[everclear]

After a discussion elsewhere ( and some pretty strongly held opinions), I would be interested to know which 'R' edition people consider Ducati's best aesthetic effort :think:

 

[everclear]

Whilst I have my favourite, one thing I am sure of, in my opinion, is that the ugliest sportsbike Ducati has made is the 999. From the front stacked headlights to the letterbox exhaust, everything about the styling of this model was a steaming pile of turd.

 

[BobbyBoy]

Whilst I have my favourite, one thing I am sure of, in my opinion, is that the ugliest sportsbike Ducati has made is the 999. From the front stacked headlights to the letterbox exhaust, everything about the styling of this model was a steaming pile of turd.

:surprise::surprise::surprise: Didn't matter when you can ride faster than everyone else at the track. I may be wrong but is it not the most successful Ducati race bike, ever? Nowadays, they are very sought after motorcycles and values are going upwards as people appreciate what a gem the 999 is.... in my opinion of course.

 

[everclear]

:surprise::surprise::surprise: Didn't matter when you can ride faster than everyone else at the track. I may be wrong but is it not the most successful Ducati race bike, ever? Nowadays, they are very sought after motorcycles and values are going upwards as people appreciate what a gem the 999 is.... in my opinion of course.

No doubt at all that they were a step forward in engineering and also rideability. As to most successful Ducati race bike I don't think so. Carl Fogarty with Troy Corser took out the WSBK Championship 4 times on the 916. But this is about looks, not engineering.

On the 999, reviews were not kind, eg:

Visor Down 21/04/2005:

"So, back to the question of 998 v 999. On a purely machine level, I think Ducati have pulled it off. They've made a more effective and more comfortable superbike that's easier to ride faster than its predecessor, which is no mean feat at all. However, the styling of the 999 is a real issue and it doesn't work for me. Look at Ferrari's F40, then their F50. Look at Mitsubishi's Lancer Evo 6, then their Evo 7. Look at the old Subaru WRX, then the new one. In each case the newer sportscar performs better, but something is lost in the upgrade. Style. You know when something is right, when something is classic. After a 10-year run the 998 family is a definitive modern classic, but I seriously doubt whether the 999 will ever achieve such status."

 

[Sherpa23F]

Not to nitpick here but a few clarifications.

The 996R and 998R are different from the 748R. First, they homologated the smooth sided carbon bodywork and came with a carbon belly pan while the 748R had neither. Also, the 998R homologated the ventless tail section.

Just clarifying.

Also, the Desmosedici isn't an R at all. It does not homologate anything for racing, which is the purpose of the R bikes.

 

[everclear]

Not to nitpick here but a few clarifications.

The 996R and 998R are different from the 748R. First, they homologated the smooth sided carbon bodywork and came with a carbon belly pan while the 748R had neither. Also, the 998R homologated the ventless tail section.

Just clarifying.

Also, the Desmosedici isn't an R at all. It does not homologate anything for racing, which is the purpose of the R bikes.

Fair point. However, in order to make the poll practicable I have grouped the "R"'s. As to the Desmo well ... call it poll creators privilege :grin2:

 

[Sherpa23F]

Fair point. However, in order to make the poll practicable I have grouped the "R"'s. As to the Desmo well ... call it poll creators privilege :grin2:

Perfectly fair. Will be interesting to see the results.

 

[DarR]

I do like the Panigale R but I'm also biased for my own Monster R.

 

[2004 999s]

?

Whilst I have my favourite, one thing I am sure of, in my opinion, is that the ugliest sportsbike Ducati has made is the 999. From the front stacked headlights to the letterbox exhaust, everything about the styling of this model was a steaming pile of turd.

sure 'bout that?

 

[everclear]

sure 'bout that?

Yes I am personally in no doubt, although I don't expect to persuade owners of 999's to my view! However, I think the critical consensus apart from my opinion is/was pretty clear, eg again:

"RideApart 23/08/2018

The Italians are always praised for getting styling right and making beautiful motorcycles and cars. But once in a while, they screw up and, when they do, they do it big time. Ducati had a fantastic run with the 916. It was a great performing bike and looked fabulous. Its replacement was due in the fall of 2002 and the motorcycle world held its collective breath waiting to see the Ducati 999 for the first time.


When it arrived, it wasn’t what Ducat’s customers were expecting at all. Very futuristic looking and just a bit too radical. The 999 was even described by some hard-nosed critics as being plain ugly. Ducati tried a few tweaks to make the 999 look better to no avail and, for the first year of production, existing 998 models outsold the then newly-launched 999.


Just five years later, the 999 was replaced by the Ducati 1098, which had a more conventional design and looked a lot more like an evolution of the 916. That decision probably saved Ducati, as dropping the 999 and launching the 1098 helped turn the company around."

 

[2004 999s]

Yes I am personally in no doubt, although I don't expect to persuade owners of 999's to my view! However, I think the critical consensus apart from my opinion is/was pretty clear, eg again:

"RideApart 23/08/2018

The Italians are always praised for getting styling right and making beautiful motorcycles and cars. But once in a while, they screw up and, when they do, they do it big time. Ducati had a fantastic run with the 916. It was a great performing bike and looked fabulous. Its replacement was due in the fall of 2002 and the motorcycle world held its collective breath waiting to see the Ducati 999 for the first time.


