Mmm ducks. Not the fastest, not the most reliable

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by steve c
[B]Mmm ducks. Not the fastest, not the most reliable

 

call me old, call me a wussy, but i care. having ridden a 748 around town, i ham here to tell you that i was very, very uncomfortable on that thing. yes, it's beautiful. yes, it does flick nicely. yes, it sounds awesome. but damn.... my wrists were killing me.

if it were me, i'd take a much more comfortable sv650s any day of the week. is it as nice, hot, bad ass a bike as the duc? no. but i'll have a crap load of $ left in my bank account and have 80% of the performance. probably closer to 95% of the usable performance for a guy like me who doesn't believe in riding like a squid on public roads.

 

I agree 100% w/ you and Sime...they're best appreciated when you're not on them and can admire their sound & beauty w/o the pain. IMO, they're not even flickable, but are very stable.

Upgrade the suspension & exhaust on the SVS, and you have damn near 100% of the 748's performance, at least up to ~100mph, when the SVS starts running out of steam compared to the Duc. Mine (w/ M4 full system) sounds remarkably similar, too, minus the dry clutch sound. Add in a much higher comfort level, better reliability, for less than 50% of the Duc's cost, and you have a winner.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Da Hapa
[B]call me old, call me a wussy, but i care.

 

And while we're at it, why pay $32K+ for an S2000 when you can buy a Miata, do some suspension work, stick a turbo or supercharger on it and you have darn near 100% of the S2000's performance at less than 70% of the cost?

 

Do I detect sarcam here?

Context is important here, I think. The original poster was talking about spending money to upgrade either his existing S or buy a play thing bike. In other words, he's talking about a speed toy of one sort or another.

I'm not for a minute saying that the Ducati isn't a masterful piece of motorcycle art. I will argue about whether it's a good deal or not. Most Japanese sport bikes offer similar performance (on the street and to a reasonable level) with better reliability at much easier to swallow prices. When you're talking about a pure play thing, I think that's important to consider.

I did the same cost benefit analysis when I bought my first S. The out the door cost was a couple of grand (probably $6K or so) more than the Miata. Given the improved performance, greater grins per mile, and assumed similar reliability, it was a no brainer for me to get the S. I also went to the opposite end of the scale and looked at a Boxster S. Given the fact that the S offers nearly all (and in some cases more) performance, with slightly less luxury and prestige, at roughly $20K less this was also a no brainer.

I hope I'm not rambling here and my point is clear. Context is important. I'm not taking anything away from the Ducati. If I win the $125 million lotto tonight and $ was no longer an object, I'd buy a Ducati in a second. (of course, I'd have to get down on bended knee to my fiance' and promise to limit my riding to track time). That just isn't my reality, and i don't get the sense that it's the reality for the original poster either.

 

There are some interesting comments and opinions floating around in this thread

 

I don't see the validity of this comparison, b/c (a) almost all Ducati owners change their exhausts too (at a materially cost than an SV exhaust), limiting the remaining mods I mentioned to suspension. I upgraded my suspension (RaceTech springs/emulators up front, GSXR shock revalved/resprung by Traxxion Dynamics) for ~$600. I'll even say that my SV handles better than a Duc now...it should, given a 55+ lb. weight advantage vs. the 748/99x. The SV is also comfortable enough to ride all day, and I can't say that about the 748.

Also, adding FI to a Miata will be expensive and sacrifice of reliability...the SV, even w/ cheap, minor mods, will be much less fussy than a Duc. I don't envy Duc owners when it comes time for their 6K mile desmo valve adjustments.

That said, I have a tremendous amount of admiration for Ducati, both for their racing success and the beaty/sound of their bikes. I came close to biting on a great deal on a 996 recently, but in the end thought I'd maintain a greater appreciation as a non-owner (it had a somewhat spotty reliability history). I have the same perspective on Ferraris (at least older ones) after driving my neighbor's 348, and knowing about his experience. Ducs are true works of art, but RC51 and Mille can provide a similar experience w/ fewer downsides. I'm thankful for Ducati's success, though, since I enjoy looking at, and listening to, others' Ducs, and it has inspired the development of the RC51 and Mille.

Ducati owners may take pride in the company's racing heritage, but their production bikes will get spanked by much cheaper Japanese competition. My old R6 would accelerate right w/ a Termignoni piped, chipped 996 in the straights, and leave it behind in the twisties...a modern Japanese literbike would kill it. If I had the $ and the space, however, I'd def. have a collection of Ducatis! Just my $.02...

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by steve c
[B]There are some interesting comments and opinions floating around in this thread

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by r6e36
[B]Yeah, go for the R6. You can never the thrill of a sports bike by modding your S2k. If you need more persuation here is a couple pic of mine: