i actually agree with most of the comment.....ducati haven't hung on to heritage with a trellis frame why stick to L twin....
Has to be. If the rumours are true and with a new fire blade in the shadows. The 1199 just can't compete. It can't compete with the current crop of IL4's as it is and the RSV4 spanks it big time. Even ze germans have built a better bike for fucks sake. Tradition be damned. They fucked off the trellis anyway. Build a new tradition. I hate seeing kawasaki stuff them in bsb, wsb, etc. As much as I like Sykesy and Shakey, I'd sooner the red bike was on the top step. Even with Melandri on it. Okay maybe not. He's just a park-it merchant. The only race they can win is the Tri-Option Cup. Dammit. Grrr. Or resurrect Bayliss. He'd win on it.
throw it all away and be like every one else. i bought a ducati because it's a stunning motor cycle i have kept them because on a good day it kicks ass. got jack shit to do with racing. if and when i replace them it will have nowt to do with history.
me too. not into racing that much but it would nice not to have the motorcycle equivalent of a vauxhall corsa kid giving it yadeda every time i stop for a fag
I had the R1 cross plane crank jobby before I p/x'd it for the 848 evo corse SE. It's a good bike, looks menacing, goes like stink, sounds gorgeous but takes some muscling to make it handle. I'd have another one if they made the handling quicker and sharper.
Did you get the suspension set up proper? My bike is super sharp since I had mine done, but it's the pre-big bang 16v jobby
Yeah I had it sorted when I bought it. It still needed to be flung about. All the magazine reports that were done when it was launched said the same thing.
Yep. The 848 EC SE wasn't as fast in a straight line that's for certain, but on the twisties it definitely outperformed the R1. The 899 knocks the 848 into a cocked hat handling wise, and is a tad quicker. And seeing as I mainly road ride that's what counts to me.
Sounds like my kinda bike Andy..........however,I would bet that the Bhp will translate to Brochure Horse Power so in real terms about 180 ish at the wheel and at the most and if more,for a nano at a very limited RPM range.Oh the joys of marketing.
Well said, we are not all Melandri size. If Ducati wish to move forward within racing I cannot see them dodging the V4 engine. Shame that Aprilia beat them to it. Maybe Audi could design a diesel engine for Ducati, as the WSBK rules state : a diesel engine may be used up to 3000cc. Hell, it may even have to be a man sized bike then!
Ah, misplaced snobbery. More snobbery. Give the snobbery a rest please people. Its unbecoming and pointless trite. This is as bad as Harley riders. I can see cranker in a tasseled race suit in the novice group. Japanese bikes are trouncing Ducatis in all competitions. Trouncing, not just beating but trouncing. Not bad for an 'inferior' product.
Yeah I am not sure I would ever refer to Japanese bikes with any kinda 'Jap Crap' tag. I can certainly appreciate that often it doesn't exactly embody 'style' but the ruthless efficiency in which they turn their product out is something else. My CBR was just beautifully built, but a little bland. Doesn't seem to stop the 7 yr old Honda winning supersport races, or the Honda beating the Ducati in the championship on a bike that hasn't been updated since before the 1198. It's horses for courses! my friend has had a R1 for a few weeks and I really didn't like the fact it looks so messy up close, but actually the 2004 R1's (first underseat pipes) and the later revision to 16v motors are actually incredibly pretty bikes and also built better than my 848.
My 2008 R1 is (in my opinion) just as good looking as a 1098 but with none of the reliability or servicing issues. I love the Ducati brand but I don't want to own another Ducati bike.