What with that lack of real man power? :wink: Do wonder whats next, cant imagine no middleweight sports bike in the range.
I was reading of someone on a US Ducati forum and he is a big Ducati dealer. He 'reckons' that it is a definite yes for the 848 replacement. Mind you he could be full of crap but he says he was proven right with other models that were only rumoured. Milan/Munich/NEC launch anyone ??
If there is one, it will be a Milan launch in November as always. However... Remember when we got the new Multistrada? We saw spy shots on the internet. Remember when we got the new Diavel? We saw spy shots on the internet. Remember when we got the new Panigale? We saw spy shots on the internet. Remember when we got the new Hypermotard? We saw spy shots on the internet. er... haven't seen anything about a smaller 1199 yet...
Agree I reckon it will be a bypass model ie no Panigale copy, either brand new model or no middleweight
Ah but if they were building one looking like the 1199 how would we know they had not been testing it? They would not need the duck tape on it would they, cos thats always a discreet way of testing new bikes. No one ever notices! Not that I could afford one, but looking forward to Milan again this year....
Something else worth bearing in mind when you are considering smaller machines: Ducati are not keen on them (a Ducati exec told me personally - a few years ago, they were going to abandon all entry-level Ducatis, which they then didn't. A step too far.) The reason is simply profit margin. You have to sell the smaller bike considerably cheaper for it to make sense, but it costs pretty much the same to make. Same frame, wheels, engine (near as dammit) and running gear. Sure you can make a couple of cost-saving tweaks here and there, but that doesn't add up to much. A baby Panigale will cost much the same to make a big Panigale, in the same way as the 848 must cost the same to make as an 1198. It only makes commercial sense if you open up a new market, i.e. seduce consumers who would have bought a different marque if you didn't have that offering. I am sure that plenty of 748s were sold to people who couldn't afford a 916, suspect the same with the 749 vs 999. But the 848 isn't exactly cheap, or an entry level Ducati. If it hadn't existed, would people have just bought an 1198, or gone to a different brand? Who knows? Ducati are also torn between attracting new consumers to their brand with smaller, cheaper offerings, and preserving the mystique of the marque which means it is a goal for many, by only building relatively expensive large capacity bikes. For a fairly non-robotised company, they can't afford to change strategy and produce in large volume. If Aston Martin made affordable baby Astons, they'd torpedo their kudos. Suddenly you'd see them everywhere and the expensive ones would lose their lustre. Not many entry-level Ferraris about.
This is the dilemma all "prestigious" brands have, whatever the market sector/product. They all want to increase volumes and market share which can only be done through keener pricing to appeal to the masses, but then they also want to maintain exclusivity and their prestigiousness to maintain/increase margin. Can't be done. Fact.
I thought about that when replying. And even Apple have brought their prices down in real terms over the years. They've had to to compete with like for like products. Thats why they have to to innovate so regularly. Innovations can demand premium prices.
They are going to need bigger side panels if they update it again.... 848 ducati evo corse special edition limited edition.....any other names ive forgot?
Perhaps VW plan for Ducati to become highly robotised. Then they could increase production volumes while reducing unit cost a lot and improving quality. And if anybody knows how to do exactly that it's VW.
The day everyone and his dog has one is the day I switch brands. Unless they cost half the money (they won't). They'd be like BMW cars then - quality but ubiquitous. Who wants to be a sheep?
