Comments on: Could Rossi Still Switch to Honda Next Year? (News)

By: Norm G.

Norm G. — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 17:41:00 +0000

re: “People who are satisfied rarely talk about it as much as those who are disappointed.”

and there it is. content crowds are “silent” crowds. who knew…? well ‘cept maybe dave.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 11:59:32 +0000

Sales are up YTD but against what? They have been struggling terribly and just changed hands for the second time in a decade? NA being their biggest market could be a function of how tough the economy is in other markets as well, not necessarily growth in NA. For all the things us moto-purists like about Ducati they have not been a picture of business success for it.

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By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 09:40:31 +0000

You are probably right about that, Mickey. The guys at Motorcyclist, especially, all seem to get cubbies every time Ducati releases a new model. But you have to give their stylists credit. Most of them are attractive, and also I have to credit them for introducing new models when other companies pulled in their reins.

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By: mickey

mickey — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 22:25:32 +0000

I tend to think it is more due to the fact of every moto mag gushing with praise every time a new Ducati model is released. My son bought one due to that and has been less than pleased. He won’t be buying another.

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By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 22:01:09 +0000

With all due respect, you can’t seriously believe increased sales are primarily the result of Rossi finishing middle to back of the pack on his Ducati. I believe Ducati’s sales success has more to do with the new bikes they’ve come out with the past 2 years. The Italians do understand style. While Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki have been slow coming out with new models due to the world wide recessioon, the brands that have introduced new products have benefitted with market share gains. Triumph, BMW, Kawasaki and Ducati didn’t panic in terms of development and it has paid off. Very few people would buy ducati’s just because of who rides them. Now if Rossi was winning on Sundays…then I’d be willing to concede he’s had a large impact on Ducati sales, but he’s not even been competitiive. I’m a big Rossi fan. He’s my favorite rider. I would love to see him be successful again. My comment was not a cut at Rossi, but rather a statement indicating that Ducati has to be as disappointed with him as he’s been with Ducati.

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By: mickey

mickey — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 18:25:59 +0000

Really? …. people are so happy with it they don’t want to express their pleasure, or say how exciting or close the racing was. Wow, that’s a new one for me.

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By: Norm G.

Norm G. — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 17:51:56 +0000

re: “he needs to show more class than a James Stewart, to fulfill his obligation without a bunch of drama and whining”

that sword cuts both ways… what of the obligation ducati and the sponsors have to fulfill…? 3 and 4 months for engine and chassis updates that only keep getting pushed back…? rest assured none of this is in the contract they BOTH signed. there’s no “at will” employment going on at this level like the rest of us schmucks are subject to.

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By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 17:45:48 +0000

People who are satisfied rarely talk about it as much as those who are disappointed. Most of the Moto GP discussion has been about riders failing to live up to their billing and what’s wrong with Moto GP in general.

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By: Norm G.

Norm G. — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 17:38:07 +0000

re: “They’ve not exactly gotten their money’s worth.”

sales are up YTD on expensive bikes during a recession and for the first time north america has become ducati’s #1 market.

i’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you simply missed that announcement, rather than assume you are deliberately leaving out information so as to make your point.

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By: Norm G.

Norm G. — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 17:30:24 +0000

re: “Solution: find more sponsors.”

you have your “cart” in front of your “horse” my friend. the solution is for us to FIRST demonstrate our willingness as motorcycle consumers to COME OFF THE DIME. only once we have shown ourselves to be a demographic worth targeting…? then (AND ONLY THEN) will we find more sponsors. shooting fish in a barrel this.

2 reason brands like visa, cheerios, geico, and M&M’s sponsor nascar and spend multi-millions on superbowl commercials is because #1, those entertainment outlets appeal to 97% of the population and #2, the “fan-sumers” of THOSE sports don’t begrudge the associated businesses a profit. compare/contrast that to what WE do representing only 3% of the population…? in our minds “ice skating up hill” is something to do.

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