Fighting Fire with Fire

Around town, the laid-out riding position of the SS even more stretched than the 999 and now arguably the most racerlike Ducati puts a lot of pressure on your wrists and back. The extremely tall gearbox makes leaving a stop a bit difficult (though the heavy-but-predictable clutch helps), and gear selection is important to keep the engine running in its smooth zone around town. Once on the freeway, the wind takes up a bit of the ergonomic slack, making a long-distance ride not out of the question. Sixth gear is practically useless for anything less than 80 mph, with the engine lugging and a hammering vibration in the footpegs, and we took to using fifth for most freeway work.

Get to the twisties, and the SS1000 comes together as a nice package. Typically Ducati, it's a heavy-steering bike, but with some rear preload and ride height (thank you, hlins) cranked in, not excessively so. And once banked in a turn, steering is neutral and precise. The new suspension a one-pound lighter Showa fork and the hlins shock soaks up bumps easily, with only pavement seams and sharp-edged ripples unsettling the bike, but not diverting it from its path.

Buell vs. Ducati
As improved as the Buell is with its big motor, the Ducati is the better machine in almost all respects. Neither bike is any great shakes around town, as both will cook your thighs medium-well on a hot day you're straddling the rear cylinder, after all and a high-geared twin (the XB12R has taller primary gearing than the 9R) is never happy at low speeds. Having said that, the Ducati's engine is a bit more user-friendly at those lower revs and speeds, running cleaner with a nicer gearbox. Even with the exaggerated riding position and slightly heavy clutch, once you are used to the tall gearing the SS can in fact be fun around town. With the Buell's 1203cc mill shaking and coughing at light loads, a heavy clutch pull and a monster flywheel, it's difficult to be smooth and concentrate totally on your surroundings.

Turning to the higher speeds of the freeway, the Buell simply runs out of comfort before the Ducati does because it has less wind protection, a slightly harder seat and more vibration. Whereas the Buell falters and gets less comfortable with more speed, the Ducati just gets rhythmic and runs easier as the extra wind takes more weight off your wrists, and the engine and footpegs are smoother up to speeds into the triple digits.

On practically any twisty road and we tried a lot the Ducati will steadily leave the Buell behind. The SS1000, while certainly no R6, provides solid, predictable handling and a broad spread of power that makes it fun to ride quickly. The SS1000's surefootedness comes courtesy of its strong chassis, which is easily able to handle the Dual Spark engine's power, and proven componentry. Steering is heavy, but the bike turns quickly if you are willing to work at it. The 320mm Brembos provide excellent stopping power and feel, and at all lean angles the clip-ons are neutral, requiring little effort to hold a line, even over rough pavement.

The Buell is just as solid we've praised the XB9R for its stout chassis but less predictable, and has a significantly narrower powerband to work with. While both bikes have impeccable fuel-injection manners and near-similar peak power outputs, the Buell forces you to keep the engine at or near redline as it builds power right up until the rev limiter cuts in unexpectedly at 7000 rpm. The Ducati has a much more workable spread, pulling stronger from lower down in its powerband and revving out 1500 rpm more.

The Buell, pushing back at the clip-ons and bump-steering over the slightest pavement irregularities, fights you every step of the way, and this makes it difficult to ride quickly, both mentally and physically. Even if you can dial in suspension settings that give a decent compromise, you'll have a tough time developing the confidence level the Ducati gives.

What does it all mean?
Picking a winner objectively is easy the SS1000 is more functional and user-friendly than the Firebolt. However, any current 600 at $2000 less, mind you will put either of these two bikes to shame when run through the same paces, especially the curvy parts. Obviously, then, performance is not the sole reason you would buy one over the other. Both have much more character, or soul, than your garden-variety middleweight, as well as a certain amount of exclusivity, and purchasing either bike is easily justifiable on those grounds. That subjective decision is yours to make.