Because after the 998 in 2003 the press release pics of the 999 in motorcycle press was a fucking shocker to say the least.I thought it was some kind of bad joke at first. Later ones look better and much better in race paint scheme hense I fell in love with the 06 999R Xerox bikes and wanted one ever since. Cant help thinking if designer hadn't jumped ship 999 would have looked like the MV Agusta F4 and sales would have been much better.
well, according to this article, (if first year sales figures are the measure) the 999 wasn't a sales failure at all....... How the Ducati Superbike 999 Wasn’t a Sales Flop & Other Ducati Superbike Sales Statistics
I never understood the dislike of them. From the moment they came out I just knew that I would buy one. I've never thought that about any of the 916 types - the 749/999 just does it for me.
I've been lucky enough to order my 1199, but my 999 will always be with me, remember beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
It's good to see people are now beginning to appreciate them, I always thought if I was only allowed to keep one bike from my collection it would be my 998s Final Edition but now I would always struggle to let the 999s go and I also have a 1098s, MV F4 312RR , R1 4XV model and a few other little toys but never underestimate the 999s . I still rate them very very highly and I for one also hated them when they first appeared, just proves that love can grow.
When I got my 851, I knew it was special. It looked gorgeous, it was rare and it was an exceptional machine. 5 years later, and I got my 916. It was tiny compared to the 851, much more focused but considerably quicker and the handling was a whole step up. The design was also very avant-garde. In some ways, it wasn't as special as the 851, because they became so much more common - less exclusive. When it was time to change again (and only because the 916 seemed a little breathless at the track compared to the 999, and because I had stuck it in the gravel trap), I got to a 999 via a 749. You will remember that the Ducati slogan for the new range was Redvolution. And that is sort of what you got. The 999 had no additional wow factor, really. But it was more comfortable, the brakes were better, the engine stronger. Can't say I found a huge difference with the handling (which on the 916 was already excellent). I didn't feel that it was aesthetically challenged, but getting a bike of this series was nowhere near as special as getting my 851 or 916. When I looked at it next to a 916 though, it just looked considerably smaller and, well, more "modern". I like my 999 Bip a lot, but I would agree that the swing arm, even though I have the later one, is not a thing of beauty (and the earlier ones are even less beautiful). But the front end of the bike is nice enough. The 1098 series is just the same design language as the 916 used to express a different sentence. For me it has no more wow than the 999. And the Panigale may be very radical, but aesthetically, it doesn't really do anything for me that the 999 or 1098 doesn't already do. My 999 is now 8 years old, but I don't think it has dated in any way from a visual point of view.
I must admit that I always preferred the 999 when it came out. It just seemed like time to move on to me. I think it wasn't well received because people weren't ready for that level of styling departure (where have we heard that before - multistrada, sport classics etc.). You have to remember that the top/exotic end of the market is often the most conservative. They were ready for the 916 as many of the styling cues had been seen before on the NR750 and others, although obviously massively tidied up on the 916. It was time to move on though as it was too hard to tell the difference between a 998 and an R1/CBR600/etc. once the Jap bikes had all gone to narrow horizontal lights and plainer paint jobs. Also the press hit the 999 once some of the public starting voicing displeasure with the styling. Read an early article and it's a good bike but later on it became ugly - did it really change that much? The press influence is massive in the UK (a Honda dealer once told me that they couldn't sell Hornet 900s when they were new and getting press reviews, but once discontinued they could sell every one they got at top money!). I can see what Gliddofglood is getting at with his 851 comparison but my reasoning is different. I love the styling of the 851/888 as they look "function over form" and I can see this in the 999, which I like. For me the 916 is just a bit too pretty, a bit too "styled" and a bit too effeminate. The 916 is 100% prettier than an 851 or 999, but do I want a bike that looks pretty or purposeful? Oh, and Victoria Beckham is grim, looks too much like Marilyn Manson for my tastes....... As said before, beauty is subjective but that's my view.
Interesting point Stang. There are many different types of visually appealing bike. I love my 848 because I think its pretty. Whilst I admire the Pani for its design it just doesn't look pretty....a bit like the Honda Fireblade from 2008. Great looking as a design (IMHO) but I wouldn't call it attractive. The same goes for my 05 Speed Triple. Bloody love that bike but its certainly not pretty! More handsome....you can read what you like into that :Nailbiting:
