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Wouldn't I just love if every time it was wet someone would change my tires to 100% wets like a MotoGP pit crew. Be fantastic. Unfortunately I'm just a miserable consumer and have to adapt and ride on the same tires regardless of the conditions.Wet tires for a test drive is not fair neither ^^
but as you can see on the onboard video, it was drying at the end of the morning.
Apparently you haven't done track days. Most every streetbike will feel under powered on race track straights - tracks devour horsepower. And if great top speed performance is what you want you need to be looking at Panigales, which are designed to excel in that attribute. The SS is designed to excel on the street, where mid-range torque is more important than maximum HP.Wouldn't I just love if every time it was wet someone would change my tires to 100% wets like a MotoGP pit crew. Be fantastic. Unfortunately I'm just a miserable consumer and have to adapt and ride on the same tires regardless of the conditions.
Bit of a concern in one of the comments that the author thought the bike 'ran out of puff' on the large circuit. What's HP does a Moto3 bike make? 50HP give or take a bit I believe it is. So 113hp isn't enough on a race track and only suitable for the road???? A Moto2 bike only makes 140 hp, and it's only a few seconds slower per lap than a MotoGP bike.
Aren't journalists grand >![]()
I was having a go at the 'journalist' not the bike. I say 'journalist' because so far all I've seen from these guys is a word for word 'cut and paste' from a Ducati sales brochure.Apparently you haven't done track days. Most every streetbike will feel under powered on race track straights - tracks devour horsepower. And if great top speed performance is what you want you need to be looking at Panigales, which are designed to excel in that attribute. The SS is designed to excel on the street, where mid-range torque is more important than maximum HP.
not there ^^I was having a go at the 'journalist' not the bike. I say 'journalist' because so far all I've seen from these guys is a word for word 'cut and paste' from a Ducati sales brochure.
I was expecting it to be a comfortable sports bike, as Ducati themselves say, but the reality is it’s actually very sporty. The riding position, pegs and handlebars are all pretty sporty and after three hours in the saddle I did ache a little bit, but not as much as I would have done on a sports bike. The seat’s comfortable.
To be fair, most people who do regular track days DO fit track specific tyres. Ducati fitted wet tyres only on the S versions used on the track. In the afternoon, when they rode the standard version on the road, they had normal street tyres.Wouldn't I just love if every time it was wet someone would change my tires to 100% wets like a MotoGP pit crew. Be fantastic. Unfortunately I'm just a miserable consumer and have to adapt and ride on the same tires regardless of the conditions.
Actually this isn't correct about HP. A Moto3 bike produces around 50 HP. Are you saying a Moto3 bike is unsuited to a race track because it doesn't have much HP? If not what is is suited to? It's primarily about gearing. I go to Phillip Island every year, it has a relative long straight at 900 meters. Certainly not the longest, Austin is the longest of the GP calendar at 1200 meters, but Phillip Island is toward the longer straights end of the bunch. Doesn't matter if its Moto3, 2 or GP, they all hit top gear just short of the finish line about half way down the straight because they are geared so highly. That's why they struggle to get of the line, that's why they use first and second gear in corners, highly geared.Apparently you haven't done track days. Most every streetbike will feel under powered on race track straights - tracks devour horsepower. And if great top speed performance is what you want you need to be looking at Panigales, which are designed to excel in that attribute. The SS is designed to excel on the street, where mid-range torque is more important than maximum HP.
Patrick, I think you've "hit the nail on the head" with your comments. The thing I liked best about my '99 900SS was that no system stood out to me (or overwhelmed another) when riding - it had a holistic quality where the power, handling, shifting and braking all worked together seamlessly like no other bike I've owned. That, to me, is the magic of the SS concept. From what we've heard so far, it appears Ducati has replicated that feeling in the new SS.I don't really NEED more than 113 horsepower on the streets. I imagine very few real world riders do. But some people WANT more HP, and I suppose there is nothing wrong with that. I am more interested in a bike that balances horsepower with handling, comfort and style. I don't really want a 200HP machine when I get to the mountain roads I like to travel to in the summer. I can get myself in over my head with far less power than that.![]()
Struggling to see how anyone can say the SS has better electronics than the 2017 Z1000SX. At roughly the same price point as the base SS model the 2017 model Z1000SX (sold here as the Ninja 1000) has all the same features PLUS lean angle ABS. As such surely the Z1000SX has the superior electronics.Should I trade my Z1000SX for one?
It depends what you use it for really. The Z1000SX is a fantastic bike and it's roomier and faster than the Ducati. With Ducati you’ve got more refinement, better handling, better brakes, better electronics, and great electronics. If you want something sportier go for the Ducati.
How would it compare to the Honda VFR800?
It's similar in spirit, but the VFR is much more focused on touring. This is a lot sharper but the power is probably about the same.
I could easily live with it, but I’d probably want a little bit more power.
What I'm saying is that street bikes often feel down on power when you put them on a race track, which makes sense when you think a track has to be able to handle mega-HP race machines. What may feel great on the street may feel relatively powerless on a half-mile straightaway.Actually this isn't correct about HP. A Moto3 bike produces around 50 HP. Are you saying a Moto3 bike is unsuited to a race track because it doesn't have much HP? If not what is is suited to? It's primarily about gearing. I go to Phillip Island every year, it has a relative long straight at 900 meters. Certainly not the longest, Austin is the longest of the GP calendar at 1200 meters, but Phillip Island is toward the longer straights end of the bunch. Doesn't matter if its Moto3, 2 or GP, they all hit top gear just short of the finish line about half way down the straight because they are geared so highly. That's why they struggle to get of the line, that's why they use first and second gear in corners, highly geared.
A road bike will run out of puff down the straight of a race track primarily because of how it is geared, not because of peak HP.
P.S. And yes you are correct I don't do 'track days'. I have no desire to throw hundreds of dollars down the drain playing make believe racer. If I wanted to get into racing I would do it in a serious committed way.