Harley or Ducati

Any riders out there? I am just getting my motorbike license and thinking about either getting a Harley Davidson Sportster or Ducati 696.


Well aware of the risks associated with riding hence looking for an easier bike to start off with. Any comments would be appreciated.

Harley's are typical American bigger louder but cr#p performance. The Duc is the way to go but if you are on a P license you may have difficulty with insurance but definitly the Duc is the better manufacturer IMHO.

as a first time rider you may want to go with the sportser. the newer madels actually perform very well and are pretty good in the hk traffic. a duc is of course a great bike but they need to run fast to perform whish as a new rider and in hk may not be a great idea for your first ride. insurance on any bike with a P is going to be tough so look around.

I finally found information about how to get a motorbike license in Hong Kong

http://www.saikung.com/how-to-grab-your-resources/135-how-to-get-a-motorbike-license.html

That blog gets it right. Having almost completed the course with HK School of Motoring, I can attest to the fact that it is very much a quest from a fantasy game. It's like they don't want to tell you the next steps until you've acquired the magic purple mushroom and given it to the wizard. THEN he'll tell you.



The following assumes you already have a car license:

- Call up Hong Kong School of Motoring and ask to do the course. The package is around $6500. Ask to talk to Peggy Fan and hope she is there. She's extremely helpful and has decent English.

- Do the mandatory 3x 4 hours maneuvering course.

- Do the Transport Dept. Maneuvering test. Easy.

- Do one 4 hour session covering figure-8 on a slope and the road test route.

- Do two 1 hour class room lectures.

- Do one self training of one hour. I would recommend doing at least a few more hours to nail the figure-8.

- Take the Transport Dept. road test.



As for the original question, I suggest that you get neither. Get a cheap second hand 250-400cc from a good dealer like Man Wai in Shau Kei Wan or Matsuda in Wong Chuk Hang. No more power than that. If you get a more powerful bike you'll either drive too aggressively and have an accident or too fearfully and not use the potential of the bike. Drive the clunker until it dies or you get tired of it (a year or two). THEN get the bike you want. Read any motorcycle advice column or blog and you'll find two common pieces of advice for newbies: you don't know what you really want when you're starting out and don't get more than a 400cc.



"for haven's sake you are a learner with p plates and just because the government allows you to buy a 100 hp bike does not mean you should..."


Wise words. Get a low cc "street" type bike and see where that takes you.

I've been riding bikes for over 20 years now so let's throw in my 2 cents.


The basic testing procedure here is just that. The only way to really get to know how to ride is experience. Learning to look ahead, learning how to read bends, learning to see if others have seen you takes time not to mention being able to control a machine.


One thing I must mention with your first bike. You will drop it, everyone does. Even experienced riders can get caught out with low speed manoeuvers, placing a bike on a stand or just losing traction. So I'd recommend the above, a Japanese 250 / 400 which will allow you to gain experience while having a reliable and cheap to fix machine. They are also more forgiving when you get it wrong.


Dukes and Harley D's are just too specialist. They represent 2 completely different spectrums and both cost a fortune to fix. Give yourself some time, get to know other bikers and you'll soon know what you'll want.