Desmodecidi GP8 for sale !!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tom @ Sep 11 2008, 07:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Ducati are a very fasionable brand but no everyone has to think they look good. I for one think the new 1098 is a pretty average looking machine, and easily prefer the latest blade. Also having designes inspired by other bikes is no discredit, the 916 was heavily influenced by HRC's NR750.
Yeah I have heard that argument before but it is very limited as far as how much was taken from the NR. I know the whole story and I know that Massimo did like that bike. But as we all know that bike had the oval piston and was basicly a piece of junk and didn't work. The only thing that did was the styling. If you prefer the latest blade then you have to see that it is just a slant eyed version of the 1098. Look how the lights dip into the air ducts. The 1098 was out before that bike and they ripped it off easily. THe snub nose looks like .... and if you follow anyone on honda forums and others like it barely anyone likes the bike and want something else. Most say they are waiting for a new VFR V4 or V5. We still are waiting for the confirmation on that model as MCN says it is coming. No one really knows. As for honda they pretty much have sucked in racing for the past 7 years. All the 1000rrs sucked and I think except for James Toseland winning the SBK title last year no one else really done anything since on the Honda.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ROCKGOD01 @ Sep 12 2008, 01:47 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Yeah I have heard that argument before but it is very limited as far as how much was taken from the NR. I know the whole story and I know that Massimo did like that bike. But as we all know that bike had the oval piston and was basicly a piece of junk and didn't work. The only thing that did was the styling. If you prefer the latest blade then you have to see that it is just a slant eyed version of the 1098. Look how the lights dip into the air ducts. The 1098 was out before that bike and they ripped it off easily. THe snub nose looks like .... and if you follow anyone on honda forums and others like it barely anyone likes the bike and want something else. Most say they are waiting for a new VFR V4 or V5. We still are waiting for the confirmation on that model as MCN says it is coming. No one really knows. As for honda they pretty much have sucked in racing for the past 7 years. All the 1000rrs sucked and I think except for James Toseland winning the SBK title last year no one else really done anything since on the Honda.

That old model blade won the world and british championships, numerous TT's and i believe the Suzuka 8-hours, it was plenty successful. And as i said before, i know that the new blade probably has styling cues dictated by the italians first but i don't think thats a bad thing.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Babelfish @ Sep 12 2008, 09:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>But your opinion count for very little when we talk about a general opinion, and as it is Ducati is THE bike that take attention both from bikers AND from people from outside and at least for the "insiders" japanse bikes are traditionally NOT known for their design.

Not liking the trellis frame of Ducati is matter of opinion and taste. I find it facinating that they win MotoGP with that and in that regard it's pitty they leave it for CF frame next year

Back in the history of frames there was a Yamaha rider (Rainey I think - happy to be corrected) who had one of the first series of alloy box section frames on a bike. They applied the F1 theory - make a really stiff frame and put great suspension on it. But it gave no feedback and was essentially a dead bike in their hands.

After a particular race Rainey got his team together with drills and hacksaws (this is true) and began weakening the frame by putting holes in it until they got the feel back in the bike. The feel in a motorcycle comes from the minutiae of flex in the frame.

Ducati have always stated this as fact and have stuck with the trellis frame because the steel trellis gives more feedback than the alloy frames however the switch to Carbon Fibre for the '09 bike is recognition (and Ducati have stated this) that the steel frame has evolved as far as it can logically evolve. The alloy frame initially evolved into the characteristics of the steel trellis frame but has now moved beyond hence carbon being the next step.

Ugly or not these frames represent the righteousness of the Ducati engineers in following a principle, and this principle will still serve many a road going bike justice for years to come.

I just can’t find that ugly.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Andy Roo @ Sep 12 2008, 12:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Back in the history of frames there was a Yamaha rider (Rainey I think - happy to be corrected) who had one of the first series of alloy box section frames on a bike. They applied the F1 theory - make a really stiff frame and put great suspension on it. But it gave no feedback and was essentially a dead bike in their hands.

After a particular race Rainey got his team together with drills and hacksaws (this is true) and began weakening the frame by putting holes in it until they got the feel back in the bike. The feel in a motorcycle comes from the minutiae of flex in the frame.

Ducati have always stated this as fact and have stuck with the trellis frame because the steel trellis gives more feedback than the alloy frames however the switch to Carbon Fibre for the '09 bike is recognition (and Ducati have stated this) that the steel frame has evolved as far as it can logically evolve. The alloy frame initially evolved into the characteristics of the steel trellis frame but has now moved beyond hence carbon being the next step.

Ugly or not these frames represent the righteousness of the Ducati engineers in following a principle, and this principle will still serve many a road going bike justice for years to come.

I just can’t find that ugly.

I think that perhaps Ducati's innitial loyalty to the steel frame was cost driven as they were a relatively poor and under-resourced company, how could they afford to develop and manufacture complex aluminium to the same standard as the japanese competition. It is a credit to their engineers that thy made that option work so well, but i believe it has been kept along with the twin cylinder format as part of Ducati's tradition and herritage. Now the GP bike has already had to move beyond the L-twin format, and they are coming to accept now that they must move their chassis technology on too. How this might affect their future roadbikes i am unsure because Ducati's tradition and herritage carries a lot of weight with its customers.