Agreed, but for many Ducati = V-Twin

If/when Ducati do bring out a V4, I wouldn't hold your breath until it's dropped into a Sport Tourer. People have been saying that the top of the range ST should have a testastretta motor for years and we still ain't got one.

But I agree with BDG, a testastretta would make a lovely engine for an ST. With that and a few styling changes to make it look sexy it would compete with the Triumph - which I agree, seems to be the best of the current crop.

Now if they'd only bring out a 'big bang' V4 with all the power of a IL4, but the drive and traction of a V-twin out of corners, then you'd be talking

Big bang V4 in an ST....That's what I'm waiting for......How long untill I'm too old to ride:lol:

Just took my ST 4 in for 12 month service and got a Yamaha 250 Scooter as a loaner. Performs adequately in commuting chores, is smooth, pretty fast, quiet, great brakes, starts right up and rides right off everytime, has lots of storage, but is totally boring. The dealer said basically the same thing and he uses a Vespa 125 with panniers and rear luggage for commuting. He said there is no smile factor in the Yamadog, but he lights up everytime he rides the Vespers.... I like my ST4 mucho, but my first ride on an ST3 was a lot of fun and pretty surprising. Seemed to be smooth and responsive. A horsepower and torque boost would make it a pretty pleasant tourer I would imagine. Still, sad to see the 4 go. Dealer said there may be something new down the line, but he is not sure what. The 4 is pretty civilized, but it still lights me up everytime as there is that V-twin eroticism I guess. If Ducati chooses to lose that in exchange for more civilization, I think they will lose clientele at the same time. THere needs to be some roughness in the equation or you just end up riding a glorified scooter.
Finally, a poster made the remark that the Japanese are not innovators. I think we are well past that stage. There is so much innovation in Jap bikes that you are just not aware of. Innvovation is one of the last selling points of Japanese products as China continues to become the factory of the world. But declaring the Japanese to be non-innovators is a little like saying Brits don't know how to drink beer (Germans love that one).

MDB
If by "roughness" you refer to a "unique characteristic" then I agree entirely.

I've no desire to be pedantic, but as we are talking Ducati I refer to the language of Rome - latin - and the reference to "innovation" by Jools and yourself re the Japanese. The latin "innovare" is to intoduce a truely new idea, method, or product; now whilst I am not professor of industrial design I struggle to identify anything that the Japanese have done that earns them the accolade of "innovare". I'd rather applaud their exceptional genius of "modificare".

We do need to be very careful when handing out Nobel prizes for innovation - "plagiarius" - is rife. It was only on the 15th June 2002 did the "American Scientific Congress" finally agree with what the whole of Italy and the European scientific community had been saying for donkey's years, in that A.G. Bell did not invent the telephone. A destitute immigrant from Florence, one Antonio Meucci did.

Caesar is dead - long live Ducati

unique characteristic...agreed wholeheartedly
innovare....agree again
I work in a patent firm and I see innovation everyday, according to international standards at least. The Japanese do not hold a backseat to anyone in that field. Bikes coming out of the big three (four) factories are full of innovation that was not plagerized from somewhere. They have been on top of the technical game for so long in that area that there is really no need to plageriize anymore. Besides, old man Honda, bless his soul, was adamant in insisting his engineers innovate. He used to throw spanners at guys trying to copy the Itais in the early years.
Kind of a hard moniker to throw off, but it is not a deserved one any more (besides which, who would they copy in the bike field?????? BMW, Harley, KTM, Vespa?)

Long Live the Duc!

Talking of innovation ..
 

... desmodromic valve gear was invented in Germany and first fitted to a Mercedes I believe :saint: I really love Ducati and have had more fun on my Ducs than any bike I've owned. Can't wait for the V4 to arrive in an almost affordable package :D

Henners
If what you say about the desmo valve gears is true then it perfectly illustrates my point - that those who wish to dish out innovation accolades need to be very careful when they do.

Personally, I couldn't care if the next Ducati was a truely new innovation or a step forward via modification, so long as it was visually and characteristically european - and made in Italy.

The latest Triumph ST seems to be enjoying the praise of all the motorcycle press and I believe that people are ordering them in droves without even having a test ride.
It's great to see that our home bred manufacturer has produced a bike that is getting such accolades.
Does anybody know what the bike is really like to ride etc.?

Desmodromic valve gear
 

.. first used by Mercedes in their W196 racer at the 1954 Rheims Grand Prix. That was a good year :lol:

Dunno, but I've left a couple of 'em waaaaay behind through the twisties on my ST2 :devil: