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Model(s) covered: 2002 Ducati 998, 2002 Aprilia RSV Mille R
We're a lot like you out there in cyberspace. We have lustful, nearly immoral thoughts about motorcycles. And few things turn our crank harder than exotic sportbikes, even more so when they're bred in the region of Northern Italy.
If you've ever been to Italy, then you understand the fervor there for mechanical entities with soul. From Ferrari and Lamborghini to Moto Guzzi and Laverda, Italian vehicles exude a "soul" perhaps more clearly than machines from other parts of the globe.
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Model(s) covered: 2002 Ducati 998
Unbelievably the 916 has been around since 1994, that's way back in the time when Yamaha's FZR1000 was still the current model in the showrooms. When released the 916 didn't revolutionise the sports bike sector, Honda had already done that with their Fireblade, but it did put that new definition into perhaps the prettiest package of the decade. The 916 is still with us and it looks much the same as it did back in '94. Most people generally agree that, almost ten years later, it looks up to date. The Ducati has enjoyed gradual updates year by year, and is still arguably at the top of its class.
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Ducati 998 2002: prova in pista (Motocorse.com)
Model(s) covered: 2002 Ducati 998
Vallelunga, il sole batte l'asfalto con una forza inconsueta per il mese di ottobre. Dopo il cartello dei centocinquanta metri mi rialzo bruscamente per la staccata, tirandola più violenta del necessario per sollecitare le reazioni della ciclistica. Giù due marce, bruscamente, per entrare nella "Cimini" in terza. Subito alla corda per allargare fino al cordolo esterno, impostando in una traiettoria unica le due curve, forse le più belle e tecniche del tracciato laziale.
Nel punto di massima piega l'asfalto ha un'ondulazione, un saliscendi che sulle prime mozza il fiato per il timore che l'avantreno possa alleggerirsi bruscamente.
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