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Sport Rider review of 1198
- Thread starter lloquex
- Start date
Buzz,
Let me preface by saying that i think i see why you look at these bikes different than most of us here. I am in no way bashing you for your opinion or for apparently being well off, I'm sure you work hard for what you make.
It's fairly obvious that the Ducati is "just another motorcycle" you. If you have the funds to own a 1098,1198, a couple R1's and a Desmosedici i can see why the price is the last thing you worry about, it's just another toy to you. However for most of us these are more than just motorcycles, they are hand made rip-roaring works of art that we've lusted after for a period of time. The thought of abusing it via five mile wheelies or it getting stolen or seeing a speck of rust on her makes us cringe, that's why we would park it in the living room if we can.
I'm not knocking anyone who owns Jap bikes, I've owned several, but if you stand back and look at these two groups in general you'll see very different mindsets. Part of the fact that Duc's are more expensive means that in general the owners are older and more responsible, choosing(and able to afford) to do track days and hone their skills than stunt, wheelie or ride their bikes 200mph down the freeway.
No doubt that the Jap bikes are bullet proof, they need to be with twentysomethings pinning the throttle with the clutch pulled in and bouncing the engine off of the rev limiter! I see it(and hear it) at every racing event or bike night i go to. But......I've said it before and I'll say it again, you'll hear from owners that have problems but not from the ones that don't. This IMO visually skews the preceived reliabilty issues on the forums.
Many people have the "it's just a machine" mentality, i think for several reasons you do to. That's why you don't get why someone would keep one in their living room and that's why there will always be a division between loyal Ducati (and Harley) owners and everyone else.
Just my two cents Buzz, not trying to start anything just maybe help you see the other side, whether you agree with it or not.
Let me preface by saying that i think i see why you look at these bikes different than most of us here. I am in no way bashing you for your opinion or for apparently being well off, I'm sure you work hard for what you make.
It's fairly obvious that the Ducati is "just another motorcycle" you. If you have the funds to own a 1098,1198, a couple R1's and a Desmosedici i can see why the price is the last thing you worry about, it's just another toy to you. However for most of us these are more than just motorcycles, they are hand made rip-roaring works of art that we've lusted after for a period of time. The thought of abusing it via five mile wheelies or it getting stolen or seeing a speck of rust on her makes us cringe, that's why we would park it in the living room if we can.
I'm not knocking anyone who owns Jap bikes, I've owned several, but if you stand back and look at these two groups in general you'll see very different mindsets. Part of the fact that Duc's are more expensive means that in general the owners are older and more responsible, choosing(and able to afford) to do track days and hone their skills than stunt, wheelie or ride their bikes 200mph down the freeway.
No doubt that the Jap bikes are bullet proof, they need to be with twentysomethings pinning the throttle with the clutch pulled in and bouncing the engine off of the rev limiter! I see it(and hear it) at every racing event or bike night i go to. But......I've said it before and I'll say it again, you'll hear from owners that have problems but not from the ones that don't. This IMO visually skews the preceived reliabilty issues on the forums.
Many people have the "it's just a machine" mentality, i think for several reasons you do to. That's why you don't get why someone would keep one in their living room and that's why there will always be a division between loyal Ducati (and Harley) owners and everyone else.
Just my two cents Buzz, not trying to start anything just maybe help you see the other side, whether you agree with it or not.
I'm not fussed about the 1198 either;
The way things are going,Ducs are going to be the bike everybody wants and will get,so my trusty Tricolore still wont be a bike you will encounter on every damn ride.
And indeed,those guys wont have cash left for pimp stuff so my termis will perform as much if not more than std 1198.
...at least in my part of the world.
The way things are going,Ducs are going to be the bike everybody wants and will get,so my trusty Tricolore still wont be a bike you will encounter on every damn ride.
And indeed,those guys wont have cash left for pimp stuff so my termis will perform as much if not more than std 1198.
...at least in my part of the world.
What isn't isn't being talked about is that EVERYONE feels their bike is a step above the others. Ten-6, your post could just as easily be posted on a Honda forum. Or a Harley forum. Everyone who owns whatever brand feels that the other people who own that brand are truly refined. And everyone who doesn't own that brand, just "doesn't get it". Ducs are more expensive because they make less of them. There's nothing about a Ducati that is tangibly better than anything else. You may like the sound better. Or you may like the look better. But it isn't a "better" bike than say a CBR. The price doesn't make is a better bike. And it doesn't even attract a better class of owner. I'm 33 and I've worked in bike shops since I was 19. I've been a tech, a sales manager and most recently, a service manager at a dealer that sells Duc among other things. I've dealt with just about every major brand you can think of. HD, Honda, Yamaha, BMW, Triumph, Duc, KTM, Yamaha, even Vespa. Each one of those brands contains people loyal to that brand. And all of those people can't imagine why anyone buys a bike with a different name on the tank. Duc owners are no more refined or sophisticated than any other brand loyalists. I assure you. BMW and Harley guys are flat out convinced that owning any other brand is sheer lunacy.
They're all just bikes. None of them are "instant classics" or "rolling art". And Duc surely doesn't have the build quality to look at other makes and call them disposable. After 8 months with my 1098, it's been in the shop twice for recalls, refused to start once (bad ECU), needed the master cylinder replaced and stalled at countless stop lights. My 12 year old CBR has never, not once, ever left me stranded, or refused to start. And it's be totaled and rebuilt, tracked, wheelied, dropped abused, neglected and beat. Disposable? I think not. It lacks the class of my Duc, but my Duc is no "better".
They're all just bikes. None of them are "instant classics" or "rolling art". And Duc surely doesn't have the build quality to look at other makes and call them disposable. After 8 months with my 1098, it's been in the shop twice for recalls, refused to start once (bad ECU), needed the master cylinder replaced and stalled at countless stop lights. My 12 year old CBR has never, not once, ever left me stranded, or refused to start. And it's be totaled and rebuilt, tracked, wheelied, dropped abused, neglected and beat. Disposable? I think not. It lacks the class of my Duc, but my Duc is no "better".
You're absolutely right.
I think that says it all........
I've been riding for nearly thirty years and have owned/ridden dirt bikes, sport bikes, Jap bikes, Harleys, BMW's and now Ducatis. I can honestly say through those years of experience (i think it counts for something) dealing with different groups and riders, the "passion" ducatisti have is second probably only to Harley owners. I never said Ducatis were "better", i like all things two wheeled and motorized....just some more than others. The simple fact is that the demographic for the Jap sport bikes are 20ish.......Ducati super bikes it's 40ish. IMO twenty something Gxr, Cbr, Yzf, Zx owners want the most "bang for the buck" and dont really care about much else.
I think that says it all........
I've been riding for nearly thirty years and have owned/ridden dirt bikes, sport bikes, Jap bikes, Harleys, BMW's and now Ducatis. I can honestly say through those years of experience (i think it counts for something) dealing with different groups and riders, the "passion" ducatisti have is second probably only to Harley owners. I never said Ducatis were "better", i like all things two wheeled and motorized....just some more than others. The simple fact is that the demographic for the Jap sport bikes are 20ish.......Ducati super bikes it's 40ish. IMO twenty something Gxr, Cbr, Yzf, Zx owners want the most "bang for the buck" and dont really care about much else.
☮&Love ftw
New member
While I may not be qualified to post in this discussion, having not yet take delivery of my 1198, I think it speaks volumes when many non-motorcyclists classify all Japanese supersports as "Ninjas" but hold the name "Ducati" in reverence.
wildhorse i
New member
Hey Ryan, you know any Coasties down in p-cola?
Woogie
Woogie