Monstermania ;-)
My first look at the new bike	In the back of the truck
When I arrived to pick it up	When I first sat on it
Bill took these pix of me	In front of our house
A couple more shots	I just can't stop looking at it!

Well, I finally decided it was now or never for a Ducati!

Ever since I heard the Ducati 851 Superbike thundering off of the banking onto the back straight at Texas World Speedway in 1991, I've wanted one... The distinctive sound of that 90 degree V-Twin engine really got into my head.

Right now, I'm at that right combination of fitness, weight and age that allows me to ride a bike like this, soooo..........

I swapped my 1998 BMW R1100GS for this 2000 Ducati M900S Monster. It was an even trade - the BMW for the Ducati. I sacrificed 550 lbs of ABS, heated handgrips, shaft drive and hard saddlebags for a tiny 409 lb nimble bike with huge sticky tires, desmodromic valve gear*, chain drive, racing heritage and very little else.

The "S" model boasts carbon fiber fenders, fully adjustable upside-down Showa fork, Ohlins rear shock, aluminum swingarm and headlight fairing over the basic model. I had the dealer add the Fast by Ferraci Forza carbon fiber slip on exhaust canisters and K&N air filter. This gives the engine a full throated, deep exhaust note that is more rich than obnoxious.

BTW, The HiPoint GP Pro boots with the stainless steel shin plates I'm wearing in the pictures have about as much racing heritage as the Ducati!