Ducati is aware of the V4's design missteps and they want your opinions!

jarelj said:

That's not why Ducati put the survey out there. But if it gets you to play, I don't think they really care why you think you're doing it......

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You're a dealer, besides giving our info to our local dealer, why would they put out the survey?

It's not uncommon for manufacturers to send out secondary surveys when new products hit the market. It gives their marketing departments something to work with when it's time to make changes. Online surveys are also cheap. 20 years ago this is a $100,000 mail campaign with 4% return rates.

Ashes, do you work for Ducati?

Personally I'm have no opinion of why they put it out there, the fact that they are open to consumer feedback is good either way.

What V4?

AmpForE said:

You're a dealer, besides giving our info to our local dealer, why would they put out the survey?

It's not uncommon for manufacturers to send out secondary surveys when new products hit the market. It gives their marketing departments something to work with when it's time to make changes. Online surveys are also cheap. 20 years ago this is a $100,000 mail campaign with 4% return rates.

Ashes, do you work for Ducati?

Personally I'm have no opinion of why they put it out there, the fact that they are open to consumer feedback is good either way.

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For sure, I'm not saying it's bad in any way, just that the primary reason they have the surveys on the web site for new bikes is to collect interested customer information, not because they think they did something wrong and want guidance on how to do it right as the OP implied. The info they get is definitely also used in the marketing and product departments as feedback, so it's great to provide it if you're willing. I always fill the surveys out myself as a customer when I get them, even though I'm also a dealer.

jpanigale said:

What V4?[emoji35][emoji35]

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The one you will buy when it comes out and you see all the press and realize it's the best and fastest bike out there on the market.

You all need to remember that one of the UGLIEST bikes ever built is now one the best sellers. When it was introduced it stole sales from everyone. Even the Gixer squids decided to buy one. It's still very, very ugly, it's the dyno horsepower king but could not turn worth a ...., and it's the main reason every other manufacturer got off their ..... and began to build better motorcycles. It's none only, the bike with a face only a mother could love, the BMWS1000RR.

If this V4 delivers the power and all with top shelf electronics, many people will not care if it's, not as pretty as the 1299.

Well said. There is always the numbers people. So new V4 has 214hp but weighs more correct. I rather have less weight and 205hp which is more than enough. How many people are using 214hp or 226hp. Kinda like the new ZR1 vette with 755hp. Not really necessary, just bragging rights. It's all marketing.

There are some things I like, some i don't. I'll say i like more on the 1299 than the v4 sure, but the bike has really grown on me. If the tank of the v4 had the same sleek lines of the 1299 I'd love almost everything about it. Led lights coming standard and that new dash is something to keep in mind. Maybe this was a test to see if they could put out something a little more edgy, with the negative responses maybe they'll think twice about doing the same thing for the next bike, i doubt it, but maybe.

To each their own though. I've shown many people the bike, those who don't know ducati love it, those who do either love it or absolutely hate it. You can't get mad at somebody for having an opinion.

Saw the bike today and while I'm happy to say that it does look a little better in person, I'm still not smitten with it and I'll be keeping my 1299. The fairing hitting the tank is unnecessary and the tail section is oddly long. Also I don't like how significant the exhaust is. What got me most is that sitting on the bike, you still don't have anything to help hook your knee a bit in turns. There were too many people surrounding the bike tonight, but I'll go back tomorrow or over the weekend to get some more photos. But anyone in the area should check out Manhattan Ducati. They will have an S and a Speciale on the floor through Sunday.

ajctraveler said:

Saw the bike today and while I'm happy to say that it does look a little better in person, I'm still not smitten with it and I'll be keeping my 1299. The fairing hitting the tank is unnecessary and the tail section is oddly long. Also I don't like how significant the exhaust is. What got me most is that sitting on the bike, you still don't have anything to help hook your knee a bit in turns. There were too many people surrounding the bike tonight, but I'll go back tomorrow or over the weekend to get some more photos. But anyone in the area should check out Manhattan Ducati. They will have an S and a Speciale on the floor through Sunday.

