Hi, I am a product design student studying the Brand ducati and i have been trying to get reviews on ducati motorcycles vs other brands such as Suzuki, Honda, Kawasaki etc. All the views on the internet are very generic, and i want to hear the opinion and views of people who have had first hand experience of what it feels like to ride one. So my question is: In your eyes, why are ducati motorcycles better and above other leading brands?? Please go into detail!! Thanks!
Good design supported by excellent aspirational marketing. Do they ride better than other bikes? Not necessarily. See my quick review below (from another thread) on my 848 Evo Corse which I bought 10 weeks ago: I had decided a few years ago that I'd like a Ducati (must be the Italian in me) but I'd had a bad experience trying to buy a new 1098 when they first came out and so went into a sulk with them for about five years. But I still had a Ducati itch that needed scratching, and when the 848 Evo Corse came up I couldn't ignore the itch any longer. I went from a R1 crossplane crank to the 848 Evo Corse and noticed several things immediately. Firstly, on the ride back home from the dealers, I noticed how the riding position was more focused than any JIL4 I'd had (including the R1, GSXR1000, ZX10R and Blade I'd had in recent years). They were like armchairs in comparison. The 848 Evo Corse was proper head down, arse up and subsequently put a lot of strain on my wrists. I really did wonder what the hell I'd done in p/x'ing the R1 for the Duc. And I couldn't say anything to the wife cos she'd have killed me so I had to suffer in peace. It took me three weeks of solid riding to get used to the riding position and now my wrists don't ache at all. Phew! Secondly, the ride was a lot harder and stiffer than I'd been used to so I felt every bump in the road. But that's good feedback isn't it :wink: Thirdly, compared to an IL4, it also rattled like a bastard whilst I was running it in. This also made me think I'd done the wrong thing. But after the first service when I could start to give it beans this just disappeared. You work out what the revs should be and off you go. It's no longer a problem to me now. Fourthly, going from years of riding an IL4 1000cc where you can ride everywhere in third, at any speed, I was finding with the 848 that it was like riding an IL4 600. You have to use the gears a lot more. But that made the ride more involving and you have to think a bit more. And I like that. Fifthly, I'd read and heard that riding a Ducati round bends/corners would be fantastic and it was like riding "on rails". I wasn't sure that I was that good a rider to be able to tell the difference. However I know exactly what they mean by that comment now. The bike is easy to flick over (prolly the back tyre size compared to today's thou's) and it is most definitely like riding on rails. The stability is fantastic and gives you increased confidence when taking corners/bends so that each time you do one you lean over a bit more each time. I was never a slouch on my IL4's but I love the feeling the 848 gives me going round corners. :smile: And last but by no means least, when the 848 Evo Corse is parked up somewhere everyone stops to look at it. It is a beautiful piece of machinery. And when I go back to the bike everyone wants to talk to me about it. That never happened when I had new JIL4's. And that's it really. In short it took a bit of getting used to at first but I love the ride now. And I can see why everyone gets excited by them Hope that helps :smile:
Ps You may hear the following terms when conducting your research: My bike has character = the bloody thing is a pig and keeps breaking down. Jap bikes are soulless = Jap bikes work well, never break down and do everything really well :biggrin:
The question as to whether one make of bike is 'better' than another is spurious really, and probably more aimed at 14 year old readers of MCN than grown up's. even bikes made by the same manufacturer can be totally different to each other in feel and quality. How a bike makes the rider feel is a very personal thing & different riders on the same bike can have opposing opinions on it. Personally, i don't own my bike because it says Ducati on the tank, i own it because it does what i want it to do, when i come to change it, if i find another bike of a different make that does the job better, then it will go.
Once you've gathered all the required info do you think you could let me know where to put my tax disc?
My personal take on it is that a very large proportion of purchases are made on the back of design. Something Ducati and Italians are very good at generally. If a bike looks superb but ride is just ok, it will sell but rarely does a fantastic riding minger sell well. That is something the Japanese don't always grasp and they make some superb but extremely ugly bikes that are fringe sellers at best. As to Ducati i can only speak for my own bike (848). It looks great which is a large part of my purchase and it is a twin which is a format i like in an engine. Out of the box i would say it isn't the best handling bike i've ridden or the slickest in terms of gearbox and engine etc. But it's involving to ride and takes a little tinkering and adjusting to make into a proper weapon. As a fettler by nature that in itself attracts me too it. I don't want to ride a sewing machine that is perfect but bland as a pleasure bike. As a commuter possibly but for leisure not. My conclusion would be that they know their niche is pretty bikes for the mature and mostly experienced rider. The Japanese are more focused on all round usability sometimes at the expense of visual appeal. It's horses for courses. If i were going to ride around europe for a year i would buy a BMW RG but to tinker with in the garage and put a smile on my face, the 848 ticks the boxes.
