In 04 I bought a 749Mono. I didn’t like the 05 “facelift” at all. That’s what happens when you let focus groups loose on your design. A bit like when Maserati dropped the pencil thin tail lights from coupe to use a boring standard layout instead. So for me the bikes to have are all the 04 models. the 749S got a peppier engine in 04 and from 05 on wards the 749R lost the Carbon fibre bodywork. IMHO the swing arm change is just aesthetics. I liked the cast swing arm but then I like castings as a method of manufacturing. today, I have an 04 749R and while it is a much better bike than my previous 749 the benefits come from the wheels and suspension more than the swing arm. Having said that, my yellow 749 mono was great on track and I thoroughly enjoyed owning it. the 916? Ducati took a formula from Honda and made it look better. It wasn’t that radical, whereas the 749/999 was Honda already had Single sided swing arm Side by side headlamps Twin air intakes under the headlamps Underseat exhausts on the NR750 in 1992
In 2003, the 749 and 749S had the same engine. Some people complained, so the 749S got a different cam profile to take it to 108rwBHP. All that happened in 2005 was Ducati changed from publishing rwbhp to crank BHP to bring into line with how the Japanese factories were quoting engine power. There was no incentive for Ducati to be tuning that motor as it had next to nothing in common with the 749R motor, which was a true 749cc, whereas the 749/749S were 748cc
I've always loved mine, had it from new, didn't mean to buy it, went to get a new solenoid for my monster and came out with this. On yer bike had it in their window, I love them in a race rep, the plain ones never did it for me, still terrific bikes. I can remember riding it home thinking had I done the right thing, that didn't last long. I keep thinking I'll sell it, until I ride it and fall in love all over again, marmite? I love it
I thought the 999 was a complete redesign, before that they were versions of the previous model. I can remember reading how many changes they made from previous models, was it 140?
It would also be interesting to see what changes may have been made, for example, from a pre-production model to what went into full production - if such a unicorn-type thing existed, of course!
Someone else said it earlier, in race trim & colours it looks good but in the way it was sold & the way most people bought it, it’s odd. The fairing is not clean, which you expect a Ducati to be. It always reminded me of a boy racer adding spoilers & vents to a Corsa. The large single dial looks odd, the beauty of the single sided swing arm (which came straight back on the 1098) is lost & the thin slab sided appearance of the engine makes it look underpowered imo. The tail is also too high. Having said all that & having probably offended quite a few of the good guys in here, for me but it’s a bit like when Chris Bangle got his hands on the 5 series-Almost everyone hated it at first but it’s ageing well, particularly the better looking models.
^ The 916 and 1x98 have more silly vents than 999. Just saying... The asymmetric "beauty" of a single-sided swingarm is lost on me. They are less stiff, heavier, require ludacris axle nut torques and have a chain tension adjustment system which affects the chassis geometry. The one and only advantage over a conventional swingarm is the imaginary "easier to change the wheel" yabba dabba which is already negated by the silly torque on the axle nut. Not to mention someone has to sit on the rear brake to even torque the nut... And yes, I'm offended
here you go fella see the table for Testastretta and note below it in this link http://www.bikeboy.org/duccamspec.html 2003 749S engine spec here https://www.totalmotorcycle.com/motorcyclespecshandbook/ducati/2003-ducati-749S 2004 749S engine power output 110 hp https://www.motorcycle.com/specs/ducati/sport/2004/749/s/detail.html
Definitely not-Need all the ventilation you can get there, I’ve fried two different rectifiers already!
749 2003 vs. 749S 2003 crank 14621011A vs. 14621071A piston 12221102A vs. 12221151A cams 14821661A, 14821681A, 14821651A, 14821671A vs. 14821921A, 14821901A, 14821931A, 14821911A
@final_edition A bit, but the side fairing already has a huge exit vent for the radiator unlike 999 which exhausts from the trailing edge of the fairing
