30th Anniversary Monster

[Mr. Dazzle]

Well if you just want to stand staring at it in your garage , fair enough, but i have ridden one and they
are great bikes.

Thing is...Ducati trade heavily on the "it's a Ducati innit?" aspect of their bikes. That's not a criticism BTW that's just an observation of how their business model works.

If it looks like A.N. Other Japanese bike they've straight away removed about 50% of the reason people buy Ducatis for a substantial premium over Japanese alternatives.

[The Spin Doctor]

Thing is...Ducati trade heavily on the "it's a Ducati innit?" aspect of their bikes.

It'll bite them in the bum soon, since many of the buyers of their premium models have grown up with, and been able to afford, entry level models. Their problem is, the age demographic of the group.

When the least expensive bike in a range is a LONG way the wrong side of £10k, they're not going to capture new riders into brand loyalty. BMW have much the same issue with just their utterly uninspired 310 single.

Interestingly Triumph have recently recognised this, and plugged their range first with the 660 triple, and now the 400 singles which have a lot of people very excited.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Bit ironic, given that the Monster was originally a cheapo parts bin special.

[The Spin Doctor]

Bit ironic, given that the Monster was originally a cheapo parts bin special.

Absolutely... AND as such it was the bike that rescued Ducati from financial difficulty...

[Horse]

Bit ironic, given that the Monster was originally a cheapo parts bin special.

With styling inspired by Marlon Brando's 'The Wild Ones' Triumph.

[The Spin Doctor]

Bit ironic, given that the Monster was originally a cheapo parts bin special.

With styling inspired by Marlon Brando's 'The Wild Ones' Triumph.

??? You're kidding, surely.

[Horse]

https://ceearedee.com/automotive/triump ... ndos-bike/

https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/n ... ti-monster

Designed by Miguel Galluzzi, who now works for Aprilia and was responsible for the design of the RSV4, ‘Il Mostro’ had a very simple concept. According to Galluzzi, “all a bike needs is a saddle, engine, two wheels, handlebars and a tank to fill with fuel…” and that’s what he based his new bike around. However it was after Massimo Bordi, who was manager of Ducati at the time, asked for a bike that looked like the machine in the famous picture of Marlon Brando in The Wild One that Galluzzi realised this concept.

[Couchy]

If it's about the riding I'd argue any of the jap middleweights with a little spent on suspension are much better.

I struggle to get on with the engine characteristics these days, I tested the new Hypermotard and the Desert X on the same day and both felt unsophisticated and tractor-like. I'm sure it must be me that's changed and not the bikes because years ago I preferred my 900SS over an IL4.

But I make you right on what you said, any budget Jap middleweight with a couple of grand thrown at suspension would probably be a much better riders bike than a £16k Monster.

I’ve ridden three models from Ducati with the 939/959 engine that’s in the desert x, hyper and supersport and it’s a rubbish twin. Nothing like the old torquey air cooled motors and not a patch on small twins from other manufacturers.

[The Spin Doctor]

https://ceearedee.com/automotive/triump ... ndos-bike/

https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/n ... ti-monster

Designed by Miguel Galluzzi, who now works for Aprilia and was responsible for the design of the RSV4, ‘Il Mostro’ had a very simple concept. According to Galluzzi, “all a bike needs is a saddle, engine, two wheels, handlebars and a tank to fill with fuel…” and that’s what he based his new bike around. However it was after Massimo Bordi, who was manager of Ducati at the time, asked for a bike that looked like the machine in the famous picture of Marlon Brando in The Wild One that Galluzzi realised this concept.

Fair do's... nowt wrong with the concept, as I'd be the first to say bikes are getting overcomplicated (though a decent top half fairing makes a bike a lot more practical in bad weather) but quite honestly Bordi must have been three sheets to the wind on Aperol spritz if he thought the design matched the brief!

[Supermofo]

For £16k I could of bought my GSXS1000 and had £8k to spend on beer.

[Mr. Dazzle]

They used to be the cheap way into Ducati and not a sportsbike. That's why

I suppose when even your flagship superbike doesn't have stereotypically Ducati features any more its pretty hard to draw a (contrived!) link.

[Mr. Dazzle]

This is totally made up guess by me, I have no evidence to support it, buuuttt....

