Lets face it, if bikes were bought entirely on looks alone, as some people seem to favour, we should/would all be buying the next real Tamburini designed Ducati, the MV Augusta F4. Thankfully, not all follow this path, meaning that the 999 can be recognised as a real advance on the 916 series as a good all round bike, albeit with a front end that some find 'unusual'.
I for one believe my 999 to be a better engineered bike than the 996 and 748 previously owned. Can't understand why people still feel the need to **** them off - what's the point? Certainly Ducati isn't thanking those that want to live in the past!