Ducati749s

Ducati 749S

RIDES 2K3

The incredible shrinking Testastretta

MARK HOYER

SO, DO YOU TAKE RIDING ADVICE FROM RUBEN XAUS? SURE, he’s fast, faster than any of us will ever be, but last season on the Ducati Superbike he was the king of the highlight reel, cartwheeling his 998R with sickening regularity. But you have to listen, even if just for the fact that it’s fun to think that the information might even be relevant at the

speeds you’ll be riding. So as the rain fell on the Circuit of Almeria in southern Spain, where Ducati had gathered us-and Xaus-for a first ride on the 749S, we all jumped in the tour bus for a few runs

around the course, with the speedy Spaniard talking us through a hot lap. It was suggested maybe Mr. Ruben could take the wheel, but it was clear the bus driver knew the Spaniard’s reputation and he flatly declined.

“There are no reference points at Almeria, so every lap is different because you never know where you are,” Xaus said. Excellent. Sounds just like life.

The rain quit, and we had our first session on a wet-butdrying track. Line was critical, because there was mud in places, and of course it was wetter toward tarmac’s edge. Precision ruled.

Perfect, in other words, for the 749S. The chassis is the same as that of the 999, which is to say, the picture of stability and a paragon of excellent feedback. Was it the same lengthened (plus .5 inch) double-sided swingarm that made rear-end slides so easy to control? Or was it the tractable power from the all-new baby Testastretta engine, shorter of stroke and larger of bore (the better to rev) than the 748?

Probably a little of both, and the very fine fuel-injection, that somehow made the throttle feel more connected to the rear wheel than any bike in recent memory (aside from the 999). The only fuel-delivery peculiarity happened in the same place, lap after lap. Rolling to full throttle in the midrange exiting one comer, the engine would skip a fraction beat, then return to laying down smooth power until you hit the rev-limiter.

As the track became dry, speeds rose, as did cornering and braking load. The S shrugged it all off, leaning ever

er with no scraping sounds, stopping surely lap after lap, even from the 130-mph neighborhood at the end of the loooong back straight. Complaints centered mainly around the gearbox. Clutchless upshifts just weren’t possible, and downshifts were best executed cleanly and deliberately.

Had there been more time, we would have tried the 23.5degree steering-head setting (as ever, steering effort at 24.5 degrees is high), and moved the seat/tank/tailsection forward from its middle position (of three), to see what effect it had on steering and front-end feedback. But the rain returned and we were deemed done for the day.

It was unfortunate not only that the fun was over, but also because we had planned to ride the regular-issue 749 for the sake of comparison. It’s not as high-zoot, as non-S versions lose the Ti-nitride fork coating and rake adjustment, as well as the adjustable solo seat and pegs. It does cost $1300 less than the $14,795 S-model, though. Sadly, the kitted Ducati Performance 749 went unridden, as well.

As for the 749S, stability and chassis feedback on the racetrack couldn’t be faulted, and the best thing that can be said is that it does virtually nothing to distract you from trying to ride your fastest lap.

And as it is usually with Ducati’s Superbike-derived models, there was no street riding at the introduction. The 749S is street-legal, it’s awesome on the racetrack and for all intents and purposes is a shrunken 999. What else do you want to know?