Sweet dreams

Here's a few of my true dream bikes. You know. If only I had a the money I'd... Well, who knows? Maybe one of those days...

(I couldn't find any comments about exclusivity of these pictures on the pages where they were found and copied from)

Some of the old and present

My Ducati history started out with the ST2. It's a really nice piece of 2 valve machinery meant for open roads aswell as curves, but not at the raciest of speeds. After fitting her with open cans and an FIM chip, tuned on a dyno, and a smaller front sprocket she was just really, really good. I never quite got the suspension set up to work the way I wanted (even though fitting Öhlins springs and oil up front), but then scraping the pegs on public roads is not what this puppy is meant to do.

The second Duke in my line-up is the sweetest handling bike I've ridden. On track that is... She still makes you grin in the twisties aswell, but in another way. Compared to japanese sports bikes the 748R needs to be ridden, and ridden hard to deliver the fun. And she'll make you pay physically all the way. But boy does she deliver! Even though I managed scraping foot pegs (once...) I don't think I was even close to explore what she has to give. And that's the beauty of her. And the damndest thing too. See, there's no way you can ride this baby within the boundries of the law. It's just...impossible. In town you go second gear, third gear, second gear, third gear, and she still stalls every second traffic light and make you feel you're about to go epileptic. Once out of town she just keep begging, demanding, you for more.

Then there's the 750 Sport from 1989. Just look at her! She's got a minimalistic look to her that really appeals to the eye. No, she's not a rocket. And yes, she's got that Weber carburettor making every get-away from a standstill just that little bit more interesting. But, now with suspension sorted front and back she handles like magic at the speeds she's meant for. (First trip out together, on old tyres and suspension still not fixed, we went for a dragged knee in one of the favourite curves. The knee went down alright, even thinking for a fraction of a moment I could save her there like a true hero, before we both went down. Completely. Idiot!)

The 851 wasn't really my own choice. She just happened. She's from 1991 when Ducati just fitted up-si-down-sies and even and Öhlins rear suspension. She's nice. Very nice. Not tough. Not raw. But nice. She's also very much a part of Ducati's modern racing history. The ride is like a slightly sportier 900ss. A really good road bike. This one's got two chopped-up-stiched-together Termignonis to let the rest of the world know of her presence. Sneaking up along side of a car and BANG on full throttle is almost too much fun.

The Evoluzione

Ofcourse, all this would not be possible without Ing. Fabio Taglione, but still the MH900e, one of the real gems in the history of Ducati, is very much the creation of a man born in 1956 in South Africa, Pierre Terblanche.
Terblanche joined Ducati already in 1989, working for Massimo Tamburini. In 1992 he, himself, gave birth to another priceless piece of motorcycle history in the Ducati Supermono.
In the back of Terblanche´s mind always lurked the idea of making a modern version of the come-back bike of Mike Hailwood.
In 1998 the first version of what was to come, was shown as a concept bike at the Intermot in München. It featured a number of novelties which later regretably were cancelled, no surprise, before production, such as a small tv-monitor managing the rear view.
The MH900e was the first bike ever to be auctioned from the factory on the internet. It was first announced as a 1000 limited number version, but due to the great interest this was later changed to become 2000 (thank God). In fact 2010 machines were produced according to official statistics (in typical italian maner).
The first machines came out to the public in May yr 2000 to great joy of all real motorcycle fans.

So what is then the MH900e? Well, try and spend a few hours in the garage with her and you´re lost, forever in love. The true blend of simplicity and exquisity hits you like anothing else. Such care for detail yet keeping the classic lines of the original, classic, idea can only be described as a masterpiece.
Still, it is not a love that comes without going through the courtship of a number of other creations, more easily likeable, first. Only by matureness and experiance of what motorcycling is truelly all about you will find your piece of mind in the beauty of the MH900e.
I had to go through a number of Japanese bikes, Aprilia, onto Ducati's ST2, 748R, 750 Sport and the 851 (some of which still holds a position in both my heart and garage) before finding the light.

Enough! Let's present her. The pearl of pearls, the gem of gems, the Ducati MH900e!