Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Ducati owners to blame for Ducati's financial woes ?

[Rattler]

Originally posted by couchcommando
Having recently bought a 999 it has surprised me how many owners of the old shape bike will never buy the new one despite it being a better bike.
Ducati desperately need sales and have produced a better bike yet the owners of the old bikes won't buy new because in their eyes the old looks better, their sheer vanity may even seal the fate of Ducati, is this loyalty ?

Just an observation of mine from a few days ownership. Good news for Ducati is the bike is bloody brilliant and dare I say it full of character the likes none of my Japanese bikes have

Define "better" ? What is better about a 999 over a 998? The public decides.

Tim

[marko]

Thing is no firm can stay succesfull by standing still, they all have to release
new models, one thing is for sure ducati will not go back to the old shape
the new shape is here to stay.
May be ducati should have developed the 916 from day one changing a little bit each year like Honda did with VFR but better.I hope that is what they will do with the 749,999's
But then who knows , I don't , do you?

[pedro]

here we go

[GsxrAge]

Perhaps they should buy their Designers Glasses first then they might build something that looks good !

The other problems that I see are

1 Price
2 Service costs
3 Reliability problems

My next bike will be a Rice rockett !



I wish it was another duke but my bank balance won't take another Duke hit

Age

[AK]

Originally posted by skidlids

And where has the low seat hight model gone, the early Monsters offered shorter riders a chance to own a Ducati, these were replaced with heavier higher machines.

maybe Ducati should look at their own market research department and ask a few questions.

spot on mate

[domski]

Originally posted by AGE996
My next bike will be a Rice rockett !

I heard that there's a very fast Suzuki for sale locally

[GsxrAge]

Originally posted by domski

I heard that there's a very fast Suzuki for sale locally

Not that one tho Dom

[Henners]

When I wanted my first Ducati in 2002 I decided the safest thing to do was buy a new one. I've now owned 5 and I have realised that when you know what you're looking for a Ducati doesn't have to be new, you just have to know what you're buying and how to look after it.

I don't like the 999 shape, that's my perogative however I'm not alone and the 749/999 series has seriously hurt Ducati finacially - look at the figures, these bikes are the most profitable in the range and they don't sell. Ducati sold almost 700 of the 996 in 1999 in the UK and only 145 of the 999 in 2004.

If the 999 replacement gets the collective juices going again then I know many folk who will be ordering one come this autumn. If that happens the value of 999s will drop through the floor and a lot of people will buy one because they are such good value. Everyone wins if Ducati get it right.

Follow Porche's example with the 911 Mr Minoli and reinvent the 916, with a 1200 L twin engine producing 170bhp to really challenge the GSXRs and you will create a renaissance

[desmobob]

I have to admit I didn't like my 999R as much as I did until I saw one in race trim. For every ounce of ugliness it shows in road form, it totally differs when it's fashioned in track bodywork. I think I remember Neil McKenzie saying something very similar about the Airwaves 999's when they first turned up on the scene in BSB. Through all the efforts of trying to sell it, I guess I've not been helping the cause at all. So now I'm going to keep it and get some track bodywork for it, let the world see what a 999 shape should really look like. Either way I think the debate over Ducati fashion doesn't matter, as long as it's Italian and not mainstream. I popped over to Matlock Bath at the weekend and despite the rain there was plenty of bikes out. However there wasn't one Ducati there, all Harley Davidson and Japanese 4's. Not even a Japanese twin.



[Edited on 15-5-2006 by desmobob]

[madmav]

In reality they could make the parts cheaper and the servicing better then you could spend more money on your bike and do more miles !