Winter Storage & Winterization

Living in the "Snow-Belt" means that for most people riding all-year round is not an option.
We believe firmly in maintaining your Motorcycle or Scooter -- winterizing and storing your vehicle can mean the difference between an easy Spring ride or a rocky start to the Season.

1. Winter Storage: Unfortunately it won't be long until you have to decide what to do with your motorcycle. Even if you have a garage, storage space in the Winter can be tight. We still have plenty of space and are still accepting motorcycles daily. Our facility is heated, and secure. So leave your bike with us and bring out your Skis!!!

2. Winterization: Motorcycles work hard, they deserve to be taken care of. Even if you are not at a service interval it is a good idea to have your motorcycle checked over. Our Winterization service is the perfect way to say, "thanks for a great season to your motorcycle". The full-service includes:
1.Oil and filter change
· Using fully synthetic top-quality oil – filled to factory levels
· Factory specified Oil filter and oil drain crush washer(s)
2. Final-drive check and adjust
· Adjusting the chain into factory specifications.
· Checking the wear of the chain and Sprockets, as well as an application of chain wax
3. General systems check (lights, electrics, cables, fluids, etc)
4. The addition of fuel stabilizer
· Modern fuels include many chemicals (inc ethanol) which can degrade the fuel over time. To ensure that your fuel system stays "happy" and works properly it is a good idea to use a stabilizer to help keep your fuel fresh
5. A thorough cleaning
· Including an application of S100's corrosion protectant -- a product designed to keep most common corrosion at bay)
6. Installation of a Battery Tender
· A small invest that over the years have found to extend the life of the battery.
This service is a considerable value and saves you over $70!!! Even though the cost of oil and materials has risen, we kept the price at: $199.99!!! Treat your motorcycle right, have a Factory-trained tech look over your machine once a season. You motorcycle will last longer, work better, and give you greater pride of ownership.

Ducati Sport Classic Open House Event!!

Ducati Sport Classic Demo Event

September 1st – 8th


The new Ducati Sport Classic models have proven to be an awesome success. They offer unique, classic style combined with modern performance. Each model has visual attributes that can stir deep motorcycle emotions, and the technical packages and components yield refined, pure Ducati handling and performance.

Ducati is making an initiative, The Ducati Sport Classic Demo Event, to get the word out about these truly awesome motorcycles. We will be hosting the event at Great Bay Ducati during the first week of September, just when the best riding of the year begins. You can expect long demo rides all week, giveaways, refreshments, and food courtesy of Great Bay and Ducati USA. The week should prove to be fun and exciting for all Ducati enthusiasts.

At Great Bay we also feel, why wait? We will offer you a demo ride on a Sport Classic model today, and if you love it as much as we think you will, you could be riding your own weeks before the event. We promise to give you a great deal, and a perfectly set up motorcycle, that we know you will love.

Just a bit about the Sport Classics.

We have had a GT in our demo fleet and it has become a beloved motorcycle. It is smooth, comfortable and a fine two up machine. Last year, after a romantic ride up the coast with his wife, our dealer principal came in to the shop the next day and ordered one. He felt that it was the perfect two up bike for anything less than full on distance touring. The seat is super comfortable, the handlebars provide a nice neutral body position and the foot controls place the riders feet directly below.

From this comfortable perch controlling the GT is effortless. The bike is equipped with the absolutely dreamy 1000 DS motor. If you have not had the pleasure of riding a Ducati equipped with one of these power plants, you are missing out on experiencing one of the best motorcycle engines ever created. Yes, that sounds like an over statement, but if you do a little homework, you will find that every motorcycle magazine that has tested any of the following motorcycles equipped with the 1000 DS engine has praised the motor with heaping superlatives. From the venerable, do it all Multistrada to the quintessential naked sport bike the Monster S2R 1000 and onto the entire range of Sport Classic models. Why? Because Ducati got it right.

