Hi guys, Paul here again. At the Ace Motorsports Ducati Demo Day I was able to ride the 2010 Ducati 848 Dark. The bike is essentially a regular 848 with a matte black paint job. While the guided tour was not long enough or fast enough to fully test the new 848, it was enough to give me a sample of the characteristics of the motorcycle in crowded street riding and short trips through town.
At the slowest speeds, around parking lots, or making u-turns, the 848 Dark is easy to keep under control. The clutch is easy to operate to keep the massive 849.4cc L-twin engine from stalling. Like previous models of the 848, the 2010 Dark version still suffers from the hand-pinching inability to turn the wheel to full lock. With delicate finger placement on the outer edges of the handles and some clever body positioning, it is possible to nimbly maneuver the 848 Dark in tight spaces. Three-point turning is a classic fallback skill that will still need to be employed in some situations.
On the open road is where the 2010 Ducati 848 Dark starts to shine. The desmodromic controlled 134 horsepower engine can start to breathe and propel the rider to adventure. Zero to forty disappears in an unadvised blink of the eye. You might have gone to 60 or 80 MPH if you had blinked both eyes, but eventually you will need to shift into second. The same easy action clutch level that allowed for easy low speed cruising works effortlessly with the shift lever to make changing gears a dream. Despite an aggressive body position and the forward pitch of the seat, the rear sets are in an unusually comfortable position preventing fatigue and strain when shifting gears or weighting the pegs.
While there is no 848S edition with Ohlin suspension upgrades, the forks are available as an upgrade. The stock 41mm Showa shocks still do a good job reducing wheel hop, and front end diving. During heavy braking, utilizing the twin semi-floating discs and Brembo calipers, the Showa shocks hold their own reasonably well. It is not as static upfront as it could be, but you never feel like you are going to slip off the front.
In addition to the carbon fiber mudguards and tank panels that are available as Ducati brand accessories, there is also a windscreen that is 30mm taller than stock. This may seem like a boon, saving your head from the wind noise and improving the aerodynamics of the motorcycle, but you would be wrong. When you are riding on city streets, it is not practical to be in a full tuck with your chin on the gas tank, eyes peering up through the windscreen. The visibility of the road around you is slightly impaired by your lower eye level, and you stick out as a target for police.
These are just minor concerns compared to what you are giving up in the jet stream, wind resistance. It is counter conducive for top speed and acceleration to want to increase wind resistance, but for comfort and long-term riding, it is worth losing the one-eighth second from your quarter mile. As you are riding down the street, with your abdomen resting on the shrewdly sculpted gas tank, taking your weight off your back, your helmet floats just above the stock windscreen. The wind resistance blowing on your visor and embracing your head lifts the weight off your straining neck muscles, relaxing your upper back, and allows you to ride fatigue free for hours.
While we are all eagerly awaiting the next generation of changes to the Ducati 848, visit Ducatist and take part in some exciting motorcycle discussions.
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