[ctwise]

I picked up my Sport 1000 last weekend. Haven't gotten around to registering it yet, so it is still unridden. It's winter here - but not today - 50 degrees f.

I ordered the bike almost 2 years ago when they were first offered. At that point all the photos of the prototype Sport 1000 clearly showed Ohlins suspension. As we know, only the Paul Smarts have come through with Ohlins. Have I (we) been misled? Should I be disappointed? I don't think there were any specs on the bikes in March 2004, so who is to say what I agreed to buy except what I saw in the photos.

I am not going to make a big deal out of this, but I wondered if anyone else thinks it worth fussing about.

 

[Reducs]

As a Sport owner:

I've seen this debated and can see both sides. The first brochures showed an Ohlins rear on the Sport but didn't specifically reference them in the text.

I put my deposit down 4/15/04 with the hope that it would get the same bits as the Smart, but also being realistic that if that were the case, why would the Smart list for 3k more just for a fairing and paint, even if it was to be a 'limited edition'. I went into it assuming that corners were going to be cut somewhere.

At some point, the website was updated with a rollover feature showing highlights of the bikes and Ohlins was absent from the Sport list. I can't remember when, but it did become known that the Sports weren't getting the better bits, and I was ok with that.

Should Ducati have communicated better with those that had placed deposits? Yes. I think I got one mailing in the 20 months while waiting and any info I found out was either online myself or through the dealer.

Would I like the Ohlins? Sure! And for only 3k I could put 'em on.
Did I put a deposit on a concept/show bike that was subject to change? Yup.
Did I ask for my money back when the Ohlins were dropped or switch the deposit to another bike? Nope.

Personally, the Sport is for fun, and I can live with the non-adjustable forks. If common sense had anything to do with it, the S2r1000 has better equipment and costs 1k less than the Sport. Common sense had nothing to do with my purchase!

Enjoy!

 

[drewogatory]

My dealer was more than happy to cut me a serious discount on the Ohlins when I expressed my severe unhappiness with the suspension as delivered. I ended up with the ohlins front and rear and the termi 2 into 1,plus a 14t cs sprocket for just a hair less than the Smart.