This powerplant and its descendent, the 1100 (now in the Hypermotard and Multistrada), offer all the attributes of a perfect motorcycle engine. It is smooth and balanced, and offers massive torque across the rev range. It pulls like a tractor and hits hard if you want it to, but if driven mildly feels like the most controllable and tractable motor ever made. What an awesome motor!

In 2006 the Sport Classic range was one of our top sellers. Sure, we sold many GT’s, but we also sold a bunch of the Sport 1000’s. This bike is just about as cool as any motorcycle can look, and with the revised handlebars and dual seating for some of the Sport 1000 models this year, you can choose the bike that is perfect for your riding style. 2007 also saw the introduction of the Sport 1000 mono-posto LE, a limited edition run of 100 units in traditional black and gold straight out of the seventies. We have number 97 in stock and ready to go home with a lucky new owner.

Following on the heels of the fabulous Paul Smart was the introduction of the Sport 1000S model. It carries forward the fantastic fairing, now in red with a center white stripe and black pin striping. The bike is now a Biposto and dual shock equipped, so taking along a passenger is easy of you want it to be. We can’t tell you exactly why, but this complete package seems to be much, much greater than the sum of its parts. Simply, the models we have ridden and sold are among the sweetest Ducatis ever.

So, across the Sport Classic range you get great Brembo brakes with full floating rotors, six speed transmissions, classic spoked wheels, the awesome 1000 cc dual spark, fuel injected motor, and a look and feel that could only be Ducati.

Finally, if you tend to like your bike to be more individualized you can check out the Ducati performance offerings for each model. These special accessories will allow you to turn any Sport Classic model into the bike you want it to be. From luggage and touring accessories to Termigoni performance exhaust kits, Ducati offers it all. If you haven’t heard a Ducati performance pipe equipped Sport Classic model, stop by and check one out. Can you say intoxicating? Whoa.

We encourage you to come by Great Bay Ducati and ride a Sport Classic. It might just be the perfect motorcycle for you too.

Hope to see you soon.

Buy Local, Stay Local. Come by and see why we WANT to be your Dealer!!!

