Breaking In The ST3 Begins

Welp, here we go again. Another ride and another bike break in. This morning the old man, MotorMilt, and I hit the canyons for a short ride on the 1098S and the new ST3. As rides go it wasn’t the most earth shattering adventure – that’s soon to come – but rather it was a nice even keeled pace of a ride, intent on scrubbing in the fresh rubber beneath both bikes.

After spending way to long in the truck yesterday, the ride was a welcome change. Not so shockingly yesterday we did a lot of driving. Before heading down to San Diego in zoo like traffic conditions in order to pick up the ST3, the old man and I headed out to Glendale to pick up the freshly serviced 1098S at Pro Italia (where we also dropped off the 999 because wouldn’t you know it the clutch went kooky again? And while I will always love the 749/999 series for its aesthetics and performance, there simply can’t be a more problematic clutch system on a bike – it hasn’t mattered how I’ve treated the clutch on any of those bikes, they all end up with air in the system. Go figure.)

Back on point, the 1098S not only just had its 600 mile service, but while in the shop it also received a new set of Pirelli Dragon Super Corsas. As it turns out besides being incredibly sticky pieces of rubber, these tires are also absurdly costly. Like $500+ a pair! So while I appreciate Ducati’s new marketing slogan – ’50% percent less maintenance’ – it’s not completely accurate. It ought to be ’50% less maintenance, 200% more expensive tires’.

I say that half jokingly of course, since when you decide to purchase a Ducati you know full well at the start that everything associated with the marquee is just a bit more costly. And to be fair when it comes to tires, I now ask for the stickiest, tackiest rubber available for the street. Gripping rubber goes hand in hand with performance riding.
Of course getting these bikes serviced and paying for new tires is not simply a goods and service transaction, but rather an emotional one as well. As MotorMilt and I rode up the coastline on the ST3 and the 1098S, I found myself stuck in a lasting sense of awe. Not only from the scenery, the bikes, and the moment, but also because of the newfound choice. The opportunity to pick and choose a bike that suits the kind of riding you feel like doing when you feel like doing it.

In the case of the 1098S, it continues to be a motorcycle of marvel. The bike just does everything sport oriented amazingly well. It turns in fluid, instantaneous movements that require little effort. The machine brakes like a bat out of hell. The littlest touch and it just stops. Bang. Instant. Done. The power of the new Testastretta Evoluzione engine is fantastic. After you hit several chicanes in the canyons, even the ones with minimal straights, you get off the bike and simply stand back in awe of what this bike can accomplish. As Ducati Museum Curator Livio Lodi might say, “Whoa, it’s what I call speed” (* I promise you’ll get the reference in a few weeks ).

The ST3 on the other hand does everything that I expected it to do after doing the ST3S Review awhile back. It’s not as emotionally gratifying on the edges as the 1098S or the 999, but in my opinion offers the rider the best approximation of that experience in a more ergonomically comfortable package and it does it with typical Ducati charm and grit. The phrase that keeps coming to mind is ‘fantastic package’. As I surveyed the landscape for potential second bikes, the ST3S started as the benchmark and repeatedly was the motorcycle that I kept coming back to and once the left over ’06 was discovered it seemed like fate. The right bike, the right color and the right price. Who can argue with that?

Here are my initial reactions from the notebook after the first ride on the ST3;

1. The bike dives less then I remember the ST3S ABS demo diving. Perhaps the 1098S has changed my perceptions on braking a bit.

2. The ST3 oddly feels like it sits lower then the ST3S ABS. One of the folks who commented on the ST3S Review pointed out that it might be due to the lack of an Ohlins Rear Shock on the ST3. I’m not sure, it might just be my imagination. That or my legs got longer.

3. It’s funny how you change over time. Back in the day when I was doing the sport-touring thing exclusively on several different BMWs, Bridgestone Battlax tires were among some of my favorite sport touring tires. Now they’re not. I will not be sorry to see the ones that came on the ST3 go when they’re toasted. Michelin Power Sports are night and day for me.

4. Instant gut reaction, but between 3,000 and 6,000 rpms the bike feels like its surging a bit. When the new baby diva goes in for its 600 mile check up, that’s something that hopefully can be addressed. Perhaps the engine mapping needs to be checked out – or worst case a Power Commander unit installed.

5. I can’t get over how nimble the bike feels for a Sport Tourer. It’s tight, compact, and easy to change direction on. Again not as svelte as a full blown liter bike, but damn close.

6. Man I dig the three-valve L-Twin. It’s torquey, feels robust, screams along nicely.

7. The locking system on the bags sucks. Two thoughts; first did anybody test these things? And second, if they did test them, why didn’t anyone stand up and say there’s got to be a better way to do this? (I will give the bags this, they are roomy and certainly look more appealing then the new BMW bags on the K1200S).

8. The ST3 came with its own U-Lock, under the seat. Nice touch.

9. In the suspension section of the manual when explaining how to adjust your rear shock it describes turning screws as ‘anitclockwise’ instead of ‘counter clockwise’.

10. The fit and finish on the bike is not quite as good as the 1098 or the 999. I’ve already had to reseat a screw on the fairing, which was misaligned at the factory or in the shop and the cover on the seat looks cheaper then I remember it being. I suspect it’ll be among the first things to be replaced.

11. The rear brake pedal is damn near impossible to find without looking for it. It’s way to stubby. Second mod will be some kind of rear set solely for the purpose of changing the lever.

More picts after the jump…