Henry Lubong's Journal » 848

Battery Died On My 848

Henry Lubong — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 07:27:40 +0000

Of all the time, why did my battery died today when I am in a hurry to get home (this is before the Prius incident below). Apparently, I left my ignition switch on “Park” this morning. I admit my fault but I also blame the engineers in Ducati. The problem is, the park position is placed all the way to the end with “Lock” right next to it. So when you park the bike and lock the steering, you have to make sure the key does not go pass that or make sure that the tail light is not lit (which I forgot to check). Luckily, a guy next door named Bill was kind enough to help me start my bike again. We tried bump atarting but it was a no go so I went the hard way. I took the fairing off to get access to the battery and jump start it. Thanks Bill!

I Picked Up The Ducati 848

Henry Lubong — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 05:40:15 +0000

This day calls for a toast. I just became an official Ducatisti today! I picked up my new Ducati 848 at Moto Italiano in Santa Cruz. My wife took a few hours off so she can drive me to the dealership and take my pictures as well . When we arrived in the dealership, my bike was still in the stand and being worked on. They put in some fresh oil and cleaned it up too. After an hour of waiting all the paper works were done and the bike was ready for me to take home. You could see the grin on my face while I put my gears on and started the bike for the first time.

Getting out of Santa Cruz from Highway 1 to 17 was a pain. We were sitting in mad traffic for half an hour just to get to 17. The underseat exhaust of the bike was getting too hot and it was burning my hiney. I couldn’t split lane because I had to guide my wife on our way back home.

Here’s my first impression about the bike:

My ride home was about 40 miles from the dealership so it was a good distance to put the bike into test. When it comes to power and torque, there’s no doubt that the 848 is more than capable on the street. Leaving the dealership, I was able to gun it and to be honest, it scared the bejesus out of me. Although, I didn’t feel the surge up until 4K RPM. This is my first V-Twin or L-Twin so I don’t really know what to expect from it. I also noticed the rev limiter and the engine backs off just right pass 10K RPM. I’m used to revving my 636 close to the red line before I shift, that’s about 12K to 13K RPM. I don’t like shifting early. I’m a little bit disappointed with the narrow RPM range of the 848. I’m probably not used to the V-Twin yet but I kinda miss the smooth delivery of power from an Inline-4 engine.

The handling of the 848 is superb. I’ve ridden the zig-zag of highway 17 before with my 636 and I thought that bike handled it well. To my amazement, the 848 made it even easier for me. It’s a very well balanced machine. The steering feels kinda heavy but once you start leaning the bike, it just glides. It’s very stable and I could tackle every corners with ease and confidence.

When it comes to ergo, the 848 has the worse body positioning for street riding. It is very agressive and was more designed for track use. I felt it very uncomfortable but it is something that needs getting used to. It puts a lot of pressure on my wrist and it does hurt after a while. Like I mentioned above, the underseat exhaust gets too hot when the engine temp reaches 180 degrees. But once the bike is moving, it doesn’t seem to bother me anymore. A lot of 848/1098 owners complain about the side mirrors too. I can see why but it doesn’t really affect me. I have problems with the 636’s mirrors being unusable too. What I do with the 636 is, I have to move my elbows inward to check the mirror while in the 848, I have to move my elbows outward.

In spite of some of the negative feedback I have about the bike, the 848 is still a keeper for me. The bike is just stunningly beautiful. I just need to get used to the V-Twin power and I should be set. Oh, did I mention that I stayed in 3rd gear all the way down to San Jose. I just couldn’t get a chance to shift it up to 4th gear. I always run out of road. The 848 has plenty of power between first and third and it’s more than enough for street use.

As for my parting words, THE 848 IS AN AWESOME BIKE AND IT ROCKS!!!!

