: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.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.
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.: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.
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: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.
Perfectly fair. Will be interesting to see the results.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:
sure 'bout that?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.
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:sure 'bout that?![]()
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.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."
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."
Well yes, but in that very article: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/
What did you expect would happen when you pissed off the 999 crowd.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:
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).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.
Err ... because Ducati released a 1200 "R" edition ...Why oh WHY is the Monster there?