. Your Hostess and Her Ride .

. Q&A;


Read about my latest bike, Pierfrancesco the Monster.

Once upon a time I was really into cycling, but riding a bike everywhere pretty much meant I had to be feeling strong all the time (especially in San Francisco where it's straight up or straight down). Some days I felt like crap but still wanted to be on two wheels.

The solution: A motorcycle.


Q. What bikes have you owned?
A. My first bike was an 86 Yamaha Radian. I taught myself how to ride it by putt-putting my way up and down the residential streets. When I became a competent rider, I stepped up to the 91 BMW K75S for the commute I was making between Ventura and Burbank. After I sold that (I thought I would try retiring from the dangers of motorcycling), I tolerated six months of being "dry" before I broke down and bought the 95 Ducati 900SS.

Q. Are you married?
A. Yes. I married my Ducati mechanic. I advise all of you — men and women — to marry your Ducati mechanic. You won't regret the convenience of this arrangement.

Q. I want my girlfriend/wife to ride. What do you recommend?
A. Unless they're begging you to teach them, don't encourage them. Don't we all have horror stories about bikers who have piled thanks to rider error, inattentive drivers, or road hazards? If your loved ones are content in cars, leave them there. At the least, you'll save yourself the pain of trying to romance a woman with helmet hair. It's tragic what matted down hair will do to a man's libido.

Q. My girlfriend/wife really wants to ride. What do you recommend?
A. Have her start with a motorcycle instruction course that teaches the basics of riding. I took a riding course years after I learned how to ride and I was surprised at the things I wasn't doing right. If she's at all nervous about learning, I highly recommend a small enduro as a first bike. I also have a Suzuki DR200 and it's so light, I'm not afraid to drop it.

Q. Doesn't being short make riding hard?
A. At 5'7" I'd be deemed a short man. This makes reaching the ground on some bikes a little uncomfortable. And at 120 lbs I don't lower the bike much at all when I sit on it. To make the Ducati easier for me to ride (I like to be flat-footed so I can easily back up the bike), I took out about two inches of foam from the seat and then had it reupholstered. If you have problems touching the ground, I highly recommend this.

Q. Would you recommend a Ducati to a new rider?
A. I would've been unhappy if it was my first bike. To meet California EPA standards, the bike had a real lean jetting, which made it almost unrideable. It took a lot of talking to other Ducati owners before I figured out what I wanted my mechanic (and future husband) to do to it.

I recently rode Chris' Honda VTR Superhawk. It's so much easier to ride than my Ducati. By that I mean it's extremely forgiving when it comes to working the clutch and throttle. It also has a wider RPM range so you don't have to upshift and downshift quite as much. If I were a new rider, I'd want something to treat me that nicely as I learned the ins and outs of riding.

So what is good about the Duc? It feels real tight. On the Honda, I feel like I'm driving the car equivalent of a nice sedan with automatic transmission. On the Duc I feel like I'm driving a sports car with manual transmission. Neither is more meaningful than the other; they're just different.

    9/18/00 Amendment: Now that I'm learning the joys of fuel injection with the Monster, I'm astounded that Ducati made such an easy bike to ride. It would be a great bike for a new rider. Make that a great bike for a new rider who might not mind dropping a $10k bike during the learning process.

Q. Would you get another Ducati?
A. After what you've read above you'd think that I wouldn't, but I put in an order for the MH900e. I think I'm #21 on the list so I should be seeing it by the summer of 2000. I really like the design of the bike.

    9/18/00 Amendment: The MH900e is languishing in the land of Ducati. Apparently they had contracted Bimota to build the bike, but Bimota has encountered financial problems. Rumor is that Ducati is now negotiating with S. Claus, Inc. of the Arctic Circle to have his production staff build the bikes. Once the deal is done (insiders say the deal signing is close), production will begin. We are all holding our breaths...

Q. If Buddha and Bruce Lee got in a fight, who would win?
A. Depends on what they're riding. My guess is that Buddha would be an old school Harley guy, and as such would probably pack a piece. This would make his "fists of iron" a little meaner than Lee's.

Q. Are you serious about Ben Bostrom or just joking?
A. If you bring him to me I will give you the answer.

All the modifications done to this bike are completely detailed at Chris's site. My favorite mod is the Jack-in-the-Box Millenium Ball Cop Detector. Must work since I've never received a ticket on this bike.
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