Tom Cruise to take delivery of 1st Ducati Desmosedici RR

[LDRydr]

And exactly how does one pronounce Desmosedici, my Italian is a little rusty.

My guess and how I say it : dez-moe-see-dee-chee

I'd say dez-moe-seh-dee-chee

Sounds like the stuff I eat on tostadas when I'm in Mexico, suh-vee-chee. Yum! I few of those and a few San Migel's on the beach and you can almost imagine you're rich and famous.

 

[Barabus]

I would be pissed if I were the "actual" first person on the list and some no talent ******** like Cruise gets my bike.

 

[RiderCoach Lar]

A few weeks ago I walked into the local Ducati dealer and told him I wanted to be the first guy in America to get one of those. He started laughing uncontrollably. At first I just figured he thought I was some idiot who had no idea how much they were and probably couldn't afford it. Obviously, it was because he knew Tom Cruise already had dibs...

.....or was it :blink:

 

[LDRydr]

A few weeks ago I walked into the local Ducati dealer and told him I wanted to be the first guy in America to get one of those. He started laughing uncontrollably. At first I just figured he thought I was some idiot who had no idea how much they were and probably couldn't afford it. Obviously, it was because he knew Tom Cruise already had dibs...
.....or was it :blink:

Did you walk in wearing shorts, tank-top and flip-flops? :bike: If you didn't then we can be pretty sure he knew you weren't serious.

 

[Old Michael]

That makes me SO depressed. Anybody got a spare Prozac?

ZZZZZing! :lol:

 

[Jagermeister]

That makes me SO depressed. Anybody got a spare Prozac?

ZZZZZing! :lol:

OOOOOH.....I just got the Brooke Shields bit. :lol:

 

[LDR]

I think tommy Boy actually is buying the DesRR. He put in his order the day they were announced to the public at Beverly Hills Ducati.

According to Ducati, he has a real fetish for Italian bikes. Hopefully Ducati will make him a pair of custom race boots with high heels on them so he can touch the ground!

 

[uctofeej]

I think tommy Boy actually is buying the DesRR. He put in his order the day they were announced to the public at Beverly Hills Ducati. According to Ducati, he has a real fetish for Italian bikes. Hopefully Ducati will make him a pair of custom race boots with high heels on them so he can touch the ground!

Yeah, yeah. He's got a fetish for a lot of things.

 

[LDRydr]

Yeah, yeah. He's got a fetish for a lot of things.

I need some fetish's like his:

 

[Cdogman]

GUNNY!!!

 

[uctofeej]

Yeah, yeah. He's got a fetish for a lot of things.

I need some fetish's like his:

C'mon, we all know those are just props for his image. I was thinking it probably more along the lines of women's shoes and slinkys.

 

[beemerdons]

LDRydr: Thanks for the link to the 2008 Ducati's! What really caught my eye while browsing their website is that Ducati has completely dropped the Sport Touring lineup from the new bike offerings. For years, their direct competition to our own Yamaha FJR 1300's have been the Ducati ST3 and ST3 S ABS. And before that was the ST4 and before that was the ST2.

Perhaps Ducati realized they just couldn't compete with our FJR's in the Sport Touring segment. ST's were very nice bikes!

 

[FZ/FJR Mike]

LDRydr: Thanks for the link to the 2008 Ducati's! What really caught my eye while browsing their website is that Ducati has completely dropped the Sport Touring lineup from the new bike offerings. For years, their direct competition to our own Yamaha FJR 1300's have been the Ducati ST3 and ST3 S ABS. And before that was the ST4 and before that was the ST2.
Perhaps Ducati realized they just couldn't compete with our FJR's in the Sport Touring segment. ST's were very nice bikes!

Feeling I get is they're working on a new model ST probably with 1098 derived motor. You're right, that was a great bike with more emphasis on sport than touring. I doubt if Duc will stay out of the ST market for long. Simply a hiatus much like Yamaha is doing with the V-Max.

 

[Fred W]

LDRydr: Thanks for the link to the 2008 Ducati's! What really caught my eye while browsing their website is that Ducati has completely dropped the Sport Touring lineup from the new bike offerings. For years, their direct competition to our own Yamaha FJR 1300's have been the Ducati ST3 and ST3 S ABS. And before that was the ST4 and before that was the ST2.
Perhaps Ducati realized they just couldn't compete with our FJR's in the Sport Touring segment. ST's were very nice bikes!

I've always felt the Duck ST's were more aimed at the SPORT-touring (chain driven) bikes like the Triumph Sprint, Honda Interceptor, Suzuki Bandit, Aprilia Futura etc. rather than the Super-Sport-Touring bikes like the FJR, ST1300, BMW K1200GT and new Concours.

Maybe their next offering will be an SST? That sure would be interesting. I wonder if Ducati would ever consider making a shaftie ST?

