Amen to that.:)

I have to agree that the Hypermotard does look good BUT it's going to be well over priced ! and compaired to other super motos ( ok less cc's for them) the duke is going to be very heavy !

The old argument of win on Sunday sell on Monday is no more from Ducati !

The bike you buy in the show room only looks like the race bike ! The race bike only wins because of it's traction control system/electronics, In the USA where they can't run the electronics because they can't run a front wheel speed sensor and they are well off the pace !

Any sensible person would buy a jap 1000 as they are alot cheaper and alot quicker.

Sorry Ducati as I have said before I have bought my Last Ducati.

Age

[Edited on 16-5-2006 by AGE996]

In 1Q06, Multistrada sales were down 67%, Superbike sales down 46% yoy, Supersport sales down 32% (in fact, in years to come you can probably truthfully say that a 2006 SS is rarer than any version of the Superlight/FE). The only category that was up was Sport Tourer (up 41%).

Here’s another interesting point. Although motorcycle shipments were down 18% yoy, motorcycle revenue was only down 9% yoy. This means that average revenue per bike was actually up 12%, despite the mix moving strongly away from the Superbikes (23.6% of shipments in 1Q05, and 15.6% of shipments in 1Q06).

Average revenue per bike is now eur8,200 compared to eur7,338 a year ago (or £5,585 and £4,998 in proper money). Now I’m far from being an industrial expert but those look like incredibly good numbers on a wholesale per unit basis. To put this into context, Suzuki got £897 per motorcycle in y/e March 2005 (it’s the latest annual report I can get easily. Yes, I know that Suzuki has a lot of low end bikes/mopeds that will dilute the mix but it’s still a hell of a difference).

Looking back to the presentation, the factory is running around 95% capacity – there’s not a lot more to go really and the upside from getting 100% utilisation is not that great. R&D costs (especially new engine development) needs to be amortised over the number of bikes sold – and it’s obvious that the more bikes you sell, the less it costs you per bike. That’s why you see the same engines being re-used in lots of different models (just look at the car world where you can see essentially the same car from three or four different manufacturers).

What I think it boils down to is that Ducati cannot make the volumes to get a respectable return in the current environment. Whatever the new investors might say in public, I hardly think they are getting that excited about the prospect of a miniscule profit in 2008/9 (I know I wouldn’t be). The upside will come from selling the company to a bigger player in the medium term – think Fiat and Ferrari, BMW and Rolls Royce, Ford and Aston Martin, VW owns Bentley, etc. (the pedants will point out that Porsche owns 20% of VW but you get my point). The latter of each pair make some of the finest cars in the world but they are ultimately too small to survive on their own in the long run.

I’d put a fair bet that Ducati is bought by a major group in the next five years.

Thank you. Ps I’m also available for bar mitvahs and weddings.

Sorry, parts of this post refer to this thread
http://217.199.188.40/xmb/viewthread.php?tid=33178

and this press release
http://www.ducati.com/company/pr_eng...150506_eng.pdf


[Edited on 16-5-2006 by chicken]

[Edited on 17-5-2006 by chicken]

Ducati had the same problem in the early 80's when they went from the old bevels to the new belt Pantahs, the people with the older bikes wouldnt buy the newer ones. I know, cos I was one :P . It took the 851 to get me off Jap bikes, then the 916 and 996. Money was ready when the new one came out, then oh dear. I have absolutely no doubt that the newer bikes are much better bikes in every way but to pay so much money for a toy that does not stir my emotions?? No thanks. And have you noticed how bland the new bikes look with track fairings on and no sponsors stickers.?

Funny thing that. Mine cost NZ$950.00 or around GPB300 for the same service. Bloody labour costs in the UK!

Well one things clear the middleground seems to be missing ;-) . Having been an ducati owner (on and off but mostly on) since 1996 I'd have to say those that mourn the 916 range styling are being a bit myopic . It was great while it was current but now its gone(I was a 5 year 916 owner from 97 to '02. Same with the SS's, I had a very big softspot for the old 94 on SS range especially the SL (I even bought one!) but they were of that era, and were updated with the SSie, some would day an uglier bike (blimey I even bought one of those 1000ss. So now I've just bought a 999 . Y? cos its the most characterful V-twin available at the moment.
Each ducati generation isnt meant to be the same as the one before its meant to be different. The 999 isnt pretty however it does have strong style. Compared to current japs sports its far more to look at, imho. Local dealers have 999r near a new cbr1000rr and the honda just looks bland.
If you are happy with jap il4s then you always struggle with the cost burden of a ducati. And if you buy any bike as a means of keeping your money safe? well keep taking the tablets.
as to service costs, lifes hard, the desmo a ducati tradition does not come with an easy service plan, if its a problem buy a honda/aprillia?/SV suzook... PS VTEC VFRs allegely need 2days to service the valves (how much labour charge would that be!). All just my spin...

[Edited on 16-5-2006 by IainMac]

Blimey Chi you ought to be an accountant:frog:

sbwells you really in Invercargill?

Yeap in the deep south mate. Its a balmy 12 degrees at the moment and ****ing down.

still paying my dues but not practiced for years. I do know of a good accountant if you are looking for one ;)

[Edited on 17-5-2006 by chicken]

Chi I may need his name soon...

sbwells thats Burt Munro country insn't it? Shouldn't you be riding an Indian??

TBH the Japanese bikes that are racing only look like the showroom bikes.
Trouble is as you ahev proved is people only buy what is winning. I've ridden all the litre bikes and still now have the 999. 130hp is enough for the road, trouble is as you have said and included yourself being seen on anything other than the winning bike and riding with less than 160 hp isn't acceptable to those who value image and others opinions :)

Ducatis have never been as quick as the fastest Jap bikes; this isn't a new phenomenon, nor particularly related to the 999.

But I'n sure there's a sizeable sector of the market who don't use that as their principal criterion for buying a bike. Like the members of this forum, maybe? ;)

It's up to Ducati to attract this sector with bikes they want to buy. And it's not really about about subjective opinions about whether the 916 or the 999 is the better looking bike (although of course we all have opinions on that). There's more fundamental matters to consider.
For example, as even the champions of the earlier bikes must admit (and I guess I'm one), they had, to put it kindly, certain "issues" which may well have put people off buying them. This list includes (and is not restricted to: we can all make our own) short-lived clutches, dodgy rectifiers, high servicing costs, and discomfort for many riders. Whatever the 999 has succeeded in, it has largely failed to address these issues (except, partially, maybe, the last). Not only that, but it has introduced flaws that the older bikes didn't have, such as hydraulics that seem to require bleeding every five minutes, and non-user-friendly electrics. Build quality, far from improving, has arguably deteriorated. It's my firm belief that one of the main design factors for the 99 was "make it cheaper to assemble".

Ducati had some flawed, but still well-liked bikes. They have failed to build on that legacy, and fairing shape is the least of it.

Well stated Fred. So you are not changing the 748 yet then??

I like the look of this.

So how well do you think the monster 695 will sell?



[Edited on 17-5-2006 by chicken]

and for the comparison in case you've not seen it....