[neejah]

I just wondered if anyone had an idea how a 916/996 compared with an RC51?

I had a 916 in the UK, and was looking to replace it with either a 916/996 in the US......but an RC51 has come up at a good price in amazing condition and I just wondered how they compared in the real world?

The 916's/996's I've seen so far have had a few minor issues and they're all priced slightly higher than the RC51...........although you can't get away from the Dukes being achingly gorgeous?

 

[nine16]

You kind of hit on it yourself, all bikes are cheap right now. I think you know the preference on this forum, but at the right price? Sure, I'd own an RC51. What are you looking for? If it's a nice Honda, then you could also find a good deal on an even faster CBR1000. For me, if the difference was a few hundred dollars I would choose the Ducati...unless it was for sport touring.

 

[neejah]

You kind of hit on it yourself, all bikes are cheap right now. I think you know the preference on this forum, but at the right price? Sure, I'd own an RC51. What are you looking for? If it's a nice Honda, then you could also find a good deal on an even faster CBR1000. For me, if the difference was a few hundred dollars I would choose the Ducati...unless it was for sport touring.

I don't quite know - the 916 I had was great, I preferred it to the 851 I also had at the same time......the RC51 was very very nice, magnesium covers, trick suspension etc but I think you've probably just nailed it with the comment "if it's a nice Honda" your after......

 

[jrockcolors]

The 51 is a nice bike. It is just as painfull to ride on a long ride . So it matters what you want to do with it. I raced the RC in 03 and 04. It was great to ride after we got it sorted out. How ever i had the chance to ride a guys 996 at Thunder hill raceway during a trackday and well aside from the fact i was close to two seconds faster on a bike i had never been on. it was effortless where the 51 i had to beat the hell out of it to get it to go. Not saying the 51 isent fun to ride you just have to give it a little more input.
Both great bikes but the duc is timeless.

 

[ZDM]

Now I think the Ducati 916-998 are the best looking superbikes that Ducati has ever built. The best 1/2 hour bike you can ride meaning after a 1/2 hour you can't ride it anymore-too uncomfortable!
Iv'e ridden both on the street only, the RC much more than the 99X. The RC is a far nicer bike, a bit warm, but far nicer. Both sound great but the Duc wins that, RC is bigger and better planted, better "street" bike hands down.
The thing you get involved with is maintenance. Unless you buy a "new" 99X and you won't, your at the mercy of recorded maintenance of the previous owner. You'll get Honda quality w/ the RC, sure something could break, but my buddie's RC had some 24,000 miles on it, looked new, ran perfect....he just replaced the chain and changed the oil/filter, bleed brakes....easy on the wallet stuff. With the Ducati your looking at expensive ($800) minimum if you have a dealer replace belts and adjust valves - every two years !!!! +++ all the other required maintenance expenses., stuff you're familiar with. Try the SP-1/RC51 you'll love it, it's just a bit...well...."ugly" next to the Ducati.

 

[Matt_P]

I like everything about the RC51 except its porky weight.



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[NIGHTMARE]

I love the RC51 but you feel like you're riding a Boss Hoss. They're heavy as all hell and the tank seems like it's twice the width of the Duc. They also don't do well sitting in traffic because the design of the cooling system doesnt lend itself well to "stop and go."

 

[Kramer749]

I raced a RC-51 during the 07 season and the bike needed a lot of attention to the the rear suspension. The bike feels like it has the grunt but down the straight at VIR a stock geared 998 with full termis pulled me down the straight pretty good. Until turn 1 where he low-sided. Sorry Hoss. The guy that won that race on a Aprilia told me I would be a hell of a lot faster on a lighter bike.

I loved my RC and have had many different types of Hondas but nothing feels like a Ducati. Yeah the service intervals suck but if you do most of the work yourself like: airfilter/oil/coolant/brakes/clutch/ belts/.... it will save you a lot of money. Its a good thing to check those things regularly on any type of moto.

Valve adjustment on a RC $183.00

Valve adjustment on a Duc 560.00

Kia vs Ferrari !!! you gotta pay to play.

 

[onespeedpaul]

Kia vs Ferrari !!! you gotta pay to play.

HAHAHA, SERIOUSLY??? poor choice of words/brand perhaps?

more accurately: honda vs ferrari... which is what this post is about, and also coincidentally a real-world auto racing comparison....c'mon, in the same post you say you "raced" an RC51, but if you were into cars, name one kia you would "race"......just sayin..

 

[Kramer749]

Wow didn't mean to confuse you. Sevice/ Maintenance of a Kia Sofia compared to an Enzo, is what I ment by that. I could have thrown Honda in there instead.

BTW if you google Kia Racing you would be surprised what you get.

Kia Forte Koup going racing in 2010 Grand-Am Koni Challenge series ...
haha

 

[neejah]

Thanks to all for the responses!

It was sort of what I was expecting i.e. it'll be great to ride (but a bit weighty), should be reliable, last well, and cost less to maintain......

But the 916/996 is timesless, takes a bit of upkeep - and costs more to maintain..........bit like the wife!

I'm pretty used to the higher costs & more involved maintainance - I've have had 3 dukes thus far........think I may just go for a 4th!

