I guess that’s it then ... everything for me that makes a Ducati a Ducati and different from all the other bikes you can buy ... The trellis frame ... gone The dry clutch ... gone The characteristic entry and mid-corner handling ... gone The Desmodromics ... gone ... and worst of all it seems it only warrants a few comments on here. Call me a Luddite old fart, but unless I’m missing something, that is truly very sad :-(
Well said sir, ever since the showrooms were ‘encouraged’ to update their interiors to Ducati spec for an absolute fortune, and if you didn’t you lost the dealership. Start of the slippery slope where the mechanics don’t know what’s up with your bike from your description of symptoms but have to plug it into a computer for an answer.
Ferrari now do a hybrid full of electronic bollocks, WTF is going on with people on this planet, Enzo will be spinning in the grave I may be a luddite but I agree the new Ducati's are keeping up with the Jones' at the danger of becoming clones, I hope I'm wrong
Over priced product with low quality fasteners. That will never change The other thing they always had was race bred base. That stopped at the 1098 ear, or at least started to. How ling does it take to get a shock or even engine out of the pre-1098 bikes? And how long does it take just to remove bodywork and put it back now on a panigale!! I always loved they were race bikes made to fit the road, where everyone else was the opposite. Not I think Ducati are the same....Road bikes converted to race bikes. Even the special ones
Just out of interest - what do you risk losing from the engine characteristic if you give up the desmo system? Torque/bhp curves / sound or what?
Did the sales of the Porsche 911 fall off a cliff when they went from air cooled to water cooled ? Did their customer base significantly change away from the drivers who thought the automotive world had come to an end ? Of course not. Make the most of what there is out there now folks because the future isn’t internal combustion and that depresses me more than Ducati fitting conventional springs to the Multistrada’s valve train. Andy
If this tech was all that - how come nobody (or very few) used it. To my mind this is Ducati growing up, they clung to this tech peddled it as a USP. This looks like the owners pushing things too. It has been a while since I went but another big change would be to build the bikes on the production line in a post 1970's way too. The thing I would miss is the V-twin
Ducati is Desmo, Desmo is Ducati, period. But not necessarily, don’t forget, Ducati were slated for introducing the Multistrada, but it has become a unique class where other manufacturers have fallen over themselves to get a foothold. Personally, I think that Ducati will keep the Desmo system on their high-end sports bikes, it is their USP, but the Desmo system will put off many potential owners and Ducati can’t afford to remain in a niche market. Yes, Desmo makes Ducatis unique, but Ducati have build many other bikes with utilising the Desmo system and generally, they were none the worse for it. I think Ducati have pulled off another coupe with this motor. There were lots of numbers touted for stupid horsepower figures but Ducati have neatly side-stepped this having more than enough horsepower for a road bike while giving us what we really need, a nice torquey, useable motor that is lighter and more compact than the trademark “L” twin while having a unique ”V” configuration. Well done Ducati!
I'm afraid I succumbed having a perceived requirement for 4WD living in the Northern sticks (although I actually prefer the challenge of 2WD sur la niege), I first had a hi-lux, then a SWB landcruiser and a jeep cherokee (all dirty diesel of course) financial constraints have since found me owning a rav4, couple of lexii RX's and a kia Spurtage - I would much rather have a panda 4x4 or subaru justy but our committee won't allow such practical shit boxes, maybe in a few years sans kids - I live in hope
It’s evolution but revolution. It’s like when I bought my 748. I joined the Sporting Club as DOC was full of crusty old guys who were only interested in flat caps and oil leaks. I think many of us have become those crusty old fellas
