Ducati Touring Bike reviews

The bike is incredible to ride. Handling is so impressive and the power takes my breathe away at times. The look of the bike draws attention from everyone. Show less

Top rated for a sporty GT type bike. Performance & handling combined with excellent two up riding. Saddlebag option is a nice option with good looking mounts and very easy secure on/off. Show less

I purchased this bike used because the price was right and the condition was perfect. I was in the market for a bike to take short trips on and commute to work. I choose the Duck over BMW because I could stand flat-footed and it felt more sporty. After putting 4000 miles on it I can say this bike is rock solid reliable, fast, handles great and is comfortable to ride for 100's of miles a day. It is a fantastic machine. Try one and you will be sold on Ducati forever. Show less

So this spring I was minding my own business when out of the blue came a voice that said unto me 'You need to check out the new Ducatis'. I don't normally hear voices, but this one was a muse that wouldn't be denied. After much due diligence on the web, I found myself at a brand new Ducati/MV Augusta dealership nearby, staring at the very first bike I saw the ST3. and I knew I'd have to own it. If the design hadn't hooked me, my test drive sure as heck did! Buckets of power, especially at the low end (I knew something was up when the front wheel left the ground and I hadn't dumped the clutch!), performance and handling like I'd never felt in a true sport touring machine (How many bikes allow you to drag a knee and comfortably ride 300 miles or more in a day?), bags included (in matching 'arrest-me' red), unbelieveable gas mileage, all for under $12K. Are you kiddin'? Show less

My new ST3 is really two bikes in one. I bought it looking for a more sport than touring, but discovered that it tours as comfortably as any Beemer I've ever owned. The real advantage is when I get to the twisties -- I'm loving the way it dives into the corners and pulls out of them with such phenomenal power. Three valves per cylinder was a great idea (great on gas too!). The value for my dollar makes this bike the best deal on the market if sport touring is your game. I can honestly say that this is the only bike I'll be needing for quite some time. Anybody want to buy my Beemers? Show less

Just clicked 32k, it's tuned and ready for another summer. Nothing but standard maint. Phenominal bike. Show less

Overall, I am very happy with this bike. Comments are given left and right and it has gathered several crowds at work. Aftermarket parts only include Arrow carbon fibre tailpipes (which match the rest of the carbon fibre on the bike) and an open clutch cover (having found that clacking sound very satisfying). The only drawback in my opinion is the placement of the mirrors. They are perfectly position with the height of suv/truck mirrors, and so make squeezing between two such vehicles difficult. It really is uncanny at the number of SUV's in Los Angeles (where style offsets the practical), let alone how often these fuel cows stop right next to each other.
Still, the mirror problem is minor, and simply fixed by rotating the handlebars past the adjacent mirrors, though it often means having to come to a near stop to do so. Show less

I bought my 2003 yellow ST4s after I totaled my 2003 HD Sportster. Let's see why I would have considered the Ducati. Better bags, better handling, superior brakes (which I could have used before), performance beyond belief and looks that strike envy everywhere I go. Only folks who equal the attention my bike gets is my BMW friends. The other day I was at Portland International Raceway. About 200 bikes where there and immediately a crowd gathered around my bike. Okay, the chick who parked her Honda next to mine might have something to do with it. Show less

I bought the 2004 model in July '04 and rode it for 4500 miles until low-siding the bike on a little gravel in an Arkansas switchback in September '04. The bike only had cosmetic damage and I rode it 900 miles home, but the insurance company totaled it! Warning, Ducati plastic and gas tanks cost LOTS OF MONEY. Despite those problems, I really liked the bike so I went out and bought the 2005 model. I've used these bikes for the majority of my transportation needs on a seasonal basis. I ride to work, run errands, go for weekend rides, and have taken longer tours. I initially found the bike to be a little hard to handle around town, with this being related to the gearing and fueling. My previous bike was a Speed Triple which was much more a "city bike". However, after a little time on the bike I understood the quirks of riding around the city. Anyway, this bike was designed for sport touring and that it is what I bought it for. On the highway this thing is solid. I find the riding position to be just about perfect for me, and it is easy to ride from gas stop to gas stop without taking a break. I absolutely love the stock seat on the bike in terms of comfort, but it is a little hard to shift your weight from side to side. As indicated in some of the bike mag. reviews, the suspension is a little soft for hard riding in the corners, but during my weekend and tour riding I only push hard a small fraction of the time, so it doesn't bother me much. The bike turns into corners well and holds a nice line through the apex. I find that the bike does want to stand up a little early coming out of corners and I've adjusted for that. I really like riding this bike through the twisties at any speed except "stupid fast". The bike shines at multi-day touring and the hard bags are excellent. I rode the '04 bike 2800 miles to Arkansas and I rode the '05 bike 3300 miles out to the Tetons and Yellowstone and had a ball both times (except for my little mishap). The bikes just ate up the miles and I was smiling the whole time. As for reliability/maintenance, my 2004 had a fuel leak that was covered under warranty, and I have had no problems at all with the 2005. The stock tires on the '05 lasted 7000 miles and I have to replace the chain and sprocket now at 13500 miles. As everyone knows, the scheduled service costs for Ducati are higher than typical, but I believe the riding experience is worth the extra cost. That being said, I will buy another bike in the near future to handle my day to day riding, and will use the Duc only for longer rides. Show less

Great Bike. I toured with it for 8 days and 3000 miles with one 800 mile day, the other days were all 300-500 miles each. I love this bike, it's reliable, comfortable, has smooth power and sexy styling. I use it for commuting as well as touring. I looked at the Triumph Sprint ST, BMW R1200 ST, and BMW R1200 RT. I chose this one because it is sportier than the RT and more comfortable than the BMW ST. It was a toss up between the Triumph and this bike... the sound and sex appeal won out. All of the bikes I tried were excellent. Show less