Had this conversation with a dealer this afternoon. Apparently Multis are far and away the best sellers Then Hypermotards/stradas. The Diavels Finally Panis and 848s. Doesn't bode well for any future sportsbikes development does it?
Its not just Ducatis, sportsbikes are not selling well for any manufacturer at the moment. its my opinion that they are getting too fast and track focused to be enjoyable on the road, i love caning a sportsbike on the track but if you have to be over a ton on the road just to get the bike working properly its a recipe for disaster imo.
I believe this has been the case for quite a while now. Every new generation of sports bikes is expected to be faster and lighter than the previous one which makes them a bit ridiculous for road riding. This is the main reason why I'm selling my 1098 - I love it but I feel all the time like I'm not even scratching the surface of its capabilities.
Makes you wonder at what point designing, developing and building sportsbikes becomes uneconomic even for the likes of Ducati.
In the rest of Europe sports bike have been way down the pecking order for years. Nakeds and Adventure bikes rule in the rest of Europe.
You could probably say the same for any manufacturer... Say for example KTM, the RC8 is a token gesture really but they sell off road bikes by the bucket full, then the SM variants to the superduke.
It's probably not very economical but important for the brand image. As far as I'm aware most top of the range luxurious or sports cars are barely (if at all) economically viable. An extreme example was Bugatti Veyron - even with a price tag around £1m it was still being sold at a loss... and a pretty big one if I remember correctly. Plus road going sports bikes derivate from SBK race machines... as long as Ducati wants to race they'll continue making road going sports bikes regardless of them being economic or not... and thank god for that :smile:
thing is with a brand like ducati that has built its heritage in 'the crucible of motorsport', they have to produce sportsbike to maintain credibility..even if they end up being beyond reach of all but the wealthy people. take ferrari as an example. they now build grand tourers but they are and always will be a racing company..the day they stop, then its all over. other makes such as MV are harking back to the days when they used to compete and trading on its history.
Haa nice troll comment. I believe the monster is the true bread and butter bike. Nice try though... :wink:
Wasn't meant as a trolling comment. When was the last time you went into a car dealership and saw the base model of the cheapest car the marque produces? Even when displaying cheap models the dealer will always display the model with all the whistles and bells on. It's aspirational and pulls on the customer to try and upgrade. Simple marketing, that's all.
I guess superbikes make as much sense as supercars these days. I mean it makes as much sense buying a superbike as your only bike as it does buying a supercar as your only car. However.. there are ways around this: 1. Buy an avg car and a superbike 2. Buy a supercar and a naked/tourer bike 3. Buy a superbike and a naked/tourer bike 4. Buy regular car, a supercar, a naked/tourer bike and a superbike If none of the above fit the bill for you.. (ie. lack of funds.. etc.. ).. then just buy whatever makes you smile the most.. as.. in the end.. that's what's all about. Me.. I went for the best compromise I can think of.. I went for a Streetfighter 848. A superbike in disguise
Gotta say every time I've been out and about round Cumbria in the last few week I've spotted multistradas on the road every time they must be making a killing stealing sales off BMW
Has it not occurred to anyone that the average age of Ducati buyers means the arthritic old bastards can't reach the bars on a Panigale...
Haha I think it's just the average age of bikers regardless of brand. Not surprised nobody wants to get on a bike from a young age with new license laws. Not long till the average age of the ducati owner is 80 or dead lol
