But that's what they do, that's Ducati. Ducati is a relative minnow in manufacturing terms, it's churlish to expect them to create a race winner every time around. They're racing against the might of Japan and their multi-million pound R&D budgets (although obviously that's all to cock at the moment), and hamstringing themselves with a basic design that is far from optimal for racing use. It's like BMW entering superbikes with a boxer engine...
I've just checked, in 2012 Honda sold 15.6m motorcycles, Ducati 42,000. Just being in MotoGP as a manufacturer is a huge achievement.
I'm not touchy. I respect all points of view - at least as regards bikes... People buy bikes for hugely different reasons and that's all good. God knows it would be tedious if we all had the same viewpoint.
A bit harsh, Phil. What shit are they continuously doing? I still think they could produce a sports tourer (a real one, not an Adventure thing) and a cheapish 900SS replacement would be nice. But shit is a bit tough. The Panigale is quite new. They might even develop a race winner out of it in a season or two - or they might not. I think the 899 looks very promising. I'm not a fan of the front fairing, but it is what it is. And the rear swingarm looks as if it has the same finish as the anvil thing on the Monster - which is a pity. But I bet it's a top bike. Will it persuade me to chop in the 999 (or the Panigale for that matter)? Not sure. It's not looking like a "must have" but I haven't tried it out yet. I think that if I had a whole wedge of cash, I'd be more tempted to get a Ducati engined Bimota.
no really dnf's and 11th and 9th or whatever is brilliant. a remarkable achievement. the fact the desmo can nearly beat a crt Is a big well done from me seriously I just question why they always see an engine size increase as the answer.
They're a bit at sea with the current Moto GP bike, sure. But would I want a Desmo? You betcha! (Now, where's that spare 40 grand?)
At least Ducati are matching Honda and Yamaha's commitment in supplying 2 factory plus 2 satellite bikes, where are Kawasaki, Suzuki, Aprilia, BMW etc? MotoGP would be much poorer without Ducati, no?
I think that's the crux of the matter. People want Ducatis to be special, bespoke, and that's great. I'm sure most manufacturers want at least one bike on their books that knocks you dead from 40 paces. Trouble is they don't generate customers, not in the volume Ducati needs, so they build a bike as good as they can within a budget. Look at it for a moment, then look at flagship bikes from BMW, Honda, Yamaha et al. It's still a far more attractive and emotive bike than any of those, but manages to stay close on price (remember, in the old days of bevels Ducatis were twice the price of the competition). If you want special go buy a Desmosedici.
