[loony888]

why cant you get your hands on a v4r?

Sometimes, a bike like the V4R is reserved for people with a racing license...and I don't mean a WERA Club license.

And sometimes a Resume is required to accompany the copy of the racing license before the importer will release the bike to a dealer.

(This information is 25 years old and YMMV)
[/QUOTE]

Nah, nothing like that, they're sold out here though......

and as much as i would have chosen that over an S, they're not really a road bike, the S wasn't limited enough for me to lose the 1098R for and the V4R, as nice as it is, didn't really do it for me. The SP though, ticks all my boxes, and i expect it to be easier to ride fast than my 1098R which, to be fair is a bit of a brute of a thing.....

 

[Dukerdr]

Nah, nothing like that, they're sold out here though......

and as much as i would have chosen that over an S, they're not really a road bike, the S wasn't limited enough for me to lose the 1098R for and the V4R, as nice as it is, didn't really do it for me. The SP though, ticks all my boxes, and i expect it to be easier to ride fast than my 1098R which, to be fair is a bit of a brute of a thing.....

Are they selling the R to anyone who walks in with a wheelbarrow full of money?

As a road bike, I'm sure the S suspension on the SP will be more enjoyable than the Ohlins on the R...
.

 

[HNMTS1200]

Are they selling the R to anyone who walks in with a wheelbarrow full of money?

Yep. My local dealer's trying to lure me to get a 20.

 

[loony888]

Are they selling the R to anyone who walks in with a wheelbarrow full of money?

As a road bike, I'm sure the S suspension on the SP will be more enjoyable than the Ohlins on the R...
.

Yep, sure are, Ducati have only pulled their ferrari elitist type bullshit on the Superleggera i believe, the Desmosedici could be bought by anyone, and here in OZ the dealers were discounting those because (so i've been reliably told) they were just shipped one and their floorplan payment on the bike was crippling...

The release for the SP says exactly that about the suspension, saying it's a perfect track bike for an "Amateur" rider because the engine is easier to use and the electronic suspension is easier to ride than the manual ohlins that needs a pro to get the best from.
I'm assuming their definition of amateur is an experienced rider who does track days vs a paid professional racer.... I can't imagine a newly licensed rider being their target audience....
I tend to agree, the dry clutch is sexy, so are the carbon wings, satin black bodywork and carbon rims. It's definitely time for me to upgrade and i've just ordered a plate to suit LOL

 

[Sherpa23F]

Yep, sure are, Ducati have only pulled their ferrari elitist type bullshit on the Superleggera i believe, the Desmosedici could be bought by anyone, and here in OZ the dealers were discounting those because (so i've been reliably told) they were just shipped one and their floorplan payment on the bike was crippling...

The release for the SP says exactly that about the suspension, saying it's a perfect track bike for an "Amateur" rider because the engine is easier to use and the electronic suspension is easier to ride than the manual ohlins that needs a pro to get the best from.
I'm assuming their definition of amateur is an experienced rider who does track days vs a paid professional racer.... I can't imagine a newly licensed rider being their target audience....
I tend to agree, the dry clutch is sexy, so are the carbon wings, satin black bodywork and carbon rims. It's definitely time for me to upgrade and i've just ordered a plate to suit LOL

Just a quick clarification: when the Desmosedici was announced, they did not know how many they were going to make. They gave preference to anybody who bought a 999R new. But then in the meetings with the regional managers around the world, they upped how many they were going to make and end up making 1500. They initially thought they could do 500. If you ever go back and read all the notes on the development on the D16RR you get an appreciation for how incredible it is that Ducati built it. And they said that if they had to do it again, the only thing they would change is to raise the price to over €100k.

I have written both the V4R and the V4S on the track. I’ve even ridden a V4S race bike that is essentially every bit as tricked out as the V4SP with the exception of a custom exhaust (it’s over 210hp at the wheel too). I get what Ducati is trying to do.

