Ducati 848. Big mistake?

[katana0215]

I saw the 848 today at a dealership. My first impressions.

The one I saw was red. The paint sucked. It was orange-peeled.
The front fender sucks
No steering damper sucks
It's only 11lb lighter than a 1098 and not much cheaper for the big bag 'o' horsepower you lose.


Hence my poll.

I havent seen a 1098 yet that didnt have orange peel in the paint. The bikes are a great concept, but the finish is terrible

[highsider]

It is what it is. The 916/748 was the same thing. Ducati's not exactly struggling guys. Whine all you want about how the japanese bikes are better and cheaper. You're not the target market. This model will fill out their model line. They won't over produce it, and they'll make good money on it.

You guys should be happy. You get a better product for less money. For some reason, though, you won't be satisfied for more than a year or two with your product. Something tells me these Ducs will remain unchanged and highly successful both in the dealerships and on the track for a good long while...

Exactly.

One thing that Ducati and Harley have in common is that they sell every bike they make with very little spent on advertising and marketing (at least in comparison to other brands).

People will buy this bike not because it does anything better than any other bike, but because its the bike they want.

[Degsy]

heh. this thread is funny. FYI 1098 is 16k in 2008 so the 848 is actually 3k less. I took at 848 up Hwy 84 yesterday, huge smile.

I could reply to every single 'gripe' with logic and reason but I know it's a waste of my time. I am a bit surprised by some of your comments Derek, you are savvier than that...

(will say the Factory fucked up and some bikes didn't get Clear Coated, hence weird paint. The red one sitting in my garage right now has flawless red paint. All the blems will be fixed ASAP)

Gripe? Alex, you got me all wrong.

No, I'm just speculating that the bike is a strategic mistake. What I mean by that is that Ducati have two bikes (both great) in a small sector of the market (the 12-18k sector inhabited by Benelli, Ducati, Aprilia etc) and the bikes are very similar in weight, but with one having much less HP and a few of the nice touches missing (the steering damper is an example).

I'm just speculating as to who the target market is for this bike? The younger rider who is looking for exclusivity or the savvy older buyer who knows that 848cc is 'enough'? As far as handling is concerned, as a track rider you have to go for the 1098 for 2k more with more HP and only 11lb heavier. For 3k more (as I was corrected, thanks :-)) it is more understandable.

I hadn't heard of a paint issue that was to be addressed. I just noticed the paint looked a little bad (not even close to 999 standard).

As for bashing or griping. Absolutely not. There was a reason I went to the 848 dealer launch event ;-)

derek

[a13x]

Ah. No worries then. I may have been getting some comments confused with what I read on some other forums.

848 is a smaller, cheaper alternative to the 1098. It will appeal to not only those who were intimidated by the 1098's power, price, and prestige, but also to those who have never experienced a Ducati before (600RR owners and the like).

Yamaha - R6, R1
Honda - 600RR, 1000RR
Kawi - ZX6, ZX10
Suzuki - 600, 1000
Ducati - 848, 1098

[ChR1s]

2008 Ducati 848 - First Ride - MotorcycleUSA.com

[Crash Dummy Denno]

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[a13x]

I'm reminded of all the 1098 chatter last year. Had a good conversation with Sean Clarke of WERA this morning about this topic. The 848, just as the 1098 was, IS NOT a magic bullet. Will they compete head-to-head with the Jap OEM's, yup, will they come across as MotoGP bikes in a 125cc shootout NO.

Daytona 675 is a real solid bike, the problem with that situation isn't the product..