Joined Nov 2011
1K Posts | 996+
Northwest
Hmm instead of posting up a formal list of questions, followed by a formal list of responses, I’m just going to say nothing about my post is official. Not one bit.
I’m simply here to start a conversation with my fellow Ducatista.
There is nothing about this post that is affiliated or endorsed by Ducati North America. Better yet, there is nothing about this post that should be treated as 100% accurate, because I am human and can only write and remember so fast.
That said, allow me to start the conversation.
No, the United States version of the Ducati 1199 is not suffering from the emissions or noise restrictions compared to the European version. The only version of the Ducati 1199 that is different is the Japanese version, which also has a unique exhaust system.
Owners should check with Ducati to download the most recent configuration map for their 1199 exhaust system. A new update was pushed out three weeks ago, which provides an increase in power delivery on full exhaust systems. To clarify, this update did not increase horsepower - this was an increase with power delivery. There is no confirmation if this update will work on a base 1199.
Ducati is well aware that an 1199 service manual needs to be released. Publishing and providing a service manual is a legal requirement that manufacturers must adhere to, however Ducati really wants to perfect the 1199 service manual as much as possible before publishing. Currently, dealerships have working service manuals, but they are considered to be a work in progress and not near complete. Using the feedback from the dealerships, Ducati is pressing to get the service manual as right as possible and release the best service manual they can. This issue has been brought up at several internal meetings, and Ducati is well aware.
There are not any official numbers for the number of 1199 R models that are being imported to the United States market, but it should be said this number will be extremely small. The speculative answer is less than 100 will be imported to the United States. An example given, one particular Ducati dealership submitted their 2013 order for 150 motorcycles, and 3 units of that 150 will be R models. This example is a strong outlier because it’s very uncommon for any Ducati dealership to order and sell 150 units within a given year, so this example is a higher than average order size. While it’s not known how many will ultimately be produced and imported, the number is expected to significantly low.
The public perception may appear that the cycle for Ducati Performance Products is sporadic, but this is only a result of Ducati dealership channels and past trends. Ducati does not have a set release cycle, not by the month or by the quarter. The way the system works is every Ducati dealership sees Ducati Performance Products every August/September and then submits their order based on what they feel they will need/want/sell for their customer base. From the customer’s perspective, what they see at the Ducati dealership channels is solely what the dealer has chosen to order. Dealerships base these orders on their customer’s interests along with sales data trends from the recent years to determine what they should carry. For example, when the 2012 Ducati 1199 was released, dealerships looked at their sales data from the first production year of the Ducati 1098 to see what kind of performance products their customers were purchasing, and this data was used when they submitted their orders for the 1199. Another example is a dealership may really like and want to carry a particular Ducati Performance Product, but they recognize the majority of their customers are going to go an alternative route, given a particular motorcycle and the popularity of an aftermarket solution, which deters them from ordering options from Ducati. The bottom line is the availability of Ducati Performance Products is decided by each individual Ducati dealership, which they base on their current customer base and past data trends.
Regarding the Ducati 1199 Tricolore, both the number of units sold and the projected total sales numbers are unknown. I mentioned Ducati publically stated in Milan that 7,500 1199 units was the total number sold worldwide, but there was no breakdown between Base, S, and Tricolore. The response only confirmed the 7,500 total units year to date, with no further information breaking down by model.
Ducati has no current or future plans for a Multistrada Tricolore, and even so, this would be highly unlikely. Ducati has a tightly managed part production channel, which takes into account the number of versions of a given motorcycle for a given calendar year. For 2013, Ducati’s focus was additional versions of the Ducati Monster, hence the numerous versions and options you’re seeing available. For the Multistrada, Ducati pushed to release Granturismo and to do a Tricolore would lean too much towards the “racing” side which is the opposite end of the Multistrada's touring spectrum. It should also be noted that Ducati has already done a “racing” version of the Multistrada, which was the Pikes Peak version. Do not expect a Tricolore version of the Multistrada.
