696 has 0.5 trellis ... D16 GP9 has 0.0

[jagstang]

As stated before, the great things about carbon are customization and duplication.  You can get good feedback, stiffness, damping, etc.  It's all variable. 

[Norm]

In theory.
It's been tried in motorcycles and bicycles in the past, with very limited success. With steel, you can not only tune the flex, but the feel as well.

[junior varsity]

To meet weight requirements, it would be convenient to be able to place the weights were you want them from track to track to best cope with particularly tricky turns, etc.

[MendoDave]

You could make it light enough to have one of those weights be an on board starter.

If Casey had stalled the bike last weekend he wouldn't have got 2nd.

[PizzaMonster]

It's called progress.  I'm glad to see Ducati leading rather than following in the GP world.

The street is another thing.  I still think the old trellis frame is a bit of Ducati heritage.  Besides...it's what makes a Monster a Monster.

Hmmmmmm.....    Maybe if it spreads to the street bikes Ducati can just paint a trellis onto the carbon fiber for guys like me and "the ron"   

[Bill in OKC]

I guess this means the 1098 is already an outdated turd

[Templar]

I doubt we will ever see a carbon fiber monocoque on a production bike.  CF subframes have been used in racing for what' 15 years now and there is only one production bike I am aware of that has one and it costs $72,000.  We have yet to see a V4 Ducati other than that same $72,000 motorcycle.

As far as CF framework being used with questionable results in motorcycling and bicycling, I can't think of any motorcycles that have attepted it in a very long time and the technology has changed, but a certain Texan has seven Tour de'France wins with a carbon fiber Trek. 

[jagstang]

Since virtually every bike raced by top teams in cycling (mountain or road) is carbon, I wouldn't call it limited success.  Additionally, the notion that carbon is a "dead material" in terms of feedback is BS.  One of my road race bikes is so damn stiff that the ride might actually be harsher than aluminum.  As mentioned earlier, the beauty of CF is that you can make it function however you want it to.  It can be stiff, compliant, communicative, dead, or combinations in different directions.  In short, carbon is the bombdiggity, and I'm stoked to see it used as a MotoGP frame, even moreso in a Ducati!

[Templar]

Here is a link to a nice article that explains exactly the benefits Carbon Fiber may offer to Ducati as a frame.

http://bottpower.com/eng/?p=38

[Raux]

Wonder what a carbon fiber pipe trellis frame would look like. you could have titanium connectors and carbon pipes. imagine how light the frame would be!

[jagstang]

Wonder what a carbon fiber pipe trellis frame would look like. you could have titanium connectors and carbon pipes. imagine how light the frame would be!

Ti lugs with carbon tubes...