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Doug Polen and Ducati Austin At Harris Hill Road : Harris Hill Road, Saturday & Sunday, October 17-18, 2009 This was a big weekend at Harris Hill Road in San Marcos. For starters, Doug Polen's 1 On 1 Riders School teamed up with Harris Hill Road, Elite Trackdays, TotalRider MC Safety Training, and Ducati Austin to bring some great fun and track time to Hill Country riders. I would estimate that approximately 50 riders were on hand with Ducatis, Aprilias, and various other brands represented. While everybody comes to the track for fun and to improve their skills, a good number went the extra mile and signed up for personalized instruction from none other than '91-'92 World Superbike Champion Doug Polen. Polen's 1 on 1 utilizes on-board video and wireless Doug to Student communications for real time help and coaching with video reviews in class. Doug is seemingly tireless, cranking out lap after lap of smooth consistent speed. The only time you saw Doug sitting still was while his crew filled his tank and handed him water - on the bike, bike running. Elite Trackdays and Total Rider pulled off another very smooth and coordinated show for the 1 on 1 students and the regular track day participants, and the Harris Hill Road facility is very nice, fun, and well set up. Ducati Austin brought out a few Ducati demo bikes for the riders to sample - an 848 Superbike, the new F1098S Streetfighter with Ducati Traction Control, and a great short track and Hill Country Hooligan weapon the Hypermotard 1100S. When Doug Polen's personal Ducati 1098S developed some minor mechanical issues, we provided first our demo Streetfighter and later the 848, so that the show could go on uninterrupted. I had the opportunity to ride all three of our bikes on the track and they are all superb, with different styles and stregths. Many of the riders signed up for 5 lap demo rides led by Total Rider instructors, at safe but spirited paces. These and all of Ducati Austin's demo bikes are available for sale, with full Ducati Factory warranties, none have been "abused", and most can be had at a discount with all necessary services already performed. Photos by K. Heil and W. Egger. Words by Warren Egger

Doug Polen and Ducati Austin At Harris Hill Road

Harris Hill Road, Saturday & Sunday, October 17-18, 2009 This was ...

Updated: Oct 21, 2009 5:01pm PST

Ducati Austin Monsters Only Ride - June 7, 2009 : Sunday June 7, 2009 - A small group of dedicated Monster fans met for a ride out into the Hill Country. We met at the Speedy Stop c-store at 360 and Bee Cave for coffee and pre-ride meeting. We were on the road by about 9am, and the weather was clear and cool. Nice! We took Lost Creek Blvd over to SW Parkway and then to 71 and Bee Cave to meet some other friends at the SBUX there. From there we made our way over to Hamilton Pool Rd and south to end up at Fischer Store Rd. At the end of Fischer Store, we also ran into some other friends, Fai Jow of Ming's Cafe on his K1200S, David on his Ducati Multistrada, Steve on an R1200C "flattracker", and a couple Fai's friends Jay, Jeff, and Diane. Good times! From there we headed on in to Blanco for lunch at the Rockin J. The food there has always been good and there's plenty of room for groups. After lunch, the Monster Mob headed north and took a few more little "cow trail" roads, with cattle guards and rolling hills, ending up in Johnson City. From Johnson, we went north and hooked up with Cypress Mill and headed back up to 71 and home to Austin. All in we did about 125 miles. Any Monster riders are welcome to come along on the next one, so don't hesitate to email me and I'll put you on the Monster email list. wegger@motoaustin.com Cheers, Warren

