crazy talk…!!!

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-s4DqHtlpk&feature=player_embedded

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no worries, you won’t see any of that in race trim due once the belly pan is enclosed.

re: “and the rear suspension/linkage kind of draws you in…looks complex and business like”

exactly, the business of racing.

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yup. but stay with me, it’s complicated. what you’re not seeing (more specifically haven’t been told) is the added bonus of switching to a mono/backbone frame is there’s actually more room for stuff. the absence of a wrap around frame (be it ally twin spar or trellis) means the sectional width of the bike was just narrowed by a whopping 5″ (+/- 1″) overnight…!

the width of the bike for all intents is now dictated by the width of the engine itself (more specifically the cylinder head at the rear and the radiator needed to cool it at the front). the shock couldn’t be placed on the side heretofore because there was a FRAME there. keep in mind this bike has to be viewed not in the context of “exterior decorators” sippin’ double mocha lattes down at starbucks (oh god no)…? but in the context of what is now a 30 YEAR pedigree of racing…! that’s easily 20+ years in production (this i’ve mentioned ad-nauseum before) and now spoon on the icing of a DECADE spent in the crucible of MotoGP and you’ll see what I mean. in the arena of CV’s, it’s the 1199 that is unmatched.

in short, this placement is deliberate. yet another something else marketing has dropped the ball on telling you, is with it on the side, you now have quicker access to the adjusters (less critical though with TTX). you now have basically quick change access for pulling the shock during practice and qualifying to swap spring rates, change valving, pre-load, swap out the damn shock wholesale, etc. and finally with the linkage ALSO exposed you can dial in the rising rate and adjust ride height (something critical when you have eccentric chain adjustment that inadvertently alters ride height). what all this means is ducati just gave the japanese something else to keep them up at night. stanboli of attack is all over this. if you knew the total-sum knowledge he has regarding the variety of rising rate linkages, it’d make your headspin. as some have eluded, ktm uses an underslung on the RC8 with a true V-twin layout. it’s only a 75 degree spread, but it’s even more rotated back with a traditional “wrap around” frame, as such THEY are the ones with less room. yet and still, they managed to mount the shock in the back. so ducati COULD have done it if they wanted to. the answer is, they DIDN’T WANT TO. the shock placement is now optimized… ie. for RACING…! get it…?

furthermore, with the absence of a frame, the bodywork if you notice now contours and hugs tighter almost directly against what was already the narrowest of engine configurations. the reason the seat section seems so anorexic and out of proportion with the rest of the bike is because it IS. again, the width between your thighs needn’t be much wider than the width of the V cylinder head (~6”w). the one thing I’ve always loved about the 916/996 generation of superbikes has always been the feeling like your riding the edge of a “knife blade”. not because of any feeling of pain or precision, but simply because the bike is so THIN relative to everything ‘cept for a dirtbike. A 996 is noticeably thinner thru the seat area than either the 999 or 1098 generations. well all that’s just been advanced a step further with the “pani”.

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love how the rear cyl is just visible enough…and the rear suspension/linkage kind of draws you in…looks complex and business like

I like it…… wonder how the new engine with 195 hp will manage to be rideable at street speeds…time will tell…hope its not too choppy

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