit of a handful and the clutch is quite heavy, but out on the open road towards Piha is where it came alive.
I took it for a spin out west from Auckland and found out just how far the urban sprawl goes. Eventually the millionth bungalow passes and you escape the city, travelling along the ironically named “Scenic Road”. Ironic because the road reminds me of the PS1 rally driving games you could get where the edges of the road were just a repeating collection of tall trees so the programmers didn’t have to give you anything else to look at in the background. It was really fun learning how to ride the bike properly, and these roads certainly gave me practice of all types of terrain and gradient. To be fair, as I reached Piha there was a great lookout point at the top of the cliffs overlooking the bay and lions rock, so it was eventually scenic.
After a few photos, I biked it back to Sally and Davids just before they and then Paul arrived. We all went for a stroll to the next beach up the coast, because… well just because. The lifestyle here is amazing! The government ever provide barbecue with gas to cook with at most urban beaches! Paul’s wife joined us as we sat down to eat, cannelloni that turned out to be renamed enchiladas, but still very tasty.
We talked about relocating cats.