I do wonder how much of this is down to Ducati now being part of Lamborghini (and hence ultimately VW/Audi). VAG are the absolute masters at extracting the most value from a brand and pushing it as far up market as it will stand. No-one buys a stock Lamborghini, it's all about the special editions and add ons.

[Supermofo]

I suspect PCP is the reason for the rise and rise of Ducati. They seem to be doing very well for themselves with year on year growth and good luck to them, I seem to recall their really expensive bikes are also their top sellers. I should imagine if you had to front up £20k-£25k for a V4 Multi they wouldn't be selling as many. It's all a bit like everyone driving around in BMW, Audi and Mercs nowadays rather than Astra's.

I have my old fashioned glasses on thinking, 'how much' when I see a budget middleweight costs best part of £10k. But you can see why when most people look at the £100 odd a month on PCP not the total.

Saying that chatting about Mortgages the other month (5 year fix ends at the top of the rates, touch ) the finance advisor was saying it's only recently he's started hearing 'how much will it cost me' rather than 'how much can I borrow'

[v8-powered]

After ten years living abroad and not really paying attention to people in the UK I was amazed to come back and find everyone driving new cars, particularly luxury SUVs and 4x4s.

I know what some of them do for a living and it’s not Range Rover wages, but they’re driving them. I reckon most people aren’t far off being maxed out every month, that’s why the cost of living crisis is a crisis, they’re all debted up to the eyeballs.

I was sat in a main dealer last week whilst the wife's car was being serviced, close by was a salesman dealing with a young-ish girl. She was happily signing up to a PCP deal for a new Volvo SUV at just under a £1000 a month - I was pretty much gobsmacked, she certainly didn't come across as someone with money or a great career but I may have been wrong......

[tricol]

It's all about the monthlies for people. Look at the list prices of cars. You can spec an Astra to over £40k ffs. That number is irrelevant. Wont be long before you can't own a vehicle outright. Everything will be subscription or PCP type deals.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Pushing a brand upmarket and the rise of PCP are heavily interlinked though. Why make cheap entry level bikes when you can make expensive high margin bikes which the same people buy?

[Supermofo]

After ten years living abroad and not really paying attention to people in the UK I was amazed to come back and find everyone driving new cars, particularly luxury SUVs and 4x4s.

I know what some of them do for a living and it’s not Range Rover wages, but they’re driving them. I reckon most people aren’t far off being maxed out every month, that’s why the cost of living crisis is a crisis, they’re all debted up to the eyeballs.

Yup, when my daughter was about 4 she used to do gymnastics. The Mrs usually took her but one week I took her. At the time our family car was a 7 year old Citroen. I was amazed by the car park, no other car was over 3 years old and it was RR, X5, Q5, Q7, XC90, RR, Etc. Most of the cars were £50k plus.

When I see people in the news being interviewed in nice houses, full of the latest stuff, saying a £200 a month increase is gonna push them over the edge I think about that car park.

I was sat in a main dealer last week whilst the wife's car was being serviced, close by was a salesman dealing with a young-ish girl. She was happily signing up to a PCP deal for a new Volvo SUV at just under a £1000 a month - I was pretty much gobsmacked, she certainly didn't come across as someone with money or a great career but I may have been wrong......

That's more than my mortgage On a Volvo

[Mr. Dazzle]

That's more than my mortgage On a Volvo

Baby D's school costs more than my mortgage. I've worked out before I could get a McLaren on PCP with those payments*. I try not to think about it

*would need a 30k deposite TBF!

[Horse]

*would need a 30k deposite TBF!

Sell the child?

[Count Steer]

Yup, when my daughter was about 4 she used to do gymnastics. The Mrs usually took her but one week I took her. At the time our family car was a 7 year old Citroen. I was amazed by the car park, no other car was over 3 years old and it was RR, X5, Q5, Q7, XC90, RR, Etc. Most of the cars were £50k plus.

Went shopping at 8am today, school run time for the £££ schools. Water main replacement means lights bunched everything up coming the other way so a great swathe of traffic came by and it was just like that, interspersed with 'Transits'. All the SUV stuff was driven by identikit women in big sunnies with sprog(s) in the passenger seat(s), it was like 'there's a glitch in the Matrix'. Give the kids a couple of years and they'll be insisting on being delivered to school in small electric cars.