 

[beemerdons]

Maybe their next offering will be an SST? That sure would be interesting. I wonder if Ducati would ever consider making a shaftie ST?

Fred W and FZ/FJR Mike: That would be sweet to have the 1098 motor in a Ducati Super-Sport-Touring Bike! Sign me up!

Whenever I've looked closely at Ducati, and then at my Big Twin and Sportster Harley's, I've wondered why a not belt drive!

https://www.ducati-upnorth.com/forum/photop...o.php?photo=107

 

[FJRMGM]

Tommy boy going for a ride with L. Ron??

 

[Checkswrecks]

LDRydr: Thanks for the link to the 2008 Ducati's! What really caught my eye while browsing their website is that Ducati has completely dropped the Sport Touring lineup from the new bike offerings. For years, their direct competition to our own Yamaha FJR 1300's have been the Ducati ST3 and ST3 S ABS. And before that was the ST4 and before that was the ST2.
Perhaps Ducati realized they just couldn't compete with our FJR's in the Sport Touring segment. ST's were very nice bikes!

I've always felt the Duck ST's were more aimed at the SPORT-touring (chain driven) bikes like the Triumph Sprint, Honda Interceptor, Suzuki Bandit, Aprilia Futura etc. rather than the Super-Sport-Touring bikes like the FJR, ST1300, BMW K1200GT and new Concours.

Maybe their next offering will be an SST? That sure would be interesting. I wonder if Ducati would ever consider making a shaftie ST?

Tommy won't appreciate what he has or ride it like it should be ridden.

I came to the FJR from the ST2 in my avatar and loved the bike. Ducati came to realize that they were constrained in how many bikes they could produce and price-constrained by the competition. For a while they looked at buying the Guzzi line for the shaft and less aggressive side of the market but the Italians are just horrible at business plans and finance, so that fell through. The ST series wasn't giving them enough margin and the die-hards are moving on to their other lines - mostly Monsters and 'Stradas. Despite the ugly face, Stradas are based on the ST frame and a blast to ride. I'd love to see the ST series return, but doubt it will be anytime soon.

 

[SacramentoMike]

How could Nicole Kidman and that Ducati be in the same photo set as them other mutts?

 

[Fred W]

Tommy won't appreciate what he has or ride it like it should be ridden. I came to the FJR from the ST2 in my avatar and loved the bike. Ducati came to realize that they were constrained in how many bikes they could produce and price-constrained by the competition. For a while they looked at buying the Guzzi line for the shaft and less aggressive side of the market but the Italians are just horrible at business plans and finance, so that fell through. The ST series wasn't giving them enough margin and the die-hards are moving on to their other lines - mostly Monsters and 'Stradas. Despite the ugly face, Stradas are based on the ST frame and a blast to ride. I'd love to see the ST series return, but doubt it will be anytime soon.

Well, to be perfectly frank (and as you know my name is Fred) I have never met Mr. Cruise. If I should, it may be that he is in reality a perfectly fine upstanding kinda guy, though I doubt it seriously based on the influence of excessive money. Simply because he is short of stature, and can't reach the ground, does not mean his is intrinsically unworthy of riding such a piece of unobtanium... Au contraire, many of the finest riders of the past were diminutive jockey sized guys.

But as to Ducatis in general:

Yes, I had one.

It was a yellow 2000 Monster,

the last of the carby's.

The bike was... interesting. Very interesting.

I loved that engine.

I loved the sound that the engine made.

It was not particularly powerful. No, far from that.

But it was special.

And the bike handled so sweetly.

The brakes, now they were powerful.

And that sound...

Did I mention that I loved that engine?

I bought some Ducati Performance "Termi" high mount exhaust cans from a fellow in Great Britain and further improved on the magnificent sound of the engine. In my mind it was akin to an Italian opera singer. Some listeners can never fully appreciate the beauty of the tenor. They just look out for the screeching high notes of the soprano (at 16k rpm and double the horsepower).

I spent some beautiful time with that bike. Riding it. Primping it. Lovingly changing its timing belts and massaging the desmodromic valves into the perfect adjustment.

A Ducati has soul.

I know, you've heard that about BMW boxers and American V-twins (among other bikes), but that, in comparison, is just BS. Boxers are tractor engines in comparison. And Hardleys don't have soul, they have mystique. Mystique is what you get when you wish you had soul but you are too busy being "popular" to get there.

If I were a smaller guy I'd ride nothing but Ducatis until I died. But (unfortunately?) I was born to modern American dimensions and so my big carcass does not fit properly on a bike designed for 145 lb Eye-tal-ians. It wasn't comfortable for me, and I'm pretty sure it was equally uncomfortable for my little Duke.

I miss it sometimes

 

[ponyfool]

I wonder what kind of lowering kit they put on it for the 5'4" wonder? I know, he isn't really 5'4", I think he's 5'6".