The Superquadro engine is Ducati’s most recent platform, but do not assume or expect the Testastretta engine to be leaving the Ducati lineup. These are two completely different engines with two completely different duty cycles. The Superquadro engine has a specific duty cycle for Superbikes like the 1199, and it would not make sense to use the Superquadro engine in a Ducati Monster. It’s also very important, and worth noting, that if you stand back and look, the 2013 Ducati model lineup should strongly reflect that Ducati still strongly believes in the Testastretta engine and it will continued to be used - on numerous occasions during this conversation, it was brought up that you can see Ducati’s commitment to this engine when you look at the various 2013 models. Ducati has essentially been using this engine since 1980, and while some of the internals have evolved over the years and generations, it’s the same Testastretta engine and has proven to be a very good engine for Ducati. If you were to disassemble both of these engine and looked at them side by side, there are several parts of the engine that are very similar, and you can see this design even as the engine has evolved over time. Ducati is very proud of this internal, unseen engine evolvement! Ducati takes extreme pride in a) how their models have evolved over the years, as this is a very outwardly thing the consumer sees, and b) the internals of their engines have a clear lineage that has evolved over time too. This is a tremendous part of the Ducati brand, soul, and essence of the company.
Let’s discuss the smoke during startup scenario. There is absolutely no valve seal problem. You have to keep in mind there is a bore of 120mm, which is over 4 inches, which has to seat properly. First and foremost, it’s very important all owners follow the factory break in procedure, and as soon as that’s completed, then it’s equally important that owners run through the entire rev range and through every gear on their 1199. When starting up your 1199 from a cold start, it’s very important to not allow your 1199 to idle for a couple minutes before riding off. Many owners are doing this because they come from a background of allowing your motorcycle to run idle for a few minutes before taking off. With the vacuum pump system and the amazingly good oils that are being used in the 1199, the moment you startup your motorcycle, you only need to let it idle for approximately 20 seconds (one minute max) and then you should be riding it. That said, you should still take it easy on your 1199 and wait for the engine to “achieve operating temperature” before you start railing the bike and engine. It’s worth reiterating that you should never hard rev your 1199 engine up until after you reach the engine’s operating temperature, but you can safely ride it once it’s been running for 20 seconds from a cold start. The rings should be seated before you reach 1,000 miles.
When it comes to the bolt and nut tensioning on your 1199, everything involved is looked at on a case by case basis to determine if it’s something that is covered under your warranty. You should have a reasonable expectation that over the life of your Ducati, there will be continued attention by both the rider and your Ducati service technician, especially during the assembly and disassembly of any part on your motorcycle. One example given involved the shifter system, where the plastic washer between the joint and the knuckle wasn’t torqued properly which caused it to fall down out of sight. During disassembly of the shifter, the plastic washer is usually unseen because of this and would fall out of the system, which meant the plastic washer would be missing during reassembly. While this is a real example, the action causing this is only conjecture. Ducati’s service technicians are very well aware of specific areas to be focused on when they look at your motorcycle at any given time, and while they cannot check the torque on every single bolt and nut when you take your motorcycle in, they may check things based on your particular make and model and focus on checking key safety areas that are known to be hit hard with vibration (i.e. steering damper). Ducati will be very quick about issuing a recall if they feel there is a real issue that needs to be addressed. The swingarm pivot recall effected an extremely small number of bikes, but it was still something Ducati wanted and was very willing to address.
There is no announced end production run date for the 1199 Tricolore because Ducati will continue production and sales by offering a 2013 1199 Tricolore. Many were very surprised by this, because this is very uncharacteristic of Ducati. When the 1098 Tricolore was released, it was only for one year. With a difference of only a couple thousand dollars between a 2013 Tricolore and an R, it makes more sense to purchase an R.
On the first year production run of any Ducati motorcycle, the S version always sells best. Ducati usually provides a base version and a much more high end version, and yet the S is historically always the number one seller of any first year production Ducati. Ducati knows this; the dealerships know this.
There were no comments made on the possibility of a Ducati 799 or 849 model.
