CARLOS’S COMMENTS:

It's not every day you get to ride some legendary Italian exotica, but even so I was a bit wary. I've always been a big Ducati fan, and I've always wanted to ride a 999 of any description, but taking its age into account, I really didn't want to get over excited. I mean, what if it's a pile of crap? All those years of my childhood where I dreamt of having one just goes straight down the pan. But you know what? From the moment where my ass touched the seat, I was absolutely on cloud nine. Instantly, the 999R almost felt like it had been built and moulded for me; even though it felt small the riding position was incredibly comfy and I found myself sitting in the bike rather than on it; the bars and pegs where spacious, the screen was big, and even the clocks where nice and easy, with no crazy settings or excessive buttons to contend with. I wasn't sure what to expect from the 999c V-twin, but from the very slip of that stunningly sound tracked dry clutch, it just got even better. I know this example has had its fair share of work, but even so it pulls like a tractor from the very bottom of the rev range, all the way through to just shy of the redline, with a delivery that's silkier than Egyptian cotton. There's more than enough power to get into licence-losing speeds pretty damn quick, but my absolute favourite thing about the 999R was its cornering prowess. The chassis and suspension combo are a match made in heaven that a lot of modem machines could only dream of, as it turns on a sixpence and will flow into corners with deadly precision and ease. In fact, I'd go as far as saying it has one of the best front ends I've ever felt, which Is crazy on a bike that's near enough fifteen years old. Okay, by today's standards It's not ground-breaking at all, but for a superbike, it's stunning. Think 600cc agility, but with the power of an old school thousand.