I tend to ride my 848 to work from time to time, and I have to agree, there are times when I feel that I'm wasting its mileage. The bike BEGS for some WOT and some twisties. Before I modded the stock exhaust, I felt like my butt was on FIRE every time I rode the darn thing, but now its quite liveable and not much worse than the GSX-R600 I used to ride. The ergos from the waist down fit me quite well, while the handlebars are certainly quite low for commuting and can get the best of you.
With all that said, I love the damn thing. I stare at it every time I go in my garage, when I wash it, etc. When I take it out, I get onlookers everywhere. My wife takes it out and every couple of lights someone asks or makes a comment to her. Its absolutely an attention getter.
To me, a Ducati is a good way to express the love you have for riding. For the money you spend in that expression, you are rewarded with a bike that handles very well and has a great power delivery. I personally to not regret my purchase one bit except that I sometimes wish I would have just gotten the 1098 instead.
