The clever salesman made sure I went out on a new 950 S, and after a quick talk through the bike and a gentle reminder not to lose the key as it's keyless ignition, and would be a 2k mistake. It comes with quickshifter, cruise control, adjustable traction control etc as standard. Two flavours Ducati red, or white GP inspired colour scheme which costs a couple of hundred quid more.
It's the first time I'm riding something with a quickshifter, and within a couple of minutes I'm used to it. Gearbox feels smooth, although you have to be "positive" with the gear changes up and down if relying on the quickshifter - not mashing it or anything. I left it in street mode as with previous test ride bikes that have adjustable traction control/engine maps. The Multistretta engine feels strong and pulls well throughout the range. You can also change up and down while on cruise control, which is a nice touch. I pootle on the B road leading away from the dealership onto a fast A road dual carriageway to open it up. The screen is manually adjustable, and I adjusted it on the fly. It can deal with pretty much all of the road noise. As I head off the A road after several miles, I find myself patting the fuel tank absent mindedly. It's that comfortable, and handles well - light and neutral are the words that spring to mind.
Onto the B roads to put it through some of the more twisty bumpy back roads. I stop by my house to let the wife have a sit on the back while stationary, and it gets the pillion thumbs up. As with the KTM, I can't actively feel the Skyhook electronic suspension working, but I know it must be as the bike feels planted, and smooth - some of the bumpier corners feel as if I'm on rails. The exhaust, although stock, has a nice note to it once you open the throttle - the engine gets a shift on around 5k revs. Chatting with the salesman afterwards, he mentions that they feel like they tip in early, but it feels good once you trust the electrickery - something I concur with. Thought saying that I didn't cane it that much due to be being on a test tide.
Back onto the A roads around Norwich, and onto the dealers. Averaged just north of 50pmg which was nice. The only thing that's missing is heated grips, but they come either seperately or as part of a touring package. Overall I'm fairly impressed, given the Robocop droid jokes that the 1st generation multistradas attracted. The 4 year warranty is a good draw for punters too. Tyrewise the 950 was on Pirelli Scorpio Trail II's which I seemed to work well.
I was offered a good part-ex as well, which at the moment tips the scales in the Ducati's favour. The reason that they have a good stock of older 950s is that most people have upgraded - which I'm taking as a good thing. I'm pleased to have popped my Ducati cherry finally either way. Only a Fireblade left on the bucket list.
I've since ridden a Yamha Tracer 900GT, but will write that up seperately. Also have tracked down a 2nd hand KTM Superduke 1290 GT which I need to find time to test ride.