Found A White 848

Henry Lubong — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:03:42 +0000

I’m not that unlucky after all. After what happened on Thursday, I went to ducati.com to see if there are any other Ducati dealers around my area. There’s another one in Santa Cruz called Moto Italiano. I called them up and they have a white 848 in stock but it’s a demo bike. It has 635 miles on it already though. Price? It’s a hot bike so of course they want some ridiculous price for it. How about $14,800 OTD. Geez, that’s a price for a brand new bike. The good thing about this bike is, the required 600 mile service has already been performed. That’s about $350 savings right there. The guy said, the bike is flawless and looks brand new. The tires are also new. This could be the last white 848 in the planet so I told the guy to save it for me. I’ll be picking it up next week.

Is This My Unlucky Day Or What!?

Henry Lubong — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:53:36 +0000

I’m so excited today about getting a deal for the Ducati 848. First, I called Honda Peninsula to ask them about the price. Guess what, the bike that I was looking at was sold yesterday for $15,800. I was like, WHAT!!! That is the only white one they have and the last one that they had received for the rest of the year. So I called Modesto to make a deposit for the white 848 that they have in stock. Guess again… yep, it’s sold too. They have another white one coming but it’s already reserved for anothery buyer. Same thing with the other dealer, that is the last white 848 that’s coming their way. In desperation, I called Peninsula again to ask for a red one but now they’re telling me that they can’t give it to me for the original price that we talked about. What a day! I’m so disappointed right now.

I Can’t Believe I’m Now Shopping For A Ducati

Henry Lubong — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:59:08 +0000

It was just a lust at first but that pearl white man, that pearl white…. Wow, I just called Modesto to ask them if they have a Pearl White Ducati 848 in stock. They only have one but the OTD price has gone up to $14,800. If it’s just a $400 difference from my local dealership, I would just go back there and ask them if they can work out the numbers more or maybe take it for $15,200 and get some upgrdes for it. So i told them I’ll call them back. I called the San Jose dealership but I was told that the guy who can work out on the price is not available ’til tomorrow.

Sat On 848 And 1098

Henry Lubong — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:27:47 +0000

Today at lunch, I made a trip to Honda Peninsula in El Camino Real (one of the Ducati dealers in San Jose) to check out the 848 and 1098 bikes. They only have one pearl white 848 and a couple of red 1098s in the showroom. Although they look the same, the white 848 is just stunningly hot! I was salavating and deep inside I wanted to take the bike home. The main difference between the two is obviously the more powerful engine on the 1098. I sat on both machines and I thought the 1098 has a lower seat height and felt lighter as well. I also noticed the absence of steering damper on the 848. The nice solid red passenget seat cowl on the 1098 is also not included on the 848. Instead, it comes with a black padded seat. Other than those, you can’t really tell the difference between the two. The dealer wanted $15,800 OTD for the 848 but someone told me that I can get one in Ducati Modesto for $14,000 OTD. Originally, the MSRP for the 848 was $12,995 but Ducati raised it up to $13,495 just recently. I guess, they can do anything for a hot bike. So anyway, I asked them if they can price match the other deale’rs price and they said the best thing that they can do is $15,200. So I walked out the door.

Thinking About Getting A Ducati

Henry Lubong — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:19:11 +0000

Besides Porsche 911 Turbo, a Ducati Superbike is another dream machine that I’d like to have parked in my garage. I have long been lured by Ducati bikes specially the 999R. Last year, they released the 1098 in a typical Ducati red color. It has garnered lots of good reviews, both from magazines and owners. The 1098 base was followed by 1098S and then this year, the 1098R, which has an MSRP of $40K. I love the 1098R but I’m not quite ready for that price yet. This year also, the street oriented, middleweight class 848 was released. Everything looks exactly the same as the 1098 except for the tamer engine on the 848. The 848 is available in red or pearl white. I must admit, the first time I saw the white 848, I fell in love with it. I can’t get it out of my mind and knowing myself, this is gonna bug me forever until I get it. It’d be nice to own one before our track day on October since the group I’m riding with is the Ducati Owners Group of Sacramento. Just by writing this blog, I’m already itching to get one. My wife said I can but which one? hehehe