When it arrived, it wasn’t what Ducat’s customers were expecting at all. Very futuristic looking and just a bit too radical. The 999 was even described by some hard-nosed critics as being plain ugly. Ducati tried a few tweaks to make the 999 look better to no avail and, for the first year of production, existing 998 models outsold the then newly-launched 999.


Just five years later, the 999 was replaced by the Ducati 1098, which had a more conventional design and looked a lot more like an evolution of the 916. That decision probably saved Ducati, as dropping the 999 and launching the 1098 helped turn the company around."

For all the vitriol that came from Ducatisti when Pierre Terblanche debuted his Ducati 999 design, it is worth noting that the 999 maintained the sales momentum of the 998 (and actually out-sold its predecessor), despite a weaker sport bike market at the time. And before the motorcycling universe collapses in on itself like a dying star, there is also the realization that Ducati gained marketshare (perhaps the more relevant metric) with the “ugly” Ducati Superbike 999.

In fact, the 999 righted a four-year sport bike marketshare tailspin for the Bologna Brand…and yes, Terblanche’s 999 out-sold Tamburini’s original 916 by over two-to-one in first-year unit sales worldwide (continuing the trend from the 996 & 998). Not bad for a Superbike with a double-sided swingarm and stacked dual-headlights.https://www.asphaltandrubber.com/oped/ducati-superbike-first-year-sales-analysis/

 

[Sherpa23F]

Yes I am personally in no doubt, although I don't expect to persuade owners of 999's to my view! However, I think the critical consensus apart from my opinion is/was pretty clear, eg again:

"RideApart 23/08/2018

The Italians are always praised for getting styling right and making beautiful motorcycles and cars. But once in a while, they screw up and, when they do, they do it big time. Ducati had a fantastic run with the 916. It was a great performing bike and looked fabulous. Its replacement was due in the fall of 2002 and the motorcycle world held its collective breath waiting to see the Ducati 999 for the first time.


When it arrived, it wasn’t what Ducat’s customers were expecting at all. Very futuristic looking and just a bit too radical. The 999 was even described by some hard-nosed critics as being plain ugly. Ducati tried a few tweaks to make the 999 look better to no avail and, for the first year of production, existing 998 models outsold the then newly-launched 999.


Just five years later, the 999 was replaced by the Ducati 1098, which had a more conventional design and looked a lot more like an evolution of the 916. That decision probably saved Ducati, as dropping the 999 and launching the 1098 helped turn the company around."

All of that is true but the 999 has aged very well and honestly, if you find a later one with the slightly revised bodywork and the box swing arm and some one has put a different windscreen on it that removes the parking light, it's a very striking machine. And the race versions were always incredible to look at.

 

[everclear]

For all the vitriol that came from Ducatisti when Pierre Terblanche debuted his Ducati 999 design, it is worth noting that the 999 maintained the sales momentum of the 998 (and actually out-sold its predecessor), despite a weaker sport bike market at the time. And before the motorcycling universe collapses in on itself like a dying star, there is also the realization that Ducati gained marketshare (perhaps the more relevant metric) with the “ugly” Ducati Superbike 999.

In fact, the 999 righted a four-year sport bike marketshare tailspin for the Bologna Brand…and yes, Terblanche’s 999 out-sold Tamburini’s original 916 by over two-to-one in first-year unit sales worldwide (continuing the trend from the 996 & 998). Not bad for a Superbike with a double-sided swingarm and stacked dual-headlights.https://www.asphaltandrubber.com/oped/ducati-superbike-first-year-sales-analysis/

Well yes, but in that very article:

"Ducati of course returned to the good-graces of its fan base, releasing the Ducati Superbike 1098 in 2007, with a design that looked like a modernization of Tamburini’s 916. Where Terblanche’s design was avant-garde, and pushed the envelope of how far loyal Ducatisti were willing to wade into deeper two-wheeled waters, Giandrea Fabbro’s design of the 1098 was a return to safer harbors for the brand.

As we can see from the figures, the Ducati Superbike 1098 was a huge sales success for Ducati Motor Holding. Out-selling the 999 by more than double in first-year worldwide sales, the 1098 more than quadrupled the mark left by its inspiration, the 916. With 2007 being the last full-breath of the pre-recession sport bike market, Ducati had grabbed roughly 7% of the big sport bike marketshare — a record at the time for the brand."

:surprise:

 

[Jyrki]

999R wins hands down. Of course with the box swinger etc and not that cast crap they had in 2003.

 

[everclear]

Bloody hell, when I posted this poll the last thing I expected was that the best looking "R" Ducati in the lead would be the 999 :surprise:

 

[ZADSS]

Why oh WHY is the Monster there?

 

[hypermo]

Bloody hell, when I posted this poll the last thing I expected was that the best looking "R" Ducati in the lead would be the 999 :surprise:

What did you expect would happen when you pissed off the 999 crowd.

 

[Chuckracer]

'Strailians. Kick the dog and wonder why it bit. :think:

 

[SP3]

Not to nitpick here but a few clarifications.

Also, the Desmosedici isn't an R at all. It does not homologate anything for racing, which is the purpose of the R bikes.

And neither does the Monster. WTF is that even doing here? I didn't realize Ducati's marketing folks had to go so low as to come up with one. Silly (being nice).

 

[everclear]

Why oh WHY is the Monster there?

Err ... because Ducati released a 1200 "R" edition ...

https://www.ducati.com/us/en/bikes/monster/monster-1200r