GREAT BAY MOTORCYCLES BEST PRICE POLICY At Great Bay Motorcycles/ Vespa North Hampton we strive to offer all of our customers the best possible motorcycle or motor scooter experience. We offer excellent products at fair prices and do everything within our power to provide our customers with the service that will guarantee a complete quality experience when buying from us. We are not a “cut corner” dealership that offers products intended to attract customers simply on price. We sell and service Ducati and Triumph motorcycles and Vespa and Piaggio motor scooters. These are without question some of the best designed and engineered products in the industry. From a value to price point perspective these products offer outstanding components, fit and finish, and stand apart as unique within the industry. We stock our workshop with the tools, analyzers and equipment to ensure that we can take great care of these fine machines. Our technicians have the training and experience required to do a great job. The discount shops will remove a machine from the crate, assemble it poorly (when required) put a splash of gas in the tank and hand it over to a customer with little regard for what is right and what is not. Precision machines do not deserve that kind of treatment, and will never receive any level of disrespect at Great Bay. We follow exactly the manufacturer’s recommendations for setup. In each case the machines we sell have made their way on a container ship across an ocean, and while we are very confident in the manufacturing quality of these machines, we also recognize that it is incumbent on us, as your dealer, to thoroughly set up and check out every machine that we sell. Simply, sometimes things get by the manufacturer on the assembly line, and sometimes things change during shipping. It is up to us to identify and address any issues during set up. This is called the PDI (pre delivery set up and inspection), and can be the single biggest factor a dealership can do to be certain that it is handing over to it’s new owner a machine that is safe and reliable. As part of this, we torque all required fasteners and hardware. We add required fluids, adjust tire pressure, charge batteries, test electrical systems, perform thorough safety inspections, flush tanks and add fuel. Machines are then started and evaluated for running performance. Finally, an experienced technician takes the machine for a road test. If everything checks out the machine is then given a bath and a detail job. The time required to do this varies, and every machine receives all the time required to be sure it lives up to our standards. This makes it especially painful for us when a local customer comes in for a break-in service on a new bike or scooter from one of our brands that they purchased somewhere else in an effort to save money. Often, once the bike is in our workshop, we are amazed at the lack of attention the bike received during PDI from the discount shop, and wonder how they could have delivered it to a customer in such a fashion. We then feel obligated to set the machine up to the manufacturer’s standards, and do so without making the customer feel bad about his decision to buy one of the brands that we love and honor. So, we have a simple request for you, our potential customer. If you are in our area, and you want to purchase a product that we sell, please let us know if you are considering buying it at a less convenient location based on a cheaper price. Communication is the key. With this knowledge we will do everything possible to create a deal that will make you happy. Often times discounts on parts and installation, help with extended warranty purchases or service plans can create a much better deal for you, because these are all things that we can offer that enhance the motorcycle purchase experience. In other cases, we don’t want you to drive an hour or more for a small savings. Please communicate with us, we want to work with you. We are a locally owned and operated business. Our employees and their families live locally and spend their earnings locally. Our business has and does participate with a variety of local charitable and non profit organizations each year in our area, because we recognize that we are members of a community. As members of this community, we also must have customers that recognize our value and want our business to survive and thrive. We spend our money locally, and want you to as well. Also, if we are not the most convenient shop for you, but you would like to do business with us please let us know. We have many customers that travel extended distances to purchase bikes from us, or come to us for our service. We appreciate each and every one of them. So if we are not the closest, but you think we can help you, talk to us. We will do everything in our power to help get you on the scooter or motorcycle of you dreams. We will consider and accept all legitimate offers on our products, and have no intention of being beaten solely on price. Give us a call or stop by. In summary, we will match or beat any legitimate (verifiable or documented) price on the products we sell. Period. Why shop anywhere else?

GREAT BAY DUCATI We want to be your Ducati dealer!