I don't care if you share this info, but please share this with a URL link to this thread instead of copying and pasting it. Thanks!
I’m simply here to start a conversation with my fellow Ducatista.
There is nothing about this post that is affiliated or endorsed by Ducati North America. Better yet, there is nothing about this post that should be treated as 100% accurate, because I am human and can only write and remember so fast.
That said, allow me to start the conversation.
No, the United States version of the Ducati 1199 is not suffering from the emissions or noise restrictions compared to the European version. The only version of the Ducati 1199 that is different is the Japanese version, which also has a unique exhaust system.
Owners should check with Ducati to download the most recent configuration map for their 1199 exhaust system. A new update was pushed out three weeks ago, which provides an increase in power delivery on full exhaust systems. To clarify, this update did not increase horsepower - this was an increase with power delivery. There is no confirmation if this update will work on a base 1199.
Ducati is well aware that an 1199 service manual needs to be released. Publishing and providing a service manual is a legal requirement that manufacturers must adhere to, however Ducati really wants to perfect the 1199 service manual as much as possible before publishing. Currently, dealerships have working service manuals, but they are considered to be a work in progress and not near complete. Using the feedback from the dealerships, Ducati is pressing to get the service manual as right as possible and release the best service manual they can. This issue has been brought up at several internal meetings, and Ducati is well aware.
There are not any official numbers for the number of 1199 R models that are being imported to the United States market, but it should be said this number will be extremely small. The speculative answer is less than 100 will be imported to the United States. An example given, one particular Ducati dealership submitted their 2013 order for 150 motorcycles, and 3 units of that 150 will be R models. This example is a strong outlier because it’s very uncommon for any Ducati dealership to order and sell 150 units within a given year, so this example is a higher than average order size. While it’s not known how many will ultimately be produced and imported, the number is expected to significantly low.
The public perception may appear that the cycle for Ducati Performance Products is sporadic, but this is only a result of Ducati dealership channels and past trends. Ducati does not have a set release cycle, not by the month or by the quarter. The way the system works is every Ducati dealership sees Ducati Performance Products every August/September and then submits their order based on what they feel they will need/want/sell for their customer base. From the customer’s perspective, what they see at the Ducati dealership channels is solely what the dealer has chosen to order. Dealerships base these orders on their customer’s interests along with sales data trends from the recent years to determine what they should carry. For example, when the 2012 Ducati 1199 was released, dealerships looked at their sales data from the first production year of the Ducati 1098 to see what kind of performance products their customers were purchasing, and this data was used when they submitted their orders for the 1199. Another example is a dealership may really like and want to carry a particular Ducati Performance Product, but they recognize the majority of their customers are going to go an alternative route, given a particular motorcycle and the popularity of an aftermarket solution, which deters them from ordering options from Ducati. The bottom line is the availability of Ducati Performance Products is decided by each individual Ducati dealership, which they base on their current customer base and past data trends.
Regarding the Ducati 1199 Tricolore, both the number of units sold and the projected total sales numbers are unknown. I mentioned Ducati publically stated in Milan that 7,500 1199 units was the total number sold worldwide, but there was no breakdown between Base, S, and Tricolore. The response only confirmed the 7,500 total units year to date, with no further information breaking down by model.
Ducati has no current or future plans for a Multistrada Tricolore, and even so, this would be highly unlikely. Ducati has a tightly managed part production channel, which takes into account the number of versions of a given motorcycle for a given calendar year. For 2013, Ducati’s focus was additional versions of the Ducati Monster, hence the numerous versions and options you’re seeing available. For the Multistrada, Ducati pushed to release Granturismo and to do a Tricolore would lean too much towards the “racing” side which is the opposite end of the Multistrada's touring spectrum. It should also be noted that Ducati has already done a “racing” version of the Multistrada, which was the Pikes Peak version. Do not expect a Tricolore version of the Multistrada.
