livewire

Well the big day finally arrived, here are a few first impressions.
Firstly, a big thank you to Mark at Three cross Motorcycles for his patience and enthusiasm and the workshop staff for a spot on preperation, well done all.
What a bike !! as you can imagine stepping off of a Moto Guzzi Nevada and on to the Monster was a bit of a revelation, both Italian V twins, but that's about as far as it goes.
I am "vertically challenged" (folically challenged as well but that's not relevent here !) but am able to sit comfortably and confidently with feet on the ground and all controls falling readily to hand. According to my gloves I have medium hands but the clutch and brake levers are easily reached and controlled. The digital dash is very clear if a little spoilt by the cheesy "Monster GB" welcome when the ignition is turned on.
As soon as we were moving the lightness of the bike and controls become apparent, the gear change is very positive and I like the way the selector stops solidly at each end of the movement. Neutral is easy to find when required and I didn't find any false ones ! The brakes are impressive, at first I found the rear brake lever a tad small and not falling easily to foot, but the front stoppers are so impressive I dont think the rear will get much use.
On the move you might as well be on rails as nothing upsets the bike from your chosen line through the twisty bits, it is almost thought controlled its that good. With the grunty little motor and superb close ratio gears, it is easy to make impressive progress (even first time out and sticking to the 6K limit !).
I have not stopped grinning yet, my wife thinks I have become the village idiot, all I can say is that I have had all the usual bikes on my journey so far, but if all Ducatis are this good i wish I had tried one a lot sooner.
Got to go now my baby needs cleaning.