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When you’re being escorted by two motorcycle riding policemen, who normally do the same for the Thai royal family, you know you’re moving in style. And when you’ve got a Ducati between your legs, it gets reinforced further.
It’s only fitting then, that the first Ducati built for Asia, ought to be first sampled by Indian journos in the country where it is built – Thailand.The digital speedo reads about 140 kph when I notice the Ducati marshal up ahead give me the go-ahead. I twist back the throttle and the motor responds with a throaty splatter of expletives, the kind only a foul-mouthed Italian L-twin has the tongue for. The bike surges ahead, with me only just managing to hold on. Let me put that into perspective. The Pulsar 220 DTSi weighs in at
150 kg and puts out 21 bhp. This baby tips the scales at 167 kg with, wait a minute, 87 bhp on tap. Now that’s a blistering 520 bhp per tonne, as compared to the 220’s 140 bhp per 1,000 kg. So when I said ‘surges’, I actually meant ‘Holy crap, so this is what a piece of 180-grain Hornady XTP lead exiting the muzzle of a .44 Magnum feels like.’
I am now cursing myself for leaving my ear plugs back home, for the air is hitting my helmet with a loud drone that is leaving my ear drums ringing with pain. But strangely, instead of my right wrist backing off, it plugs the throttle back to its stop.
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