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Does the tank look as bulbous in real life as in pics ? It looks really big and round in the pics above.

ajctraveler said:

Saw the bike today and while I'm happy to say that it does look a little better in person, I'm still not smitten with it and I'll be keeping my 1299. The fairing hitting the tank is unnecessary and the tail section is oddly long. Also I don't like how significant the exhaust is. What got me most is that sitting on the bike, you still don't have anything to help hook your knee a bit in turns. There were too many people surrounding the bike tonight, but I'll go back tomorrow or over the weekend to get some more photos. But anyone in the area should check out Manhattan Ducati. They will have an S and a Speciale on the floor through Sunday.

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I go to the motorcycle show every year and my guess is that will be the first time I see it. My guess is Manhattan Ducati has one on display because the show is in NYC this weekend. I'll be at the Cleveland show in January.

This is the first chance I've had today to follow up on everyones responses, but fwiw, thank you all for your input and opinions.

I realize looks are subjective and a lot of Ducatisti might take offense when others speak negatively about something they're passionate about. Or maybe they're simply sick of hearing people ...... I think this is where my outlook differs, because I genuinely believe our opinions are taken into account during the product development stage. So regardless of the stance you hold on the new V4, I feel it important to convey those thoughts.

Unfortunately, not everyone shares that belief, or they are so focused on receiving compensation for their efforts that they refuse opportunities like these based on principle. My thoughts align with jjsC6, in that I am passionate enough about the brand to gladly give my thoughts, and for free. Hoping that as a given product line evolves, it follows a development path I approve of. My idea's and opinions may differ from the next guy, but I'd like to think the collective input of Ducatisti will be evaluated and considered in the development of future models.

AmpForE - Sadly I do not work for Ducati, I wish I did! Im just an AVID fan of the Panigale, that was disappointed by certain design choices on the V4. Where other's might accept things for what they are, and dismiss my complaints with "Don't buy it then," I think consumer opinion carries more weight than some might think. Case in point were the 1199 heat shields and head covers that were retrofitted after initial release. Forum comments were oddly similar with, "Don't buy it then," "Buy a Vespa instead," "Its a 200hp machine, what do you expect?" The reality is something had to be done, and Ducati tried to rectify the situation. Hopefully they choose to make changes, aesthetic or not.

ajctraveler - Thank you for the follow up on those pics, I think we're all itching for as much literature and eye candy as we can get.

ajctraveler said:

I'll go back tomorrow or over the weekend to get some more photos. But anyone in the area should check out Manhattan Ducati. They will have an S and a Speciale on the floor through Sunday.

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If you end up going back out, could you please take a close look at the black plastic tray behind the seat and relay your thoughts on it. That pic makes it look like a cheap drip tray off a foreman grill. You also mentioned how the tail section appears long, how so? From the profile photos I've seen, it looks considerably shorter than the 1299, almost RSV4-esque.

I think we're all missing the point here......

The only reason why the V4 looks so ugly is because we're comparing it to the Panigale twin which is stunning. Compare it to the competition and it's not so bad, not great (for me at least), but not bad

AmpForE said:

I go to the motorcycle show every year and my guess is that will be the first time I see it. My guess is Manhattan Ducati has one on display because the show is in NYC this weekend. I'll be at the Cleveland show in January.

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FYI - Ducati will not be at the IMS shows this year, they did the Long Beach debut show only and are not doing the full circuit. The event in NYC is the start of a nationwide "Ducati Preview Tour" that they are going to do instead, the details of which are still being worked out. So we're not sure yet exactly where or when this tour will be going. If you're lucky, they might bring it up there to Ducati Detroit so you don't have to travel to see it.

jarelj said:

FYI - Ducati will not be at the IMS shows this year, they did the Long Beach debut show only and are not doing the full circuit. The event in NYC is the start of a nationwide "Ducati Preview Tour" that they are going to do instead, the details of which are still being worked out. So we're not sure yet exactly where or when this tour will be going. If you're lucky, they might bring it up there to Ducati Detroit so you don't have to travel to see it.

