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All Ducati GT Reviews

Ducati GT 1000cc Apr '07 (07)

Overall Rating:

Review

Ducati GT1000

Update on previous review:
I replaced the factory gearbox sprocket with a 14-tooth alternative, and it has brought the gearing to a sensible range.
Sixth is now a useable road gear, trickling round town is easier, and acceleration is improved too.
I've fitted an "official" Ducati rear rack, and the quality is very poor.
The first one I had, the chrome was flaking off in my hands as I fitted it.
The second one has been on over winter and is rusting unacceptably. This is a shame, because the bike as a whole has survived the winter well, and looks almost new. Time for a visit to the powder-coating shop before next winter, I think.
The bike let me down a couple of weeks ago, so reliability isn't perfect. A small tube inside the fuel tank came loose and was letting air into the fuel system, which meant I had to limp home one night and do without the bike for a week while the dealer investigated.
Still, it didn't abandon me by the roadside, and I am happy that the fault was a one-off, rather than a fault endemic to the bike. It's now cleaned off after winter and looking great again.
I still love it to bits. Come on, Summer!

Submitted by

Black Dog in Haverfordwest, Sir Benfro on 25/06/2008

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Ducati GT 1000cc Apr '07 (07)

Overall Rating:

Review

GT1000 ? Yes, I'll agree with most (if not all, of Black Dogs assessment, it really is good , but I am not quite sure about mine at the moment, as there is a noise from the front end, like a light knocking, at modest /slow speeds.
I hope they can find out what it is, it's in the w/shop now , for 1st service!
Whether its in the forks (I think it is, as everything else has been looked at) this is a little disappointing, as it's my first Ducati.
I love the looks , and it appears others do, it atracts attention everywhere!
Mine is two tone silver grey, same price as the red, but more elegant and subtle.
I really want to love it, so hope they can fix the noise/knock.

Crakanuts

Submitted by

crakanuts on 30/04/2008

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Ducati GT 1000cc Sept '06 (56)

Overall Rating:

Review

My first Ducati, so I can't compare it to other models, only to bikes I have owned in the past, and especially the one I traded for the Duke, a Suzuki 1200S Bandit.

I went into the local dealers for a small pot of grease and came out with a test-ride on an ex-demo GT1000. A week later, it was mine! The quality of manufacture and finish is streets ahead of the Suzuki. Just the front mudguard stays (stainless, and beautifully welded into matching sinuous shapes by Italian virgins) are worth the price.

With only 92bhp, the GT1000 isn't terribly fast, although it's fast enough for any use I am likely to make of it, and I reckon it's as fast in real-world terms as pretty much anything else, as what it lacks in raw top-end power it makes up in a lovely mid-range and fabulous handling which lets you use every single one of those Italian horses.

Physically, it's quite a small bike and feels like a 250 after the lardy Bandit. Handling is sweet, steering light and precise, grip superb. It inspires great confidence, even in the cold and wet. The seat is comfy, and the wife likes the pillion perch.

The sound is pretty good, too - a baritone roar on acceleration, and a hard-edged NNNnnnnnnn when you shut it off for a corner. I'm still getting used to being without a fairing, though. At any speed above 80, there is enough windblast to give you a very tough upper-body workout, and I haven't tried it over 90 yet. I'll have to work on my racing crouch to get anything in three figures. (Which I will.)
Brakes are Brembos, which is another way of saying superb. Sharp, powerful, fade-free and yet sensitive. The suspension is firm, which I like. The occasional jarring of the wrists when the front hits a bump is well worth it for the tight feel to the bike. Power is there from 3000 and upwards, where it becomes quite smooth, but below that it shakes itself like a dog jumping out of the sea. I like that - it's what gives it character. I often change up a bit too soon, just to have that thuckety-thuckety noise just before the power comes in.
Looks are a bit odd, with a retro-style chassis and a huge gap between rear wheel and mudguard, but in fact I like it. Sportsbike riders tend not to. I don't really care, to be honest. It reminds me of the GT750s and 860s I used to lust after in my youth, but it's not an 80s pastiche. It's a proper modern bike that just happens to look like a proper motorbike.
Top end is around the 135 mark, and fuel consumption so far is in the low 40s. There are a few downsides. The clocks are retro analogue dials, and the speedo digits are so small as to be unreadable. 12 o'clock is 80mph, that's all I know.
The footrests are a couple of inches too far forward for my frame, and so my lower back is a little too bent for day-long comfort. The damn silencers are too good at their job - there's a set of Termis with my name on them when I can afford them.
The overall gearing is far too tall, so that slow corners need first, and sixth doesn't become useable until 80mph. I can tootle along at 60-odd at modest revs and find I still have three gears to go. I'm told it's because of the EU3 emissions and noise regs, but it's easily fixed. So not a perfect bike out of the box, but with a few "interesting" foibles and a chance to make a few personalising changes and improvements. Just what I like. I love it.
I'm commuting it at the moment, but a 2-up tour of Southern Ireland is planned for Easter. I'll let you know how it goes. Oh, and RoadHoover - it ain't red! It's a rather restrained metallic grey/green colour, which I completely love, but it ain't a proper Ducati colour, I know that!

Submitted by

Black Dog in Haverfordwest, Sir Benfro on 29/01/2008

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