Brother Scoot, I find it interesting that you bring up the venerable Ducati. My comment to Richard Evans (R&D Enfield, Westminster, SC) was that the ignition procedure, sounds and behavior of the UCE were like those of the Ducatis. Rich said that there were similar remarks made at the EFI Class in Faribault, MN. You were in that particular class; what is your opinion with respect to these similarities?
I owned several Ducati motorcycles back in the "old days in the 70s". They were all twins. I also worked on the "pit crew" for the Tunstalls back then, when Malcolme was racing the 750, and his dad Syd won the Daytona #1 plate on his 250.
But, one day last year I was riding my Bullet on a twisty road in Burke's Garden, VA, and I noticed how much the Bullet felt like my old Ducati 750 Sport. The Bullet isn't as fast, but it had that same kind of feel like a "locomotive", and that deep rumble of the exhaust, and the nimble handling. I remember thinking at the time, "Wow, this thing really feels like my old Ducati 750".
And that's a high compliment, because out of all the bikes I ever owned, the Ducati 750 from the 70s is at the top of the list.
I think that the Bullet is one of the most under-appreciated and overlooked bikes in all of motorcycling. Uninformed people dismiss it "out of hand" by looking at the spec sheet, and never get to experience what these Bullets can really do.
The Bullet absolutely a jewel of a motorcycle
And it seems that the UCE is a more refined version for modern folk. It will allow more people "in on the secret", without them having to do the wrench-twisting. I like the old, but there's plenty of folks out there who'll want the new.
For those who haven't heard about it, the new UCE frame had design input, and perhaps build input, from the same people who do the Ducati frames. And that's certainly a good pedigree.
The old Ducati 750, unbeknownst to many people, had it's frame designed by the famous British racing frame builder Colin Seeley, and built by Ducati.