Derived from the ugly duckling 860GT, Ducati’s 900GTS is a far cheaper option than the legendary 900SS – but does that make it a bargain?
Considering this is the first time I have ever riddena bevel Ducati, it’s a very easy bike to get used to. What did I expect? I’m not really sure. The big Ducati twins have a beefcake reputation for their long, loping wheelbase and thrusting power delivery from low down the rev range, but the GTS is no rugby club scrum half. It’s more feline, like a tall, powerful but distinctly feminine woman – Iknow that sounds a bit wistful, but it’s an interesting parallel.
The early Giugiaro-styled 860GT model missed the mark and later revisions failed to capture the adoration lavished on the Super Sports – but for me, the GTS is a blind date I would like to follow up. We’re already bonding, and with time I think we could create a magical long-term partnership. While some bikes sear your senses from the word go, they often lose their flavour faster than cheap chewing gum. The Ducati takes time to appreciate – it’s the difference between playing chess and ‘whack-a-mole’.
The first thing I notice is that, although very much in the Bonneville/Commando mould, the Ducati is a machine designed for the motorway age. On a long straight it picks up cleanly and pulls hard but doesn’t call for such hyperbole as ‘shattering’ or ‘arm-wrenching’.
Like a good British twin, it has enough power to exhilarate, the difference being that I sense it would throb along tirelessly all day in the 80mph range – something British twins can do, but mostly as a favour. By contrast, the Ducati feels tireless – partly due to the relaxed nature of a big V-twin, but also thanks to being super smooth and (to anyone familiar with Bologna’s more recent output) super quiet – apart from the exhaust note, which just stays this side of loud in a way that is, hopefully, satisfactory to rider and citizen alike.
The riding position is similarly balanced and suited me perfectly. Whether I would be so happy on a 900SS, I’m not sure; Tim in the workshop at Made in Italy, who supplied the bike, said he prefers the GTS for riding. It’s certainly a far more affordable option – but then, few classics are bought with practicality in mind, and buying the sensible version of what you really want never quite scratches the itch.
Where the Ducati really impressed was its stability. I’ve known bikes that run straight regardless of terrain or turbulence and others that fall into corners completely intuitively, but it’s rare to find these slightly contradictory characteristics in the same bike. The GTS blends them seamlessly – to such an extent that I found myself wiggling my hips mid-bend to
