ROUNDING OFF
We never set out to find a winner among this threesome, with the bigger question being whether bikes that were special a decade ago still possess enough panache and performance to make us weak at the knees... maybe even tempting us to turn our backs on the latest and greatest litre bikes for a slice of used exotica action. It’s a question that’s about as easy to answer as defining if the chicken or the egg came first. One unequivocal thing is this: these bikes are still very much special. All three of them.
They hark back to a time when sportsbikes were in a wholly different place and when manufacturers were able to worry more about the texture of the clock infill panel than they were about emissions and all that. Well, to a certain extent, anyway. These machines were among the last of their generation to escape the noose of severe legislation, which shows in their build, design, and focus. I remember the late Noughties as an exciting, pioneering time for motorcycling, with new tech and new levels of performance being etched into the industry – and this trio was at the forefront of that movement. That’s not to say that the tech is particularly great on any of them, and the performance on tap is pretty much matched or bettered by anything and everything you’ll find new on the market these days… but that’s just simply because the sector has evolved. In their heyday, these bikes were exceptional, and that magic hasn’t been lost in time.
The Ducati, for instance, is still a mentalist, even by today’s standards, with a motor so brutal it’ll rip your arms from their sockets given half the chance. Big v-twins might not be the flavour of the day anymore, but it’s hard to overlook the raw, characterful and explosive qualities that bikes like the 1198 SE possess. Blasting around on that thing never failed to plant smiles on any of our faces. The same has to be said for the BMW, which utterly blew us away with its performance and composure. It’s mad to think how right the German brand got it a decade ago, to the extent that what’s come since seems incremental progress at best. The HP4 was a keystone for the brand that delivers implicitly to this day. It’s also big, spacious, and an absolute weapon on the road or track. We liked it a lot. And as for the MV, it’s impossible to ignore. That bike is a thing of beauty, as inclined to draw attention as a gaggle of supermodels wearing nothing but socks. It might not make the perfect playmate, being overly focused in all the wrong places, but what it takes away with one hand, it more than gives with the other. It’s still a fantastically fast motorcycle, with lithe handling and an even sharper persona. It’s the most fickle of this bunch and about as compromising as my four-year-old when I tell her she can’t have chocolate… but that all adds into the character of the thing. You know you’re not going to be in for an easy ride, but it’ll make for a memorable experience – which is true of the Ducati and BMW, too.
Our time on these bikes was awesome and truly opened our minds up to the prospect of owning something like this over a new, more commonly produced litre bike of similar value. I can’t speak for the others but I know that investing in a bike like this wouldn’t be a second fiddle option for me. On the whole, they offered all that I wanted, with the only niggling thoughts being the realities of finding spares if I launched one down the road, or whether I’d feel obliged to take things a bit steadier so as not to strain the ageing motors and suchlike. With that kind of torment wedged in my mind, my head would say a newer, fresher, albeit maybe less rare machine would be the smarter purchase.
But, as motorcyclists, we often thrive on making irrational and heart-led choices. I know that if the cash was in my pocket right now, I’d be hard-pushed to wander past any of these without giving the salesman my money.
Luckily, it is money I don’t have. If you do, I envy and pity you on equal levels.