The Superquadro engine is Ducati’s most recent platform, but do not assume or expect the Testastretta engine to be leaving the Ducati lineup. These are two completely different engines with two completely different duty cycles. The Superquadro engine has a specific duty cycle for Superbikes like the 1199, and it would not make sense to use the Superquadro engine in a Ducati Monster. It’s also very important, and worth noting, that if you stand back and look, the 2013 Ducati model lineup should strongly reflect that Ducati still strongly believes in the Testastretta engine and it will continued to be used - on numerous occasions during this conversation, it was brought up that you can see Ducati’s commitment to this engine when you look at the various 2013 models. Ducati has essentially been using this engine since 1980, and while some of the internals have evolved over the years and generations, it’s the same Testastretta engine and has proven to be a very good engine for Ducati. If you were to disassemble both of these engine and looked at them side by side, there are several parts of the engine that are very similar, and you can see this design even as the engine has evolved over time. Ducati is very proud of this internal, unseen engine evolvement! Ducati takes extreme pride in a) how their models have evolved over the years, as this is a very outwardly thing the consumer sees, and b) the internals of their engines have a clear lineage that has evolved over time too. This is a tremendous part of the Ducati brand, soul, and essence of the company.
Let’s discuss the smoke during startup scenario. There is absolutely no valve seal problem. You have to keep in mind there is a bore of 120mm, which is over 4 inches, which has to seat properly. First and foremost, it’s very important all owners follow the factory break in procedure, and as soon as that’s completed, then it’s equally important that owners run through the entire rev range and through every gear on their 1199. When starting up your 1199 from a cold start, it’s very important to not allow your 1199 to idle for a couple minutes before riding off. Many owners are doing this because they come from a background of allowing your motorcycle to run idle for a few minutes before taking off. With the vacuum pump system and the amazingly good oils that are being used in the 1199, the moment you startup your motorcycle, you only need to let it idle for approximately 20 seconds (one minute max) and then you should be riding it. That said, you should still take it easy on your 1199 and wait for the engine to “achieve operating temperature” before you start railing the bike and engine. It’s worth reiterating that you should never hard rev your 1199 engine up until after you reach the engine’s operating temperature, but you can safely ride it once it’s been running for 20 seconds from a cold start. The rings should be seated before you reach 1,000 miles.
When it comes to the bolt and nut tensioning on your 1199, everything involved is looked at on a case by case basis to determine if it’s something that is covered under your warranty. You should have a reasonable expectation that over the life of your Ducati, there will be continued attention by both the rider and your Ducati service technician, especially during the assembly and disassembly of any part on your motorcycle. One example given involved the shifter system, where the plastic washer between the joint and the knuckle wasn’t torqued properly which caused it to fall down out of sight. During disassembly of the shifter, the plastic washer is usually unseen because of this and would fall out of the system, which meant the plastic washer would be missing during reassembly. While this is a real example, the action causing this is only conjecture. Ducati’s service technicians are very well aware of specific areas to be focused on when they look at your motorcycle at any given time, and while they cannot check the torque on every single bolt and nut when you take your motorcycle in, they may check things based on your particular make and model and focus on checking key safety areas that are known to be hit hard with vibration (i.e. steering damper). Ducati will be very quick about issuing a recall if they feel there is a real issue that needs to be addressed. The swingarm pivot recall effected an extremely small number of bikes, but it was still something Ducati wanted and was very willing to address.
There is no announced end production run date for the 1199 Tricolore because Ducati will continue production and sales by offering a 2013 1199 Tricolore. Many were very surprised by this, because this is very uncharacteristic of Ducati. When the 1098 Tricolore was released, it was only for one year. With a difference of only a couple thousand dollars between a 2013 Tricolore and an R, it makes more sense to purchase an R.
On the first year production run of any Ducati motorcycle, the S version always sells best. Ducati usually provides a base version and a much more high end version, and yet the S is historically always the number one seller of any first year production Ducati. Ducati knows this; the dealerships know this.
There were no comments made on the possibility of a Ducati 799 or 849 model.
I don't care if you share this info, but please share this with a URL link to this thread instead of copying and pasting it. Thanks!
