ryan, probably a bit tough to make steet legal but not impossible. it would also need a show type paint job or keep as is inorder to let all the squids out there know you are a bad a$$! you can see it when you come down. it is a full superbike and would serve you well on the track. it is still a middleweight super twins winner in wsmc, wera, or ccs. ryan, you do need to begin to do track days as it will take to you a place you can't get to on the street. after racing or track days, you may not even ride on the road again...that's the real hazard. pcb
ryan, on the 996 price issue. remember that there are an awfull lot out there so it probably represents a real motivated seller. and remember the buying audience of a duc mono is a bit thin. many that can would like a bike like that may not have the cash and suzi has cheap money financing...who can't afford a gixer 1000? the other thing is...lots of guys want the ***** seat so they can ride w/ their hottie! there are always guys out there that end up w/ a bike they don't use or need to hardship sell.
hubert, i live in point loma. i have some travel coming up but am pretty much avail, w/ a bit of notice. [email protected] send me an email and we can trade numbers and addresses. let's go ride too!! my 888 sp5 is will be at gp today...wait till you see it!!! it is preety insane...i did however throw it down the road out at otay last week. it will live again however.
Figured it was time to post some pics. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
THAT is my bike. However I had Termignoni C/F cans, w/the FbF chip. Bike is a nut buster. Nice pics. Enjoy.
Ducati's are very nice bike's - But.....(Flame Suit On), Cannot hold a candle to an MV Augusta, I have had both....But only have an MV now. Seb
No need for a flame suit. Unlike some other close minded people on the board, I appreciate all kinds of 2 wheelers. Great looking bike bro. Keep the shiny side up. You Ralphie, I got a red one to go with the yellow. 998s. Fun bike man! My balls are fine, and not complaining. Heck, I even ride them in traffic, with stock clutch, my fingers love it. Since no digi cam, you will have to wait 3 months for me to finish film, develop, scan, with te 998. Just like you guys had to wait for the 748 above. I know, I am a cheapskate when it comes to dumpnig 500 for digi cam. Now the 04 R1, just a different beast, altogether.
Real world, the MV's were underpowered and overweight, copping a spanking from a GSXR750. Beautiful bikes, absilutely exquisite. I'm going to try out the new 1000 MV over the next few weeks . Personally not a fan of the 916/998, they look old fshioned to me now. Any of you guys track or race your bikes?
I think it's of no use to draw such conclusions when the two objects being compared only coincide because a, they're motorcycles and b, they were designed by the same guy. Save for that, they're radically different and suit opposite niches. But if you must, the 750 MV wasn't a match for a 996 with pipes, and a 998 would walk it. The 1000, however, even in std trim, will run away from anything short of a 999R. But I still can't stand the Nissin brakes on it. And this is coming from someone wanting a 1000.
Besides the I-4 vs. V-2, I don't see how they are radically different. While the two engines give them very different power characteristics, the architecture of the 916 and the F4 are remarkably similar. You may even say the F4 is more of the spiritual successor to Tamburini's 916 than the 999 is. They compete in basically the same niche of high-end Italian sportbikes as I see it. Until the TPG takeover of Ducati, the 916 occupied the same position as the MV does today: as the rare, beautiful, almost unobtainable object of art that also happens to be something you could ride on occasion.
Dynamically, they're totally different. The I4 v L twin difference is huge in all respects; the 1000 comes alive at 8000 , while the 998 is making peak power there and later trailing off at around 10 something. Moreover, there are difference in engine braking, mid corner torque, etc. in addition, there's also the 1000's variable , computer controlled engine braking - this changes the dynamic of the bike as well. Simply b/c they're priced comprably, doesn't mean they're equivalent. The 999 is, and was intended to be, a departure from the 916 lineage.
Bollocks, the MV and the Ducati share nothing in common, other than the same designer. Philisophically and technically they tread completely different paths. Ducati was a company, like Ferrari, that sold road bikes to fund racing. MV's don't even race these days.
Like I said before, the I-4 power is very different from the V-2. Remember I said architecture, as in the design philosophy and layout of major components. That does not mean they are interchangable. Ergonomics? = Same (almost identical in fact) Single-sided swingarm? = Same Underseat Exhaust? = Same Removable subframe? = Same Steel Tube Frame? = Same, at least the top portion above the side plates on the MV. Cross-Mounted Steering Damper? = Same Key Location directly under steering damper? = Same The MV had a loooong gestation period all the way back to 1991-92. Tamburini designed most of the bike while at the CRC before the TPG buyout. So the machine was designed by the same people, in the same company, under the same owners (Cagiva), as the 916. MV raced one round in this year's World Superbike championship. It has raced for a couple of years in the World Endurance series, where the new 1000cc engine was in part developed. They are hinting that they will race the full World Superstock series in '05. As far as the market for the two bikes, I'd be interested to hear any opinions about how they would appeal to different buyers. To me the exact same theoretical person would be shopping for an MV today, as was shopping for a 916 in the mid-90's. Who would you feel is the typical buyer of a new Ducati versus new MV?
I have had my 748 on the track and it was unreal. Now every time I go out on it I really feel connected to the bike. It was an experience that cannot be put into words.
The MV racing in endurance has not affiliation with the factory. Castiglioni is good at one thing, going bankrupt, as he did once again with MV before being bailed out once again by the Malaysians. There are a few typical buyers of Ducati's What I refer to as "The "Latte Set", who use the bike ala Jimmy540 to hang out at the local cafe and look good. Enthusiasts, who love the history of the Ducati. Track day junkies, generally professional people, who want a bike that easily transfers from road to track. My experience has been that most MV owners fall in the first catagory. As an example, a Ducati track day will attract around 70-80bikes at Phillip Island where MV track day organisers call us up to get enough numbers to cover their costs, because so few of them ever see the race track. I apologise in advance if I have offended anyone.
I have had my bike on the track 3 times. have a 97 916. I thought it was fun, but I have too much carbonfiber to get going fast for fear of laying it down. I rode it on the california speedway the road race course. when I was looking at bikes to buy, I looked at the aprillia mille R, and the RC-51, and ducati. in the end, I bought the ducati just because of the looks. if I had it to do over again, I would have bought a salvaged/wrecked 748 for a track bike and trashed it. I didn't buy a 916 for the speed, but for the torque and handling. you could still get good at handling with a 748 if straight line speed doesn't matter. but I had a tuned yamaha fzr1000 before the duc, so I needed something with a little pull.
Pefectly put Stephen. BTW - I take it you've seen the threads re: jimmy's 996 over at speedzilla? Classic stuff.
Some one like me, who if he couldn't find a clean 998SFE, would get an MV1000. People buying MVs will either use them , or saran wrap them and put them in hermetically sealed bubbles; different folks, different strokes. With respect to actual bikes moving off dealer floors? Ducati's design direction has created a chasm in the niche buyer's market; those with an affection for classic Tamburini panache will buy the MV (for a change, and probably until Ducati's next offering), others, who are blessed with looking past Ducati's teething design developments (a la 999, etc) will get the new Ducatis and enjoy them without regard. Me, I don't know, I'm getting more and more used to the new look of the 999 and, for my riding style, I prefer the L twin layout to the I 4. In the end, it'll come down to what's available - MV's capping prodction to a certain # of total units/year - which to someone like me, who likes to buy and ride the same day, may sway my decision; at the current moment, there's nothing that I desire (want? sure. lust for? no.) However, if the KTM superbike comes to the states, all bets are off.
