Been looking at the big Dorso a bit lately and rather liking it. It was in a list of top 5 nutter bikes I was reading somewhere and prices are nothing like as terrifying as the new SD.
If it ever stops raining I think I'm gonna take one out for a spin, but in the meantime, anyone had a go/got one?

had a go on a smaller one , very similar to the hypermotard thingy from ducati , was a fun bike to ride , however rather cheaply put together I thought.
Fitures were showing a lot of corrosion and quite a bit of rust in places.
Wasn't what I would call a badly looked after bike either
Certainly is a lot cheaper , thats for sure

If you need any technical details on the DD1200 I have them all, all factory bulletins, recalls, manuals, send me a PM with your email address. I was going to buy one last year & like to find out as much as I can about a bike before I buy one. On the Dyno they are around 125 rear wheel HP with 78 FT/LBS torque simular to a 990 with mods my moded SMR on the same Dyno was 129HP 76FT/LBS.

You tube shoot out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyIhqt7B3Zs

Danno / Pig Benis had the smaller Dorsoduro. We used to take the piss as it spent more time in the dealer than on his mildewy decking at home.

Personally if I were looking for a commuter / tourer or use every day bike there are certain manufacturers I would avoid; MV, Moto Guzzi, Ducati, Aprilia, anything else Italian.

Still, dont mind me you may be the one in ten thousand owners that gets a worthwhile mileage without problems.

I had the 750 Factory. Stunning bike visually imo. I loved everything about it apart from the shitty fueling which resulted in a very snatchy throttle in traffic (I used it to commute (okay wheelie) to and from work and for the weekends) and the weight.. to heavy. Fair to say though I didn't have the FATDUC or a de-act which is supposed to help considerably.. I was going to get all that but then this really sweet orange thing was released and the rest was history, haha.

I only managed around 1000km but loved every second. Tight twisty roads are what it loves, never ridden anything that begs to be pushed that hard. I did -1 in the front and she loved to wheelie after that.

Never had an issue, the stripped down pic was just maintenance after I bought it with 10k on the clock. Valve check, service, bearing checks, chain/sprockets etc etc.

Fun bike.
It was faster than my SD.
Fuel range was a big issue, I remember 130km when the light came on.
If you have had anytime on a hypermotard just think bigger with lots more power.
It handled very well.

Hmmmn... Nothing massively putting me off there. Luke, I had a couple of Guzzis and admittedly they were shit, but I also had a Cagiva V-Raptor and that never went wrong - ever, so Italian not necessarily shit.
I may have to pursue this line of enquiry further. Currently on a CB13 and whilst it's a fine bike, it's just not nutty enough for my tastes, - although I don't think I've ever had anything better for the traffic lights grand prix. Infinite torque plus huge weight equals stunning launches off the lights!