| Putting an article in Pronto is a great idea, I would love to read it. It wouldn't do much to spread the word to jap bike owners though.
I agree with TWPD, it's lazy journos who can't be bothered to research a story that help perpetuate the myth of Ducatis being unreliable. Want to write a little filler story about the pros and cons of owning a ducati? Easy, just press this button on your word processor and it comes out Pros: Italian Style, sublime handling Cons: Dodgy electrics and service costs. The same thing has been in their cliché database since 1997.
Ducati UK haven't always helped themselves mind, there have been a couple of incidents where the Duke that the mags were given to test didn't start due to....yes, you guessed it....dodgy electrics. One of the first shoot-out type tests that the 999 was involved in I think. We also know that journos love to see themselves as riding gods - Wheelies, stoppies and knee down everywhere, and I've heard (anecdotally) that the Jap factories make sure that their test fleet is set up to pander to over infllated egos, so all their suspension settings are geared towards the sharpest turning, most track influenced handling (even on there less focussed bikes). Ducati on the other hand seem to just hand over a standard bike straight out of the crate. For example, everyone who has an ST knows that if you jack the rear ride height up by a mere 10cm over stock and adjust the pre-load properly, you can turn a soggy bike, slow turning bike into one that is pretty damn nimble for a bike of it's type - and yet, Ducati still seemed content to let their ST3 out in standard trim for a shoot out against the Trumpet ST and VFR |