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Ducati 999R
This is the link between standard production
bikes and the racing world. With the best that technology can offer, it
stands out thanks to even more advanced technical solutions, starting with a
high performance big bore/short stroke Testastretta engine, producing even
higher RPM limits and 139 Hp. The rear shock absorber and fork are by Öhlins, adjustable for pre-load, plus rebound and compression damping. The 43 millimetre diameter fork stanchions have undergone a titanium-nitride treatment for improved suspension response and the special front fork lowers allow the mounting of the radial callipers. The Brembo Marchesini wheels are made from an aluminium alloy that is forged in a process that is the same as used for the production of racing wheels, creating a wheel of higher torsional rigidity and lower weight. The Testastretta engine fitted in the 999R chassis is
especially designed for track use and makes 139 HP at 10.000 RPM with 11 kgm
of torque at 8.000 RPM. The 999R is delivered to the customer complete with
a kit for track use only. It includes a Termignoni 102 Db exhaust, with
horizontal rear half-manifold without catalytic converter and a dedicated
electronic control unit, which reduces weight by three kilos (6.6 lbs.)
while improving performance.
Review
Lots of people have argued long and hard that limited editions,
no matter how special the extras, how limited the production run and how
ostensibly desirable the result has been, they are never worth the price premium
they inevitably attract. And I’ve always been a vociferous supporter of that
logic. I mean, look at the Ducati 999R for example. Sure, so it’s got some good
quality bits tacked on, but at the end of the day it’s just a basic biposto with
some frills and a price tag almost twice that of the standard machine. And as
such, it can’t possibly be worth it.
There is a Ducati trademark. They make a horrible, dry rattling
noise when running. A by-product of the dry clutch that almost all of the
Bologna machines carry as standard. Now under normal circumstances, clutch
rattle is the loudest thing you’ll hear on a Ducati, at least one supplied for
road test. Because Ducati are very good and only give us bikes to test that are
exactly as the customer would receive them. The 999R is a slight exception to
this rule. The bike as we received it is still in standard customer spec, it’s
true. But the 999R comes with two different exhausts – a standard wheezy and
restrictive affair stuffed full of catalytic converters and baffle plates, and,
um, the other one. The test bike came with the other one fitted. Quiet, discreet
and subtle it is not. But the enormous carbon resonator box of the Termignoni
system that comes as standard with the ‘R sounds simply fantastic and drowns out
the unpleasant mechanical clatter quite nicely. It’s one of those noises that,
despite our certainty that it is totally illegal in terms of volume, provokes no
more than an amused and indulgent smile from everyone who encounters it. I rode
down to Hastings, bastion of the blue-rinse, and parked up outside a coffee shop
on the seafront. Lots and lots of elderly folk saw and heard me arrive and many
of them walked last and looked at the bike. And not one of them tutted, shook
their heads or looked disapproving. Likewise the pair of West Sussex’ finest in
their Volvo patrol car. It’s a bike that you simply can’t object to.
So we know that the Ducati 999R gives you the social acceptability of Terry
Waite and Kylie Minogue rolled into one. Which on it’s own is worth the asking
price. But it gets better.
And letting her rip on the road is an almost instant way to say goodbye to your
licence, liberty and possibly life. More on that later. For now, let’s look at
the riding experience.
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Any corrections or more information on these motorcycles will be kindly appreciated. |