yeah, I love the 999/749 style but I like the 916 style too. They are both strong and individual, leaps and bounds ahead of the Japanese stuff, in the main. As someone else has said, the bike in the photo looks like a bit of a mish mash, of 916 and 999. Really wish they had adopted the the sedici exhaust for the mono. I like most of it a lot. I could live with the exhausts as they are, but feel they are a step back, The seat unit/tail light section is just awful though, thats the only thing I would have a big issue with and would want to change.

Be interesting to see how people feel about the single sided swinger when they see the R version doesnt have it, as it needs to be homologated for WSB/BSB. Also be interesting to see how much of a difference there is in the feel of the ride.

So why you spending money on carbon and getting jay to do paint???:lol: :lol:

certainly not 'cos she needs it ! LOL

just personalising

What she needs is a blast under ground. No ones going to see the acres of carbon in the dimly lit underworld of subteranium londinium:o :o

erm........u've lost me s'where

see "Tunnels of Love" Rideout

I don't like it - if that's the best ducati can do after months of developement it's a big dissapointment. I thought the 1098 was supposed to borrow design features from the old 916 in an updated way, but if you compare the two they hardly look like they are from the same factory.

I'm no fan of the 749/999 design either but actually prefer it to the 1098 which says a lot. Can't see this being the bike that'll have punters flocking to Ducati showrooms. Are Ducati losing the plot... I mean what's the hypermotard all about?

The front end looks like a photoshop of several Jap sportsbikes, while the seat unit's too bulky at the front (making tank look too small) and ends in a poor copy of the MV tail light. As for the twin pipes - those cans are ugly and the angled outlets look wrong.

I like it and would buy one, I also like the Hypermotard and would buy one of those too...

Just wanna see them both in the flesh before my wallet comes out...

Thats how I feel about birds too....:lol:

I like the hypermotard tho ! that's something new !!

Who let the dogs out!?

From the pics in MCN. it looks like Frankenstein's monster type amalgamation of a Triumph 675 (lights), a 999 (seat), an Aprilla Mille (tail unit) and an MV Augusta (rear light unit). And those exhausts look too heavy. When I saw the picks of the mule in MCN a few weeks ago, I thought "surely they're gonna change the tail pipes?", but apparently not. Ooooops.

Another opportunity wasted IMHO.

Guess the 916 is still the Albatross round their neck, 'cos I don't think they'll ever make another bike as beautiful, and every Ducati supersports will always be measured by that yardstick . Sigh :)

Still, I'll reserve judgement until I see it in the tin and I'm sure Ducati will be holding their breath until I do....