I must say, I can see why it's become such a popular bike.  Easy to ride, that's for sure!  It's very apparent that they've gone after the Japanese sport bike crowd with this bike.

 

Stable, smooth through the power band, not perky or jumpy anywhere that I noticed (but please note that I didn't get to take it out on the freeway or on the track). Stable around lower speed corners around town.  Though, the bike doesn't like to go under 20, that's for sure...

I will say that I'm a bit lost as to how anyone with longer legs than my will fit that bike...lol  My knees were right on the fairings, almost like my leg length was the perfect length for the bike honestly.

I was surprised how similar the seating was to my SS.  There really wasn't that much of a difference.  I might have been stretched out about a half an inch more or so, or so it felt, but it REALLY wasn't any more different.  Once I got back on my SS, I actually felt that my pegs were more cramped.  In that they were up and forward more than the 848, the 848 were truly more rearset.

Personally I think it was a mistake for Ducati to NOT put a Dry clutch on the 848.  I understand that they have a dry clutch for the bike now, but still.  The clutch for the bike has a HEAVY pull on it compared to my 900SS, WOW!  Granted, I do have an aftermarket slave, Ducati Performance levers and aftermarket springs, but even on my husbands S4R it's not NEAR that stiff.  Good night that's a stiff clutch!

Now for the downer, the motor....where's the emotion!?  Maybe it's just me (and I'm sure by posting this, I'll get the response that it is just me...) but I'm missing the EMOTION from the bike!  I just didn't feel much emotion from the motor.  My 900SS pulls from so far down low it's unreal.  It's like a tractor.  The sound of the intake, the personality of it, the guttural response, etc.  The 848 just didn't have it.  While some may say that it's more refined, I consider it more vanilla.  It really reminded me more of a Japanese inline 4 than a twin.  HOWEVER, having said that, I must also state that I've spent an awful lot of time on air cooled Ducs as well as the S4R.  I dono, the 848 just doesn't say Ducati enough to me.  It is a Duc, don't get me wrong, and yes, it's a great bike.  It's just not the essence of Ducati to me.  I can see how it's going to grab the attention of a lot of die hard Japanese bike enthusiests, as well as a number of Ducatisti - but (and here comes the blasphamasphi to some of you I'm sure) not this Ducatisti.

 
Would I turn one down if it were given to me?  Nope!  Would I go out and buy one?  Nah.  Just not my style of Ducati.  Though it is a fine bike, none-the-less.  I'll stick with the older 4-valve Ducs at least until Ducati figures out that they don't want to sell out any longer.  Even still, I fully intend to appreciate my 2-valve, air-cooled 900SS for hopefully at least another 35,000 miles.