The Bike That Saved Ducati

[ungeheuer]

I liked Galluzzi's anecdote about doing the first sketches while at Honda, but realizing that company would never go for the idea. 

[hbliam]

doubt it
the scale of europe helped this record. i know the club that did it.

Southern California could do it with some marketing and organization. We have had over three dozen on just a Saturday jaunt through the hills with nothing more then a week old monster ride thread.

[the_Journeyman]

I always thought those VTR250s looked like Monsters.

JM

[$Lindz$]

I like the bit about Galluzzi originally envisioning a 4V engine when he was designing it.

Makes me never ever want to get rid of my S4RS. Truly the original Monster's swan song...

[DRKWNG]

It could almost be said that the 1098 played a near equal part in saving Ducati.  Just saying...

[hbliam]

It could almost be said that the 1098 played a near equal part in saving Ducati.  Just saying...

And the 916. And the Panigale. And the new Multi. And the Diavel.

But none of them have been the workhorse sales machine as the Monster has been for 20 years. I think that's what they are trying to say.

[DRKWNG]

916 maybe, but not the more recent bikes, as Ducati really hasn't been going through dire times since the 1098 hit the market. 

[brad black]

image wise it was the 851, the greenframe of its time.  plus the somewhat controversial for the time paso design.  in the any publicity is good vein.

but in terms of sales it was the carby ss that saved them.  92 I think they sold more of them than everything else (851 and 907 only I think) combined.  it put the bikes on the street that looked sort of like the 851 and that more people could afford.

the monster certainly helped when it came out in 94, but by then the company was on its way to being a saleable commodity.  i'd say it was 95 before we started selling a lot of monsters, and the 600 certainly had a big impact.