Absolutely agree its a design led thing with Ducati for me , which no matter how brilliant wouldent work without substance and soul. The Japanese dont have any soul, and their designs are culturally wrong in all automotive spheres to be considered anything but functional to Europeans. The same issues dosen't arise with functional items like TV's ,stereo and cameras to the same extent. Dont get me wrong the Japanese are brilliant engineers, but just can't seem to understand the European aesthetic.
Light, slender, quality build details, That is what attracted me to my 2000 750ssie. The exclusive aspect was also a big draw. Either you must have what I call "Acute Mechanical Awareness" or a good deal of disposable income to live happily with these bikes. (Rarely does one person have both these traits). Very similar to the question, "Why date Cindy Crawford" really.
If you're looking at this from an aesthetic viewpoint (being a design student) you've answered your own question? If you've got a bike licence you'll also understand. If you haven't - well ..........
Yes i suppose what i meant is being a ducati rider, what made you choose ducati as opposed to other bikes, and does the ducati bike that you currently own have any unique qualities that made you purchase it at the time. As from the research i have done so far, i know a lot about a bike is to do with the personal experience of riding it, but also how it looks.
Several people have covered the asthetics, so I won't go there again. They also sound like a proper big bike and very different to the JIL4s. And the torque from low revs makes them feel very different and gives you a permanent grin , particularly when you have just gone round a corner like it's on rails and opened the throttle :wink:. Actually, I said I wouldn't mention asthetics but....My feeling is that the use of 1, sometimes 2 colours is part of the attraction, this way the shapes and styles of the bikes are captured beautifully. Jap bikes seem to put so many zigs and zags of different colours on their bikes that you can't see the form properly (maybe intentional). Triumph have copied Ducati, ie the 675, great shape, 1 colour. Just my opinion.
what makes ducati so incomparable is the strong combo combination of killer looks ( = personal ) , tradition ( racing pedigree) , sensuality ( feel, sound) and some underdog quirkiness... this last aspect has changed the last 10 years but the notion that a company with a turnover that was smaller then the R&D budget of Honda and HRC, thougth up by some fag smoking engineers in a shed, could and still beats the living daylights out of it has a charm no other brand can match... There a many many many ultra good bikes out there... and still, see and hear any single one Duc roll by touches my senses as not one other bike or brand can... over more then 60 years, they have been able to set standards in any type of bike they have made... not only in SBK (from F1 to 1199) but also the Paso, Monster, Multi, diavel set standards other take some years to match... And not unlike Porsche, they have been able to develop a technology that is old... the Twin has been pushed to impossible levels... and it still works as hell! ... The low down grunt in driving is also very sensual... you don't have to make it squeel like a pig to have the experience... 2 to 6000 revs will do it all for ya... so you ride it intensely even at low speed.... nothing a nice as down shifting in a tunnel.... and the 916 is the only bike held by the MoMA in New York...
You will find ducati copied hondas vrf750 with the one colour.. My 1988 vfr750 was a lovely red instead of ducatis multi colours etc Then came the bordi era 1990 and the rest is history
Well I learnt to ride on a soul less ER500 didn't really inspire me I guess that's because I already had my gorgeous sexy Dizzy at home waiting My first experience of Ducati was pillion on a 900SS I just love retro and the square headlight and the sound So much so it inspired me to take my test and buy one. Well you know which bike is for you because you can feel it. When I sat on my 600SS I knew it was the one I wanted. It had to be red because that's the colour it should be. She handled well more than I was possibly capable of doing she chattered away to me on our adventures we rode sun/rain/ cold days. I never wanted to get off and put her away I would just nip one more lap of the roads and then wash and polish and put her away. She was my pride and joy and turned heads wherever we went Awww I miss her
When i went to Spain recently a friend did a lot of video of the trip. There were a few twins but only 1 duke (mine). He asked if we would all rev he bikes for the video and everyone said the duke just has a lovely sound. It's true, it just sounds business like wheras some twins just sound harsh and brutish or sanitised. Did the tunnel thing too. If anyone knows the sompel tunnel in the Pyrenees, it takes 20 mins to get through blipping all the way. Rev tastic noise !
