Just changed the rear tyre and bloody hell how heavy are the wheels. Not sure if sprocket carrier has something to do with it but they are at least twice the weight of my honda 600rr wheels.
These are just cast ones. Obviously bike rides mint but supposed to be a premium product with the price to go with it so should come with premium parts.
Thats the price you pay for cheaper-end Ducati: heavy cast wheels, lower standard suspension, less toys
600 supersports come with much lighter wheels for under 10k so i wouldn't say the 959 is a budget bike.
For Ducati it is, its how they make their money. The 1299 wheels I bet are cast too, and with the S and the 3-5k you pay more you get ohlins and forged wheels. Not saying its right, just thats how it is. With the 959 there simply is no S: so start improving with wheels and suspension and you get clot to a base 1299 price.
I imagine a good set of wheels would be a noticeable improvement. Maybe someone on here has already bought a set.
The wheels on my old 899 weighed a blimmin tonne I guess that's where Ducati saved the pennies on the bike I don't think it detracts from the way it handles though too much, or certainly not on the road anyway
Jumping from the 959 to a 1299 s the first thing you notice is how easy it is to turn. I'm not talking going round a corner, but that resistance you get when you countersteer from the gyroscopic effect. There is real resistance on the 959 from the weight of the wheel, and a back to back comparison makes the 1299s feel like there is no resistance at all (I'm sure there is, but when you try the same input on the 1299s you were giving for the 959, it moves too easily).
I put some Dymag UPX7s on mine and it's by far the best mod (and most expensive) that I've done. The bike turns so easily and pulling away feels like much less effort
Just gone from the stockers on my z1000 to marchesini's - been riding the z for 2 years on the stockers and wow - what a difference - by the time i got to the bottom of the road the initial feeling was that id been riding with a steering damper on (the steering was that light) once i was moving....accelerates faster, tips in quicker....expensive but well worth the money!
putting light weight wheels on a bike is the best mod you can make, but yes as pointed out its also one of the most expensive.
Not to disagree with the notion that light weight wheels significantly alter the bikes performance, but for side to side transition there's a lot to be said about the tyre profile and pressures as well. Between brands of equal sizes (180/60, 190/55 etc) you'll notice a fairly obvious difference between the tyre curves / profiles between them. It's not going to change the gyroscopic effect, but if you like the feeling of quicker tip in on corners the tyres definitely help. Personally I've always found pirelli to have a flatter curve, probably helps stability but I find them slower to lean over Dunlop and I 'think' Michelin tend to be pointy and thus quicker. I'm not 100% but I'm pretty sure that Metzeler are also a bit more pointy, even though owned by pirelli Could be wrong though
