I was at a bar tonight and two people tried to tell me that pretty much Ducati's are god's gift to the world. What is up with people's obsessions with Ducati?
Location: Chesapeake, VA '06 ZZR fighter, 05 VTX-1300
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Makes them feel fancy having an Italian motorcycle. They can't afford an Italian sports car, so a motorcycle does it for them. Ducati's are nice and all, but they're not the best thing out there, especially not for the price. I still much prefer inline 4's and reliable Japanese bikes. Ducati's can be pretty maintenance heavy.
And the dry clutch makes me want to blow my brains out.
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And the dry clutch makes me want to blow my brains out.
Agreed. Thank God for the 1199.
The way I look at it .. I wouldn't mind a 1098 or 1198 for a track bike (If I had that much money to blow on a track bike) but their 848, 1098, and 1198 are way too extreme of a riding position for me to even think about ever having one for the street.
I don't mind the Monster 1100 EVO, but for the price and what you get, there is just so many more naked options out there I'd take over it.
Really, the 1199 Panigale is the game changer for me. Such a sexy bike, more user-friendly when it comes to comfort, and is just a beast. (With a wet clutch)
The maintenance argument is a holdover from the 851/916 days. They started to improve on that with the 749/999 and all but got it on par with the 848/1098, so anyone who plays the reliability card is still using 1990s information (but yes, at that time it was quite legit).
The reason people like them has never been rational, because on the spec chart Japanese bikes have always wiped the floor with them. It's kind of hard to look at a Ducati as a good choice when Japanese bikes are cheaper and faster, which makes them an issue of looks and exclusivity.
Other than the 749/999 generation, most people would see them as sexier than Japanese bikes, which isn't rational but subjective and borderline sexual. There is no arguing that they have a presence that Japanese bikes don't.
That's what made the BMW S1000RR so special though, it really was faster than Japanese bikes and it was only slightly more money. With the 1199 Panigale Ducati has made a great bike but IMO they have screwed up by making it so damn expensive. They had been making the 1098 at least closer to the 1000 price, but now that's gone again.
The part your missing out on is the feeling you get from riding them and how the bike makes you feel as a person..
As for performance, that is very subjective topic if you get down to it unless going straight is all you care about? (like most I4 lovers/JAP Bikes).
guess you have never watched world super stock? the 1098R with full system and some suspension tuning away from, from what 4 out of the last 5 years championships? only BMW won the other year.
I am not saying they are Gods gift to the world but they do make you feel noticbly more special than owning the disposable japanese bikes.
We could go into the whole european, japanese car comparison (there is none),,, tell me a lamborghini murcielago would not make you feel more special than an NSX or GTR?
I will say my 1098 and especially my 675 get a bt more love and LUST looks than my kawi's...and japan has not produced a good looking bike in quite some time.
1. The part your missing out on is the feeling you get from riding them and how the bike makes you feel as a person..
2. ...guess you have never watched world super stock? the 1098R with full system and some suspension tuning away from, from what 4 out of the last 5 years championships? only BMW won the other year.
1. Completely agree with you. Bang on.
2. You can't use one one league as proof as representative of a bike's success because even though it's super "stock", it's not really stock, and you can buy better riders than another team. I could just as easily use MotoGP as an example of a Ducati that can't consistently win even with Valentino Rossi riding it. In fact, neither Rossi nor Hayden were able to get a single win or second all last year.
Your comments about how it makes the rider feel are exactly right though. I tried to call it "presence" but your explanation is better. It's the same reason I'm thinking about trading in my ZX10 for an 848 even though my bike is arguably better in ever single category...because I love how it looks and I would love to have it. It's like the guy who has the perfect wife and cheats on her anyway because the other girl plays the dirty card.
You are right, I don't care who you are, you would feel bad ass riding this beside dime-a-dozen Japanese bikes:
2. You can't use one one league as proof as representative of a bike's success because even though it's super "stock", it's not really stock, and you can buy better riders than another team. I could just as easily use MotoGP as an example of a Ducati that can't consistently win even with Valentino Rossi riding it. In fact, neither Rossi nor Hayden were able to get a single win or second all last year.
When it comes to comparing bikes on a racing level, Superstock is as good as it gets and JD's point is valid.
It's nothing like using MotoGP as an example. Other than club racing, superstock championships are the closest to off the floor production bikes you will find, which is why BMW was able to win there but still can't win in WSBK no matter how much money they've thrown at the program in 4 years.
Anything else is pretty irrelevant when it comes to comparing production bikes and any racing results to make a point should always be taken with a grain of salt but using superstock is the most valid of any, maybe even more than club racing since people club race what's cheap, what they already have anyway, has cheap accessible parts, and contingency programs.
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Originally Posted by Valentino Rossi
If you don't hang your balls out there and just do it, you'll never know what might have happened.
I did not say that super stock wasn't close to stock (and I agree that it's pretty much as close as you can get).
However, that is a tangent getting away from the main point of performance/dollar value.
Most people don't care if a 1098R in the hands of a pro racer can run a lap slightly faster than a Japanese literbike if the thing costs twice as much. A Desmodici is also stock and I don't care if it can run circles around my bike, either.
The argument isn't about super stock, it's about Ducati not being able to touch Japanese bikes for even remotely close to the same money. I applaud BMW for making the SRR faster but only slightly more expensive, and even though I like Ducati I hope their 1199 crashes and burns sales-wise for being so much money.
The argument isn't about super stock, it's about Ducati not being able to touch Japanese bikes for even remotely close to the same money. I applaud BMW for making the SRR faster but only slightly more expensive, and even though I like Ducati I hope their 1199 crashes and burns sales-wise for being so much money.
Well the 1199 won't bomb and i feel the tri-colore is inline with the technology and performance it has, 2012 bike of the year and 2012 World Superstock champion without a doubt. As mentioned there is nothing as close as Super Stock... exhaust, tuning and mild suspension changes.
Here is a few things i think of taken from some comments i completely agree with.
I4's.. Compared to the likes of a Ducati 1098/1198, triumph 675 & aprilia RSV4.
It's just an inline 4-it does this it does that.. its like a tool, use it and put it away
The 3 euro bikes are on a journey with me, they entertain me, excite me
I4's are a bit forgettable, ride them, get off, that was good where is my NON I4?
Just a preference thing, and the whole cost thing is BS... If you cant afford one don't hate save some money and make it happen, not make excuses about it being more than the disposable rides.
If anyone has to argue about the japanese disposable bikes... well beside a RC45, RC30, R7 is there anymore? Though seeing a 90 zx7r or 1987 VFR750 interceptor is always a nice one, or even a 1986 CBR1000 hurricane.
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