What? No 899 Discussion?

[ZxHooligan]

How can you not be impressed with a bike that will surely handle as well as the 1199, has more HP than the gsxr750 at the ground or a really well built AMA DSB bike, has the sex appeal of the panigale and will sound glorious?

The weight is only 11 pounds heavier than the 1199 and few would even notice.

What would make the bike impressive?

I'm tellin ya, I think I could possibly cut faster laps on the 899 than 1199...

I'm intrigued how could a faster lap be cut with a heavier bike and less power?

[TRMN8TR]

How can you not be impressed.....

 

$15k base price, that's how. And I don't think HP numbers are the only thing that matters or the 848 would be tearing up the DSB, but it's not.

[Tpoppa]

One thing I've always found a little confusing about Ducati is how often they change the displacement of their motors.  Japanese seem to make improvements to 600cc or 1000cc motors, where Ducati seems to want to tweak the displacement.  I think people get used to buying a certain 'class' of motorcycle.

 

Take the Monster for example.  How many motor sizes have been in the Monster?  10, 15, more?  600, 620, 650, 695, 696, 750, 795, 796, 800, etc, and that's just the smallish Monsters.

 

I kinda like the 899.  But the middleweight displacement is pretty close to the 916 superbike from not all that long ago. 

Edited September 13, 2013 by Tpoppa

[vw151]

Overall I like the new bike, mostly because I love the new design of the 1199, however I am a bit disappointed that they dropped the SSSA, I know it's not on every ducati, but I've always felt it was one of the cool trick parts that sets a ducati apart.   Having said that the 999 is one of my favorite designs of all time.  I know, contradictory.    

 

Otherwise,   I'm waiting to hear some feedback from the guys that go and track this thing.   It's always interesting to see what people like and don't like.  For instance the slow turn in of the 1098/848 vs it's predecessors and then the offset triples people started producing to correct the issue.    I am guessing the 899 has addressed this as I believe the 1199 turns in much faster than the previous bikes, but, time will tell and we will see.   If nothing else I'm sure it will sound and look sweet sitting next to any Japanese bike, the ducati's have always been good at that.   

Edited September 13, 2013 by vw151

[TRMN8TR]

One thing I've always found a little confusing about Ducati is how often they change the displacement of their motors.  Japanese seem to make improvements to 600cc or 1000cc motors, where Ducati seems to want to tweak the displacement.  I think people get used to buying a certain 'class' of motorcycle.

 

 

I'm with you on this. Makes it hard to find a "class" to race it in as well.

 

I've pretty much sworn off supersport/superbikes as street bikes. They're just not real practical for what I use them for, commuting to work, occasional rides in the twisties, etc.

 

So if I'm looking at an 899, it's going to be as a track/race bike only. $15K starting price immediately turns me away. Then I wonder...what classes will I be allowed to race this thing in? Like Brian pointed out it has more hp than a 750, so I probably won't be racing any 600 classes. The 750 class is dying off in club racing already since the GSXR is the only 750 left. That means I'm stuck racing with the 1000's and now I'm way underpowered and in the same class with the 1199. It just doesn't seem to fit anywhere.

[turnone]

I'm still curious how it is heavier with a smaller engine. How does one do that?

[Pokey]

I'm still curious how it is heavier with a smaller engine. How does one do that?

 

Full swing arm maybe?

[turnone]

Full swing arm maybe?

I always thought singles weighed the same or more since they have to be so beefy. Maybe suspension? 1199 has aluminum fork tubes.

[Tpoppa]

I'm still curious how it is heavier with a smaller engine. How does one do that?

 

It's a fair question.  There's not a huge gap in price between the 899 & 1199 base model  (15k vs 18k).  You would think that many of the same materials are used on the 899.  I'm sure the details be revealed when the reviews come out. 

[bigd]

How can you not be impressed with a bike that will surely handle as well as the 1199, has more HP than the gsxr750 at the ground or a really well built AMA DSB bike, has the sex appeal of the panigale and will sound glorious?

The weight is only 11 pounds heavier than the 1199 and few would even notice.

What would make the bike impressive?

I'm tellin ya, I think I could possibly cut faster laps on the 899 than 1199...

 

Desmo, since you're clearly on your game with the race side....a question, will the dual swingarm present a benefit to both bikes, if interchangeable (would it be strong enough for the power difference? And, i'm not too up on WSBK rules, but since the dual's in production on a smaller machine - would they then allow of sub of that part to the 1199 in that series? Just would love to see Checa (or Hayden ) back up front in that series.

[turnone]

Probable weight gainers on 899. No magnesium engine covers, no aluminum tank and heavier suspension. Does come with abs which is 5 lbs.

I have base 1199 with abs. 1199S models are supposed to be heavier overall than the base due to heavy LED headlights (heatsinks) even with the lighter wheels. Full disclosure, I've never weighed any Ducati on a real scale.

[Moto-Brian]

It's a fair question.  There's not a huge gap in price between the 899 & 1199 base model  (15k vs 18k).  You would think that many of the same materials are used on the 899.  I'm sure the details be revealed when the reviews come out.

Basically, the smaller bikes can cut faster laps at certain tracks based on several reasons. First, corner speed. Higher for smaller bikes for obvious reasons. Second, power of the big bikes make them a lot of work. Wheelies are all neato, but when under power, a big bike is doing a wheelie and then has to be rolled out of the power to get the front down to brake for the next corner, you are losing time.

It weighs 11 pounds more. That about 1-1/2 HP. You won't notice. Promise.

As for details, I can tell you everything. But, the tank is steel, subframe steel, fairing stay aluminum, etc, etc.

As far as cost goes, it's $1k more than the 675R which will be replaced soon also. As for racing, 750 class isn't dead. It exists everywhere it has for decades. That's a non issue. But, the amount of people that buy bikes for racing and even track days is so small, it's silly. It's a moot point.

The MV is going to be an 800 next year. The trumpet will be also. The Duc is an 899 twin. All will be similar.

Another way to look at it is that the Japanese really haven't revised their 600s for 5-7 years. The motor platform is really very much the same.

[Moto-Brian]

It's still FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS.

And Japanese 600s at $11-$12k is totally acceptable? The euro bikes are north of $13-$14k... Not sure why this is a sticker shock to some? Majority of our dealer base was excited that the price was essentially inline to where they had hoped and in line with the 848 Corse.

[Steve Butters]

Some good deals to be had if you can find previous model leftovers... My bike sticker was 11,700 and I got it for 8,999 as a 2012 leftover in June

They get you with all the tax registration warranty etc etc though....So you still get taken, but it eases the pain lol

[Steve Butters]

i dont mind spending a lot of money on a bike, but only if its something i will use frequent enough to justify the cost