| Sorry its taken so long to reply to ducsoon? Query about the 999 having no advantages.
Annette absolutely loves riding the 999 but I dont think she would swap her 996sps for it. It took most of last summer for me to feel comfortable on the bike,it may be in my head but the front end felt remote and I coudnt commit as hard going into corners. The 999 is definately easier to ride on the road and may lap at the same pace as the 998 with less rider effort but if you cant trust the front end you end up going slower than you could. 180 miles on the 998 results in slight stiffeness in my kneck and knees both due to old injuries, the 999 is literally a pain in the butt after about 40 mph (and i have adequate personal padding).
The 999 has a multitude of advantages for ducati as a manufacturer, it was designed to be assembled from sub assemblies and the elecrical system is cheaper to manufacture and install. When ridden It is less prone to wheelie under power and the rear doesnt lift as much on hard braking but this may be due to the fact the factory set them up very flat with a low rear ride height.
personally I prefer the iconic shape of the 998 but that has nothing to do with my preferences, the 998 is in my opinion a safer road bike (mirrors!! on the 999) and for me a better track bike.
Its horses for courses, the only way to find what fits you personally is to badger a dealer into test rides on a 998 and a 999
dave spreading confusion with every phrase!!  | 
08-Feb-2005, 10:14 
Hybrid Mode
