[pdad13]

I like it. I think it does a nice job of blending the overall lines of the 916-998 with the 999 and contemporary touches. And it still definitely looks like a Duc.



Then again, I never really disliked the 999. It didn't look like the 916, but in person--and taken in its own right--it had a lot going for it.



I wonder what the designer on this project felt when he was assigned it. Excitement or dread? On one hand, anything that is hailed as an improvement on the 999 will be considered a success. On the other hand, every Ducati superbike until the end of time will be compared to the 916. And even the most successful designs will be dismissed by many because it's "not a 916," a bike which, frankly, for all its beauty, has taken on a somewhat exaggerated legendary status.

 

[pdad13]

Yes, agreed. I fell in love with the original 916 way back in '94. But there is sort of an unattainable catch-22 standard set in the minds of a lot of people. If a new Ducati design resembles the 916, people will call it a lesser copy. If it doesn't look enough like the 916, then people say they should have made it look more like one. It's really a no-win situation for the designer.



My point is that maybe we should try to take the new bike on its own merits while we continue to appreciate the original. It's not a mutually exclusive perspective.