Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 999 / 749 > continued 999 speculation in MCN

[doogalman]

Originally Posted by Gizmo

I'm sure moto gp teams would use an alternative to the telescopic fork if a viable alternative existed,

Better the devil they know.

[Gizmo]

Originally Posted by doogalman

Better the devil they know.

nope, the only thing they are bothered about is winning, if a better system existed they would try it and use it. I'd bet even the bm moto gp bike has conventional forks.

there are no advantages in normal use for singlesiders, its fashion and old hat now, ducati need to look at pushing the performance envelope to compete with the lighter, more hp competition not build their superbikes as fashion items, they can leave that till they do a sport classic 916, it can only be a matter of a few years away given the age of its design

[wilf]

Originally Posted by Gizmo

...ducati need to look at pushing the performance envelope to compete with the lighter, more hp competition not build their superbikes as fashion items, they can leave that till they do a sport classic 916, it can only be a matter of a few years away given the age of its design

didnt they do that with the 999???? but it was the looks that everyone talked about, not the performance.

sad but true.

[Gizmo]

Originally Posted by wilf

didnt they do that with the 999???? but it was the looks that everyone talked about, not the performance.

sad but true.

the looks did get talked about but at the time the performance wasn't there, the racers didn't accept it and this reflected on a great road bike. its still short on numbers on a gixxer, R1 ,blade or MV which needs addressing but going backwards isn't going to help that. ducati need innovative design matched with that performance .

[KeefyB]

Originally Posted by Gizmo

nope, the only thing they are bothered about is winning, if a better system existed they would try it and use it. I'd bet even the bm moto gp bike has conventional forks.

there are no advantages in normal use for singlesiders, its fashion and old hat now, ducati need to look at pushing the performance envelope to compete with the lighter, more hp competition not build their superbikes as fashion items, they can leave that till they do a sport classic 916, it can only be a matter of a few years away given the age of its design

Brilliant,post of the day!

[doogalman]

So would you want to ride an ugly bike as looks are unimportant????

[Gizmo]

Originally Posted by doogalman

So would you want to ride an ugly bike as looks are unimportant????

looks are important but as i prefer a 999 in looks to a 998 etc I'm happy to ride one. i had the choice and went for it as it is a better road bike and i like its looks.

oh i also have a multistrada which isn't the prettiest of things and yes, i'm happy to ride that even though it has been hit with an ugly stick

[KeefyB]

Originally Posted by Gizmo

looks are important but as i prefer a 999 in looks to a 998 etc I'm happy to ride one. i had the choice and went for it as it is a better road bike and i like its looks.

oh i also have a multistrada which isn't the prettiest of things and yes, i'm happy to ride that even though it has been hit with an ugly stick

Ooh yes,a fine combo to have in the garage.

[doogalman]

Don't they say "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"? Why do we all have to dig about each-others preferance. I'm sure the replacement will be a great bike . I remember some people saying they did not like the 916 when it was launched. Race teams will extract the best out of anything they have to,
Isn't the MV doing well in european superstock at the moment!!!!

[twpd]

Originally Posted by Gizmo

nope, the only thing they are bothered about is winning, if a better system existed they would try it and use it. I'd bet even the bm moto gp bike has conventional forks.

there are no advantages in normal use for singlesiders, its fashion and old hat now, ducati need to look at pushing the performance envelope to compete with the lighter, more hp competition not build their superbikes as fashion items, they can leave that till they do a sport classic 916, it can only be a matter of a few years away given the age of its design

I completely disagree with you. There is an awful lot of conservatism in racing too. Going with a totally different design leaves the team with a high risk of failure when it comes to unproven technology. It can all fall flat on its face leaving them in a racing vacuum or nowhere. They just can't afford that. So, technology changes incrementally and not in leaps and bounds as you might think....even at top level racing. Fundamentally bikes are no different to those of 30-40 years ago.