In Classic Scooterist Scene, edition 73, we introduced readers to ultra-long distance rider Red, who related his experiences of his first 1,000 miles riding the Scomadi TL250. He picks up his tale from that point . . .

Since my last report I’ve covered approximately another 1700 miles, including riding to Stirling to take part in Highland Scoot 2010. I was impressed with the handling, both on motorways and the 170 mile rideout that we did on the Saturday (some of those roads could be classed as farm tracks which included long, steep inclines). The auto made good everything that the Scottish roads and weather could throw at it, but the seat is still too hard! I’m just pleased I decided against wearing the kilt for the rideout! It performed well and sat around 70mph plus easily on the run home from Stirling on the Monday (Stirling to Ferrybridge Services in under 4½ hours, including fuel breaks, etc). It returned a fuel consumption of approx 55mpg throughout the weekend.

I’ve been in touch with Paul and Frank of Scomadi regarding some small issues mentioned in my previous report. I can now use authorised Piaggio dealers for Scomadi servicing, which is a great help as it saves a lot of hassle finding the time to take it to Lancashire for every service and because service intervals are every 3,000 miles – the 6k, 12k and so on, are major services and the intermediate ones are just the minor servicing (fluid levels, brake wear, rollers etc). I’ll still take it over to Paul at least once a year for him to have a look over it, especially as I expect to do in the excess of 15,000 miles a year. I’ve received an Excel spreadsheet with service intervals on, but still nothing official though! Paul sent a link for a workshop manual for the Piaggio X9 as you don’t get anything when you buy it – the problem is that it’s 262 pages, so it’s a lot to trawl through when looking for some info! (I’d still rather have some official paperwork). Also there’s still no mention of a service book that can be stamped at each service, or any warranty paperwork. (I’m going to get my daughter to make me a service book, just to make it easier for me). I’m going to use Ron Daley of Barnsley as he’s been recommended to me by Paul. I’ll let you know how I get on in the next report.

I know what you're thinking: How much different could a Ducati be from a Honda? But I've got to tell you, last year's Desmosedici, the GP9, was completely different from anything I'd ever ridden, as far as the feeling I got from the bike and trying to find its limits on the racetrack.

Now, however, having ridden the new GP10, I can honestly say that I'm really starting to enjoy this bike.

I won't lie: Last year was tough. We made a change within the team after just three or four races because, as a team, we were going nowhere. We weren't communicating well. The guys were good, hard workers—sharp engineers. But they weren't my people. We brought in Juan Martinez as my crew chief, and he got everything calmed down. Juan has a lot of experience and he's a leader; that's one of his strong points. Now, I feel a lot more at home.

I've never doubted my skills. If you doubt yourself and stop believing, then you're never going to get out of that hole—you're done. Sure, it wasn't fun at times last year. I wasn't doing a good-enough job. But I never thought, "Wow, I'm not going to be able to do this."

I could see my teammate, Casey Stoner, doing it correctly. Yeah, he's the only guy in the world who's ever been able to really ride that bike. But I knew we could do it. When I would overlay my data with Casey's, there were always places on the track, certain sections, where I was just as quick. But there were always one or two places where I really struggled, where I couldn't find the answers, and I would lose a second or a second and a half per lap.

Last year, I had a lot of bad luck. At Qatar, in the first qualifying session of the first race of the year, I had a big crash. Then we went to Japan and I got taken out in the first lap. Misano, in Italy, was probably my worst race, as far as a letdown. Sitting on the grid, I was the most excited that I'd been all year. I was finally enjoying riding the bike and working with the team. As far as outright speed, that was the fastest, the closest to the front, that I had been all season. I even passed Jorge Lorenzo in the pre-race warm-up. Then, bam! At Phillip Island, a track I'd waited all season for, I got knocked off in the first corner. Man, I know it sounds like an excuse, but when you get taken out on the first lap on three different occasions…

Indy certainly was the highlight of my season. It was my home Grand Prix and my only podium of the year. That saved my job. Ducati saw progress and seemed to want me back, and I wanted to be there. Also, Lorenzo didn't come to Ducati; he re-signed with Yamaha. I had a couple of other good options going, but I didn't want to give up. That's not my style. I'm committed to making it work, to be able to say I could ride a Ducati.

Casey and I rode the prototype for this year's bike—the GP10—in Valencia, Spain, after the last round of the 2009 season. So the first test of the year this past February in Sepang, Malaysia, wasn't my first time on the bike. I would have liked to have been faster—I ended up eighth-quickest—but I was able to get up to speed quicker than in the past and was more consistent.

I get caught up in lap times just like anybody else. But, really, there's a lot more going on—who's doing those laps with a tow, who's got the fuel turned up, who's running what tire and who's banging out laps at 2 o'clock in the afternoon on used tires when the temperature is in the triple digits.

The big thing for everybody this year is the engine rule change: six engines for 18 races? That's crazy. Even Red Bull Rookies Cup kids go through more engines than that. It's going to be a big, big test for the engineers and manufacturers.

Ducati's new engine—specifically, the big-bang firing order—is our biggest deal. I like this engine. The torque off the bottom, the way it puts the power down, is certainly smoother, more controllable, and the bike is more rideable; it's easier to find the limit.

There's not a big difference with the first touch of the throttle. From about 10 to 60 percent throttle, coming off corners, that's where it's smoother. Now, it's easier to control wheelies with the throttle. Once the wheel comes up, you can just knock back the throttle a little bit and ride it out. We haven't really lost any top speed, either; at the first test in Malaysia, I was fastest in the rain.