Falling out of love

Just back from Phakisa to test the new K7, R1, blade, ZX-10 and the Ducati 1098 S. Unfortunately you will have to find the July edition of the magazine for the verdict. I wont tell you here.

But as a self-proclaimed Ducati lover (without ever riding one), I want to talk about the 1098S we had. It is the 4^th Ducati we had on test since I started almost three months ago now. And I am afraid the 1098 cements the new sentiment I have developed for the brand. 

It was the Ducati 1098S worth R207 900, double the price of the jap bikes. The S comes with Ohlin suspension, and without it, the 1098 goes for R166 500. What was amazing was how silly the jap bikes made the duke feel, mainly because of its price. U can get on any of the jap bikes and be fast and comfortable. The duke u have to spend time setting up and get used to; and if you don’t know what you are doing, forget it – it makes things worse. Of course, it is also impractical – u cant use it everyday, it really is a Sunday bike. Not that usability is the point, its just that the duke didn’t feel all that special. Different, but not special, and certainly not worth double the price. U can get an Aprilia at jap-bike money and have something different. Or a Triumph for that matter. Like I said before, I don’t think I actually get the Ducati thing. Or maybe I do and don’t agree with it. 

A Merc, Audi or even Lamborghini and Ferrari you can see why you pay more than other cars. In the bike world, I can only talk about BMW (and I think even BMW is pushing it sometimes!) as that is the only other premium brand I have ridden so far (can’t wait for an MV). But why do you pay extra for on a Ducati. The heritage? Design? Build quality and reliability is certainly not it. 

I suspect it is like Harley Davidson. A Harley is not a better cruiser than say, a 1700 Road Star. But it has history and – that word again – heritage. The build quality on a V-rod is miserable, but people buy them because of a particular lifestyle. It is not a rational choice. And that lifestyle comes at a premium. So it is also a reflection of your class. 

I think there is also an implicit assumption that anything from Japan can’t have heritage and style and therefore cost more. Dunno about that! When was the last time a European manufacturer won a MotoGP championship? And Ducati is so worried about WSB, it is howling for a capacity increase for twins again. 

And anyone that says a RC30 does not exude heritage needs to be shot; or that an R7 is not exclusive (and expensive), or that an R1 is not pretty. I think there are more MV Agusta’s than R7 and RC30’s combined by now. And what of the NR750? That was actually the bike that influenced the design of the 916, but don’t dare tell that to a Ducati fan. 

And it used to be my favourite brand.