The R is not more difficult to ride on the track than the S but it is more difficult to set up properly and the R motor is definitely more high strung and much more focused than the 1100cc motor. If you wanted to get the most versatile bike that is the easiest to dial out and use in the most situations, including various tracks, the SP would fit that bill.

I think when they say “amateur” it’s less about the riders ability and more about their understanding of the suspension set ups and their ability to dial the bike in on their own.

For the record, they are all terrifyingly fast. Like so so fast. Like it shouldn’t be legal for someone to be able to walk into a dealership and buy one of these fast.

My opinion only.

 

[loony888]

Interesting you say that about the price, there was such a massive disparity between the price paid by those who preordered their bikes (full retail) and those who benefited from dealers stuck paying floorpan, i know a guy with one, he bought his at a 20% discount, which for a long time set the resale price second hand quite low over here. I'd hate to be one of the guys who preordered and paid full price.... I think it shows how greedy Ducati can be at the expense of their dealers and ultimately the buying public if they say they should have charged more, especially in hindsight of how they were received, they're not fools, and i bet they cost an awful lot to build but still.....

I've ridden a V4S and a V4R and the motor is definitely more highly strung on the R, The S by comparison felt quite torquey and smooth, the R was frenetic, busy and took a lot of focus. I only rode them on the street and the R suspension was definitely not suited to the road, at least out of the box anyway. I don't know how you can say that it's not more difficult to ride, to me it certainly is. And while the SP may be intended for the track, mine will likely spend all of it's time on the road, I nearly bought an R, the S wasn't special enough at the time, i'm glad i held off.

 

[anggarda]

The SP is a special moniker right folks?
Please correct me if, I'm wrong.
but the 1198SP, that was the last long stroke , belt driven, trellis frame bike, was it not?
Was it then deserving of an SP nomenclature?

 

[loony888]

Both my bikes are sold, my V4SP is on order, deposit paid, WooHoo! june is a loooong way away..............

 

[Sherpa23F]

Congratulations, Looney. I just spent a session at the track ripping around on a V4S and comparing it to the V4R and I started pondering the virtues of the upcoming SP. Ultimately, I think that the SP is going to be a wonderful bike and you will absolutely love it.

Furthermore, it's a good thing that you have your order locked in because I suspect that they may be a touch more limited than people expect.

 

[motolectric]

FWIW, when I was talking to the sales manager of the local Duc dealership (about 8-9 months ago) he stated that only the high-end V4 were really selling. That the lower-priced model pretty much just sat around and many riders (who were a buyer) stepped up to the S and R.

If you know how product sales work, - that means that there were some potential buyers who would want the cachet of a high-end model but who could not afford an S or R.

And that means they would buy the (possibly lower priced) high-end model of another maker for the exclusiveness.

So by building a desirable SP model they can capture some of those sales.

Also, from what I had always heard, SP denoted Special Production which is what this model seems to be.

- While we're at it, I am looking for someone with a V4 (any designation) who would like a little more pop in the low end and a little less vibration. DM/PM me if this sounds interesting to you.

Thanks,

M./

 

[loony888]

FWIW, when I was talking to the sales manager of the local Duc dealership (about 8-9 months ago) he stated that only the high-end V4 were really selling. That the lower-priced model pretty much just sat around and many riders (who were a buyer) stepped up to the S and R.

If you know how product sales work, - that means that there were some potential buyers who would want the cachet of a high-end model but who could not afford an S or R.

And that means they would buy the (possibly lower priced) high-end model of another maker for the exclusiveness.

So by building a desirable SP model they can capture some of those sales.

Also, from what I had always heard, SP denoted Special Production which is what this model seems to be.

- While we're at it, I am looking for someone with a V4 (any designation) who would like a little more pop in the low end and a little less vibration. DM/PM me if this sounds interesting to you.

Thanks,

M./

Interesting theory, but it doesn't really apply here, the SP is priced higher than an S, not quite the cost of an R though.

As it should with it's spec.

 

[Sherpa23F]

Interesting theory, but it doesn't really apply here, the SP is priced higher than an S, not quite the cost of an R though.

As it should with it's spec.