Great Bay Motorcycles was proud to add Ducati to our showroom in the fall of 2002. We are happy to report that we have consistently grown every year as a dealer, and are ranked among the largest Ducati dealers in the northeast. In 2005, at Ducati’s U.S. national dealer conference in Chicago we were awarded the Gold Achievement Award for Most Improved dealer. What this meant was that we had the second largest growth over the previous year of any dealer in the United States, and we had the largest growth in the entire northeast region. Great Bay Ducati embraced these bikes with the same enthusiasm that helped us become one of the nation’s premiere Triumph dealerships just three years earlier. Great Bay Ducati, a key part of Great Bay Motorcycles, is now the oldest Ducati franchise in New Hampshire that has not had a change of ownership and management. We are also proud to report that Great Bay is a five time Dealernews Top 100 winner. This award is given each year to 100 power sports dealers in the United States out of approximately 10,000. Dealers are evaluated in a variety ways including marketing, promotions, charitable involvement, showroom displays, advertising, and merchandising. It has been nice to know that we are considered one of the best at what we do. At Great Bay Ducati we are stocked to service the needs of Ducatisi (Ducati enthusiasts) and those who would like to become a member of this exclusive family. Ducati is about passion. Ducati is about motorcycling as sport. Ducati is about riding. A Ducati with a set of Ducati Performance Termignoni mufflers installed is one of the finest sounding motors in the world. From the basic 695 all the way through to the class leading 1098, all Ducati’s have character and heritage that you can see, hear and feel. Ducati motorcycles are bikes for riders. While it is a certainty that Ducati’s excel on the racetrack and have the best winning record in World Super Bike, most Ducati’s are ridden on the street. At Great Bay Ducati, most of our customers use their Ducati’s on the street, most of the time. We have the knowledge, skills, inventory and service equipment, to provide our customers with a great Ducati street riding experience. Recently, with so many track days being offered a NHIS, we have heard some riders say that they now only will ride at track days. Our perspective is “wow, what a shame.” Track days cost $200 plus, and are held on weekdays. How many weekdays can you take off for a track days each summer? Sure track days are fun, and they do help make you a better street rider, but if you are not a racer, street riding is what motorcycling is about. Street riding is riding your Ducati on roads. It is going on short hops, running errands, and taking day trips. It is enjoying riding with your passenger, and being outside in the elements on your Ducati. It is becoming one with your machine and the ride, and clearing away all of the mental stuff we have to deal with. These are some of the unique joys of street riding. At Great Bay Ducati we want to provide you with a great Ducati street riding experience. Ducati’s come equipped from the factory with the finest design and componentry available. All Ducatis are fuel injected, all Ducatis have 6 speed transmissions, all Ducatis have class leading Brembo brakes and stainless steel braided brake lines, all Ducatis have stout upside down front suspensions, all Ducatis have the unique steel trellis frame, and all Ducatis possess the signature L twin engine. With offerings like these straight out of the crate, you can be sure you are riding one of the finest street bikes available each time you swing a leg over your Ducati to head out for a ride. Ducati’s model families start at the top with the Superbikes. These are among the finest production bikes in the world, true sportbike thoroughbreds like the all new 1098. Beautiful and exotic, these are bikes for riders who want the highest degree of sport performance. For riders wanting a more basic, air-cooled powerplant in a true sport bike, Ducati offers the Supersport family. These bikes offer superior handling in the Ducati sport bike tradition with low weight and a low price point making them an ideal first sport bike. Ducati then has a family tree that branches into touring models like the ST3 which comes standard with color matched, lockable, weather proof luggage, a full fairing and a liquid colled engine. The Multistradas (which we love) are the all road, swiss army knife of the Ducati family. The Multistradas have a commanding riding position and are equally capable of sport and touring riding, just add the optional luggage. When speaking of Ducatis the name Monster is never far from a conversation, and Ducati has the most comprehensive line up of Monsters, the original, iconic naked street bike, ever. From the all new 695 to the MS2R and MS2R 1000 and onto the show stopping, superbike powered MS4rs there can be a Monster for every level of experience. All Monsters handle easily and are comfortable for all day fun. Last year Ducati introduced a range of Sport Classic models. These bike give a huge visual nod toward traditional Ducatis of the past, yet they employee the same modern components and technology as the rest of the range. So you can have a comfortable retro looking bike like the GT1000, and still have brakes and engine performance worthy of a modern Ducati. This year both the Sport 1000 and the Sport 1000 S now have passenger accommodations, making them even more versatile, yet they retain the beautiful retro vintage vibe. Finally, the newest Ducati family member will be unveiled here this June. The Hypermotard promises to become another great model in this distinguished family. The Hypermotard will redefine what a super cool, all around motorcycle can be. We are taking deposits on these now, don’t hesitate to call or stop by. With a product offering that spans 6 model families we can find a Ducati that is right for you. Additionally, all 2007 Ducati’s now cost 50% less to maintain than previous years, which means the cost of owning and maintaining a Ducati is within reach of almost anyone. As the Ducati model range continues to expand so does its offering of clothing and accessories. Ducati makes some of the most functional and fashionable riding gear on the planet. Ducati also offer the opportunity to display your enthusiasm for the brand when you are off of your bike. Check out the full range of comfortable and fashionable Ducati clothing in the showroom at Great Bay Ducati. You will not believe how truly stylish the range of Ducati apparel is, and how good you will look and feel wearing a piece of it. So at Great Bay Ducati we have the bike that could change your year, and we want to be your Ducati dealer. Please plan to come by and check us out. If you are considering a new Ducati we promise you that we will do our absolute best to get you on one at the right price. All trade-ins are welcome. Stop by or call us toll free at 888 999 0996, and let us know how we can help get you on the Ducati of your dreams. Great Bay Ducati- We want to be your Ducati dealer!