Ducati Austin Monsters Only Ride - June 7, 2009

Streetfighter Launch Party - Friday 22, 2009 : Thank You Austin! Ducati Austin's Streetfighter Launch weekend was a great success, and Ducati Austin would like to extend our gratitude to our friends and customers that made it a great time and a pleasure for us here at Ducati Austin. This event would not have been possible without lots of help from our friends and business partners, and we would like to thank the following people and partners for their continuing support; Ducati North America for their tireless support of the dealers and riders, and for keeping the excitement level high with cutting edge bikes and gear. Jon Elliott and his team from Total Rider Motorcycle Training, who donated Basic Rider Courses and Advanced Rider Courses for 6 lucky winners in our drawing Friday night. Anita Thomas and Bastrop Motorcycle Training, who also donated BRC and ARC courses for 6 more lucky winners in our drawing. Helmet House, Tucker Rocky, Parts Unlimited, and Roland Lee of Motovation USA, for providing lots of nice swag for our drawings. Lots of people went away with some sweet goodies. Fai Jow of Ming's Cafe, 2604 Guadalupe, for cooking up the delicious food and hors d'oeuvres. Don't forget that Ming's Cafe hosts a Euro Bike Night every Wednesday where Euro bike fans of all stripes can get together and talk bikes and chow on great food. Pad Thai Cuisine, 13000 I-35N for hooking us up with some great eggrolls for the early crowd. The Reverend Pain Cartel, Red Bull and the Red Bull Girls for their cheerful support and energy, Capital Beverage for the refreshments, and DJ John Gomi for spinning the great tunes. And last but definitely not least, the employees, friends, and supporters of Ducati Austin for helping to put it all together. Sincerely, The Ducati Austin Team

Streetfighter Launch Party - Friday 22, 2009

Ducati Streetfighter Pre-Launch Ride at Cresson : Text and photos by Warren Egger - Ducati Austin. Last Sunday & Monday, Ducati North America hosted a pre-release track and tech session featuring the new Ducati Streetfighter S. The event was attended by dealer representatives from top dealers around the country. The focus of the meeting was to introduce the bike in person to the dealers, explain the design features, and allow us to experience the bikes on the track. This was my first experience at Cresson Motorsports Ranch, and previous to going, several people told me that Cresson was unusually slippery in the mornings and to be very careful during the first session until the track and tires had warmed up. When we arrived at the track the next morning at 8am, we were presented with a long row of pristine Fighter and Fighter Ss, gassed up, ready to go, and all sporting brand new, un-scrubbed Pirelli Diablo Corsa IIIs. I'm thinking cold track, new tires, 155 HP naked bike, and I was pretty apprehensive. Keep thinking "easy street ride"! and I should be fine right? After breakfast and a short welcome talk by Michael Lock, we were briefed on the track and group protocols by Jeff Nash and his instructors, who pretty much call Cresson their home track. After the briefing, we suited up and were led out onto the track in small groups. As expected, the combination of fresh track and fresh tires made traction and lean angles pretty precarious for about half of the first 30 minute session. Halfway through, things had improved so the instructors waved us on and we were able to start having a little fun. For my first session I was given a new Fighter S with Termignoni slipon system installed. The DTC - Ducati Traction Control system was set to #4 of 8 settings, #8 being most intrusive, and #1 being the least. This setting was suggested as a good initial setting for this track and conditions. First impressions were that the seating position is at least as comfortable as my own Monster S4RS, with a slightly shorter reach to the handlebars. Power delivery was as expected, very linear and controllable, and, no surprises here - HUGE. Handling is solid and confidence inspiring, like the rest of the Superbike family - 916, 996, 999, 1098 and 1198, but with ergos compatible with daily street use. From what I was able to determine, the DTC system only activated a few times, and it was not even noticeable except for the momentary flashing of the indicator lights on the dash. The DTC is in no way abrupt, and about the only thing you notice is that you're getting a great drive off the corners with no slippage. My second session was on a stock Fighter with no traction control or Termi system. Handling and power delivery was just as solid as the S bike, however midrange and top end power was slightly less due to the stock exhaust and ECU. That said, it was just as exciting to ride, and for all intents and purposes is just as capable as a track and street bike. My third session was again aboard the Fighter "S" with Termis and DTC. For this one I selected DTC setting 6, just two short of full on #8, in order to see better if I could detect the DTC activating. I was also more comfortable with the track and bike, and could spend a bit more of my attention watching the RPMs and DTC indicator lights. I found that on this more active setting, I was easily able to activate the traction control by rolling on just a bit more throttle than would normally be prudent on corner exits. I found that it's best feature - at least for me, was it's control of the back end exiting fast bumpy corners. The system is really all it's cracked up to be, and will be a great help to many riders, both on the track and off. Finally, as the Streetfighter is truly designed to be a naked superbike, with all of the hooligan aspects intact, the DTC system has been designed to accommodate burnouts, and most importantly, wheelies. The attitude sensor in the tail of the bike communicates with both front and rear wheel speed sensors, and with the ECU and FI system, and knows the parameters that indicate a wheelie and does not interfere. Even on the more sensitive #6 setting, I had no problem lofting the front wheel down the straights, through multiple gears, at various wheel heights... No worries, and absolutely no headshake when setting down for the next corner entry. I'm fully on board with this stuff.