Exactly. The SP is about $10k USD more than the S and actually a touch more than what a dealer will sell you a leftover V4R for right now.

If you add up all the parts, it's actually a pretty nice deal, price-wise. And as I mentioned earlier, it's well differentiated from the SL in a variety of ways. They took the less expensive S and put on a series of top notch parts aimed at technical superiority and not just nice looks. It's makes for a very nice package and a better bike and I could see a fortunate person opting to own both the SL and SP as it could give you some really nice versatility.

 

[Namor]

They should have made the SP version look good and try something different. We have more than enough performance available these days and the customer has only good options for SBKs.

Get rid of the wings b/c hey are hysterical on a production machine. They should be snap on/off pieces if Ducati just has to have them. Then, smooth out the lines and get rid of the gills that everyone made fun of when the 1000RR came out, get rid that horizontal exhaust that looks like constipation. (since the 1199) Tidy up the machine and provide us with something other than a Ducati-RSV4.

 

[loony888]

They should have made the SP version look good and try something different. We have more than enough performance available these days and the customer has only good options for SBKs.

Get rid of the wings b/c hey are hysterical on a production machine. They should be snap on/off pieces if Ducati just has to have them. Then, smooth out the lines and get rid of the gills that everyone made fun of when the 1000RR came out, get rid that horizontal exhaust that looks like constipation. (since the 1199) Tidy up the machine and provide us with something other than a Ducati-RSV4.

They already did that with the "Speciale". VERY nice tricolour paint job on that (did it come with a full Akro as well??) but way over the top price wise for what you got IMHO.

The wings are removable, Ducati even make infills to bolt in where they mount if that's your preference. All v4's have them now, even the base model, but only CF on the SP and R. The SL has some crazy wing layout that's exclusive to that bike, which, while it is drop dead gorgeous, I just don't see the value in, although i'm sure it's there, CF and titanium all over the thing.....
The SP does look good, i think it's easily the best bike in the range, as a Ducati nut (Ducatista?) for the best part of 28 years now i have always disliked red bikes, my 888 is red, but my others have been yellow, Blue, silver or white, I painted a Monster Purple once....or TB colours. I'm a bit bored with seeing red bikes and it's one of the reasons i didn't buy an R or S before now....

 

[vanduc996]

Both my bikes are sold, my V4SP is on order, deposit paid, WooHoo! june is a loooong way away..............

I don't know about you, but the older I get the quicker time seems to slip on by..
You may have found a way of slowing time down. Purchase a highly desirable item that can't be physically had for a significant period of time down the road!

 

[Sherpa23F]

The wings are removable, Ducati even make infills to bolt in where they mount if that's your preference. All v4's have them now, even the base model, but only CF on the SP and R. The SL has some crazy wing layout that's exclusive to that bike, which, while it is drop dead gorgeous, I just don't see the value in, although i'm sure it's there, CF and titanium all over the thing.....
...

I have mentioned it before I got them to make me a Superleggera without the wings. They made me special block offs out of carbon and painted to match. I received pics some time ago and they look awesome.

I don’t like the giant wings.

 

[vanduc996]

Btw loony, have you decided on an exhaust for your new Precious?

 

[loony888]

Btw loony, have you decided on an exhaust for your new Precious?

Yep, I'm having the dealer fit the full Titanium Akrapovic............

no need for half measures LOL

 

[Ductor_J]

Yep, I'm having the dealer fit the full Titanium Akrapovic............

no need for half measures LOL

Looney is your bike confirmed? I am located in Norcal and I have 4 deposits with local dealers an none of them have comfirmed me 100% i am getting one. I am #2 on the deposit spots on most of them.

 

[Sherpa23F]

Looney is your bike confirmed? I am located in Norcal and I have 4 deposits with local dealers an none of them have comfirmed me 100% i am getting one. I am #2 on the deposit spots on most of them.

Apparently it's highly limited. I think that only 90 or so will make it to the US and a lot of dealers will be left out in the cold. That said, the dealers who do have a confirmed allocation will in fact be able to confirm your spot.