Nice one Yella, dared to be different and got a real bike
I don't know why there is so much ill informed rumour about Ducatis, perhaps the Japs have a secret rumour mongering scheme. They respond to TLC but all bikes do and I don't think are any less reliable than anything else. Water is OK too, they don't stop in the rain if they do it'll be your fault for not keeping the connectors clean and greased. Mines been up to the bottom of the headstock in water (last years floods) and didn't miss a beat over the 4 hours I was splashing my way home.
On the miles 23K isn't that high, it's still below the current 'normal' annual averages, mines done 20K now with 15K of that in the last 18 months!
The only time I've been let down was a snapped chain and a flat tyre.
It will be slower than a jap 600 in a straight line but when you get to real monster territory (twisties) the roads level things out and it's more about the rider, and when you get it right it is very good. Plus the engines are so nice to ride but do take a bit of getting used to.
Having said that there is a lovely clip on you tube with a 600 (called Pinky) leaving a much bigger jap 4 off of the lights on a 'run what ya brung' day.