Ducati Streetfighter Pre-Launch Ride at Cresson

Text and photos by Warren Egger - Ducati Austin. Last Sunday & Mond ...

Updated: May 19, 2009 2:42pm PST

Twin Peaks Bike Night - 2009-04-30 ... Scooters Yeah! :

Twin Peaks Bike Night - 2009-04-30 ... Scooters Yeah!

Updated: May 01, 2009 5:40pm PST

Twin Peaks Bike Night - 2009-04-23 :

Twin Peaks Bike Night - 2009-04-23

Updated: Apr 24, 2009 1:55pm PST

Ducati Austin Racing : Pictures of the Ducati Austin Parts Unlimited Race Team during the 2003-2005 seasons. Pictures by Warren Egger, Archie Rodriguez, Alex Toni, and various sources on the web. If you've got any good pics of the team you can share, please send to info@motoaustin.com. Enjoy.

Ducati Austin Racing

Pictures of the Ducati Austin Parts Unlimited Race Team during the 200 ...

Updated: Apr 16, 2009 10:30pm PST

Ducati Austin Ride to Luckenbach - 2008-06-15 :

Ducati Austin Ride to Luckenbach - 2008-06-15

Updated: Apr 16, 2009 10:01pm PST

Austin Ducati Owners Group at Harris Hill Road :

Austin Ducati Owners Group at Harris Hill Road

Updated: Apr 16, 2009 9:57pm PST

Friends and Family :

Friends and Family

Updated: Apr 16, 2009 9:55pm PST

Scooter Ride - 2007-11-04 :

Scooter Ride - 2007-11-04

Updated: Apr 16, 2009 9:53pm PST

Pure Austin Pace Bend Road Race - 2007 :

Pure Austin Pace Bend Road Race - 2007

Updated: Apr 16, 2009 9:46pm PST

Twin Peaks Bike Night - 2008-10-16 :

Twin Peaks Bike Night - 2008-10-16

Updated: Apr 16, 2009 9:39pm PST

Twin Peaks Bike Night - 2009-03-05 :

Twin Peaks Bike Night - 2009-03-05

Updated: Apr 16, 2009 9:35pm PST

2007 Ducati 1098S Launch Party :

2007 Ducati 1098S Launch Party

Updated: Apr 13, 2009 8:50pm PST

Pure Austin Pace Bend Road Race - 2009 :

Pure Austin Pace Bend Road Race - 2009

Updated: Apr 09, 2009 3:55pm PST

Sunday Ride - Jan 11, 2009 :

Sunday Ride - Jan 11, 2009

Updated: Apr 09, 2009 3:51pm PST

Ducati Austin Open House - Nov 15, 2008 :

Ducati Austin Open House - Nov 15, 2008

Updated: Apr 09, 2009 3:46pm PST

Twin Peaks Bike Night - 2009-03-26 :

Twin Peaks Bike Night - 2009-03-26

Updated: Apr 03, 2009 3:11pm PST

Ducati Austin March Monster Mayhem! :

Ducati Austin March Monster Mayhem!

Updated: Apr 03, 2009 1:56pm PST