Thanks again

Neil

 

[whylee]

I sold my RC51 with full Ohlins suspension to buy my Ducati, and I will never look back. The RC51 needed so much attention to just get it average, then you still had the weight issue (they are tanks).
They are a good reliable bike, and if the price is right it would not be a bad bike to have for a track bike. Once you can get around the track pretty good on the RC, the Ducati will feel like a missle on rails out there.

 

[slapnuts]

I raced a RC-51 during the 07 season and the bike needed a lot of attention to the the rear suspension. The bike feels like it has the grunt but down the straight at VIR a stock geared 998 with full termis pulled me down the straight pretty good. Until turn 1 where he low-sided. Sorry Hoss. The guy that won that race on a Aprilia told me I would be a hell of a lot faster on a lighter bike.

I loved my RC and have had many different types of Hondas but nothing feels like a Ducati. Yeah the service intervals suck but if you do most of the work yourself like: airfilter/oil/coolant/brakes/clutch/ belts/.... it will save you a lot of money. Its a good thing to check those things regularly on any type of moto.

Valve adjustment on a RC $183.00

Valve adjustment on a Duc 560.00

Kia vs Ferrari !!! you gotta pay to play.

Hardly. More like an NSX vs. a 360 Modena. They're both nice. One is clearly more desirable than the other. One is clearly more practical than the other. I personally could never own a Desmoquattro motor. I've seen both sides of owning a Ducati and when it goes south, it goes south in a bad way.

In the real world, an RC will take it to 916 (and likely a 996) with a few minor items, namely: suspension work and lightweight exhausts to get ride of the boat anchors. It took until the Testatretta motors for Ducati to catch up and even then it was "parity"

Options are a nice thing to have (says the owner of a few Ducati racebikes and a beefed up RC). An RC isn't a Ducati (nor is it trying to be anymore than a Kawi o Yamaha is an MV), so if you have to have a Duc, get one.

 

[Triple]

I'm in the same boat. I was using my 996 as my track bike and had a really shitty lowside at Road Atlanta's Turn 10B. Mostly bodywork got killed. Luckily it was my track set. I had to replace the Clutch hub (broken tabs) and the Pressure plate. I also had to change the throttle tube.....cost $50 + 3 weeks to get it.......for a throttle tube. Needless to say it back to street form and retired for track work. Too expensive and parts takes forever to get. Ducati does not have a distribution center in the US.....WTF.....probably their biggest market.

I'm also looking at a RC51 to use for the track. I've done some research and most of the postings here seems to be right on. Still a nice V-twin is lovely to ride around a track. My other options are Kwak ZX6R (636) or the venerable GSXR 750. I don't ride in the fast group, so killer lap times is really not my goal. Just being out on the track is good enough.

 

[vanduc996]

I've owned both and in every department that matters the RC comes solidly second. Don't get me wrong the RC is a great bike that I enjoyed immensely, but once I got on the 996 it was plain to see which company was copying who. As an overall sporting package the Ducati enjoys an integrity that the RC simply could not match. And the fact that I found the RC to be viciously painful after 100 miles whereas the 996 is all day comfortable just sealed the deal. Yes the Ducati is ultimately more expensive but I'm happy to pay a slight premium for ulimate satisfaction

 

[neejah]

I'm in the same boat. I was using my 996 as my track bike and had a really shitty lowside at Road Atlanta's Turn 10B. Mostly bodywork got killed. Luckily it was my track set. I had to replace the Clutch hub (broken tabs) and the Pressure plate. I also had to change the throttle tube.....cost $50 + 3 weeks to get it.......for a throttle tube. Needless to say it back to street form and retired for track work. Too expensive and parts takes forever to get. Ducati does not have a distribution center in the US.....WTF.....probably their biggest market.

I'm also looking at a RC51 to use for the track. I've done some research and most of the postings here seems to be right on. Still a nice V-twin is lovely to ride around a track. My other options are Kwak ZX6R (636) or the venerable GSXR 750. I don't ride in the fast group, so killer lap times is really not my goal. Just being out on the track is good enough.

Yes - Ducati's are expensive to fix, although they seem to lay down very well!

I'd read that the US is Ducatis second biggest market after Italy (not sure how true that is - given the size of the US and riding population, I'd expect it to be the largest also!)

Cheapest V-Twin with any power at the minute has to be the TL1000S/R.......there's a nice one on CL Atlanta at the moment for $3.6K! Could be a good (if somewhat weighty) track bike!

 

[94CobraR]

I dont' understand why you guys are ordering NEW replacement parts after a wreck? A throttle tube from Italy? Why not just hunt it down on Ebay or through someone like gotham?

 

[plato]

If you want a v-twin for track purposes: SV

And I'd bet you'd put down faster times with the 650 over the 1000

 

[Matt_P]

If you want a v-twin for track purposes: SV

And I'd bet you'd put down faster times with the 650 over the 1000

OMG if I had a dime for every time I've heard that one


The SV is a neat bike and there are guys who can get them to go faster than their diminutive underdog status implies; but it's not going to be faster than a 1000 unless it's in the hands of a total novice.



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[Triple]

TLs are nice, but not my bag. I just never got into the looks. They're also heavy as shit.

As for parts, I do find most of them either at this site or e-bay. I never had luck finding a throttle tube.

Ducs do take an impact pretty well. I'm concerned about the placement of the radiators on the RC.