On HELMETS and Safety Gear

First, if you don’t want to wear a helmet, don’t wear a helmet. If you don’t want to be exposed to a positive pro helmet opinion, please stop reading this, now. Also, please note this is not a pro helmet law piece. We believe in freedom of choice.
New Hampshire is a freedom of choice state. We love New Hampshire! Live Free or Die.
Disclosure: At Great Bay Motorcycles we sell and wear helmets. Most of us wear top of the line Arai helmets and we promote them in the shop, because we believe that the investment in a quality helmet is worth the entry fee.
The Great Bay position on helmets is, wear one.
Wear one every time you ride.
We are helmet advocates. We are helmet advocates through experience.
Most of us have heard the many reasons why helmets are dangerous and unnecessary. For example:
“Helmets are for people who are planning on crashing”
“Helmets weigh too much and cause fatigue”
“Helmets eliminate your ability to hear what is around you”
“Helmets block your peripheral vision”
“Helmets are too hot to wear most of the year”
Some people will embrace these tidbits of wisdom as a reason for not wearing a helmet when riding. That is fine.
But……really, what makes people go lidless? There are many reasons for sure, comfort among them, but some people don’t wear a helmet because it doesn’t look cool. No one looks good in a helmet, period. No one looks cool with a helmet on. No bad ass dudes will wave to you on your cruiser if you have a helmet on. Worse still, people might not recognize you.
Here is some basic reality. As motorcyclists we take risks. We can minimize the risks associated with riding in a variety of ways, and one way is to wear a lid when riding.
Have you ever watched a motorcycle race and seen a crash? If you haven’t, let’s review what happens most often. The rider either low sides or gets spit off the bike in a high side crash (ouch). Most will slide off of the track and get up and run over to their bikes to attempt to resume the race. Why are they able to do this? Because of protective gear, and a critical component of their protective gear is the helmet.
Picture yourself sitting on an old bicycle in a parking lot. Now imagine that you fall over while sitting still, and when you fall you can’t put your hands out to break (probably literally) your fall. The pavement is a pretty hard surface, and falling without any forward motion will sometimes still scrape you up.
Next imagine riding that bike at 10mph and falling over, again, unable to use your hands or arms to alter your crash. This time you would probably have some significant abrasions on your head and face, and maybe even a concussion. This attempt to illustrate the high stakes of a simple fall is drawn at far below the speeds at which we ride.
Several years ago a Great Bay employee with a significant amount of riding experience crashed a Sprint S/T. It was an operator error accident. Brand new bike, brand new tires, cold pavement, too much throttle, and one high side crash later, the employee walked back to the shop. Why didn’t the face plant send him to the hospital or the grave? Smacking a nose and chin on the pavement at 25 mph could be fatal or at the very least disfiguring, but because he had a helmet on his head was unscathed. The helmet saved him. Period.
As riding enthusiasts and ambassadors of the sport, we want all riders to have safe riding experiences. We feel it is our basic duty to promote safe riding, and therefore, we promote wearing helmets.
We sell a variety of helmets including KBC, ZR1, and Arai. We have found the Arai helmets to be worth the cost because of superior features when compared to all other helmets. With Arai helmets you get optically correct visors, fabulous venting, super comfortable liners, and the ability to custom fit the helmet for your head shape. If you are interested in feeling the difference, stop in and we can help fit you into the right helmet.
Once you begin to wear a properly fit, quality helmet you will appreciate all that they offer. They are aerodynamic and much quieter than riding without one, especially at speed. In the cool weather they help keep your head warm, and in the warm weather they have venting to pass cool air over your head and draw out any perspiration. They protect your skin from the rigors of the road, and the face shields keep bugs and debris from implanting itself in your face. These attributes are, of course, minor when compared to the ultimate benefit of a helmet, protecting your valuable head.
If you are considering a new helmet please stop in and let us custom fit one for you. We are happy to help you in anyway we can, and we want every ride that you take to be safe and successful.