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Wow! So they are at Ducati Manhattan in lieu of going to the IMS. That makes a little more sense. I just so happen to get an email about them showing the 2018 line up at Ducati Manhattan.

I'd expect that they do this for each of the city's where the IMS is going, and perhaps giving preferential treatment to stand along Ducati Dealers along the way. Sorry to say that if they are doing a preview tour I would not be surprised if they asked dealers to participate financially. Lol

Ducati had been collecting emails at the shows with creative show promotions for years, and probably have a pretty big database of names. I'm on it as I signed up for some .... last year in Cleveland. Couple that with the on going survey and I guess this is their new go to market plan.

I can't say it's a mistake or not but it is creative. Ducati normally has one the bigger displays. Aprilia never goes, now no ducati, I guess I'll get a good look at all the other products!

I would guess my local dealer will get 2018 preview, They are the only Ducati dealer witting 2 hours and I'm in a major metro. If they do I doubt I go out of my way, and it's 20 minutes from my place, but I will drive a couple hours to Cleveland. It's more of a weekend event rather than me just going to see the 2018 line up.

Ashes said:

If you end up going back out, could you please take a close look at the black plastic tray behind the seat and relay your thoughts on it. That pic makes it look like a cheap drip tray off a foreman grill. You also mentioned how the tail section appears long, how so? From the profile photos I've seen, it looks considerably shorter than the 1299, almost RSV4-esque.

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The complete tail section itself is shorter if you measured from the tank to the tip of the tail. But the tail fairing/section itself looks much longer than you realize from the top down not taking anything else into account. Maybe I'll bring a tape measure when I go back to give a better idea.


And I may start a new thread with specific picture requests.

I think it's great Ducati is actually giving everyone a vote to voice their opinions on the new bike! Props to them for that! But i did vote and i can't get over how much it looks like a Honda CBR 1000, and Honda CBR's are my least favorite bikes. They are the ugliest thing in the sportsbike world.

Jasonk202 said:

I think it's great Ducati is actually giving everyone a vote to voice their opinions on the new bike! Props to them for that! But i did vote and i can't get over how much it looks like a Honda CBR 1000, and Honda CBR's are my least favorite bikes. They are the ugliest thing in the sportsbike world.

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Don't worry. They're going to take all of that feedback and compile it and it's going to show that over the years it's produced people will go from saying that it's weird looking and they don't like this or that to how beautiful and visionary it is and how much they love this part or that piece. And then they're going to compare it to the worldwide sales trends.

Then when they make the next bike, they're going to know where they need to chances and where to play it safe and know what the reaction is going to be ahead of time and know how it's going to change over the years it's produced and, most importantly, know what the relevance to the sales will be.

If the sales are where they expect, they're going to replicate this entire experience for all of us. Trust me. That's the point of this whole exercise.

Sherpa23 said:

Don't worry. They're going to take all of that feedback and compile it and it's going to show that over the years it's produced people will go from saying that it's weird looking and they don't like this or that to how beautiful and visionary it is and how much they love this part or that piece. And then they're going to compare it to the worldwide sales trends.

Then when they make the next bike, they're going to know where they need to chances and where to play it safe and know what the reaction is going to be ahead of time and know how it's going to change over the years it's produced and, most importantly, know what the relevance to the sales will be.

If the sales are where they expect, they're going to replicate this entire experience for all of us. Trust me. That's the point of this whole exercise.

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Exactly it.

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

Sherpa23 said:

Don't worry. They're going to take all of that feedback and compile it and it's going to show that over the years it's produced people will go from saying that it's weird looking and they don't like this or that to how beautiful and visionary it is and how much they love this part or that piece. And then they're going to compare it to the worldwide sales trends.

Then when they make the next bike, they're going to know where they need to chances and where to play it safe and know what the reaction is going to be ahead of time and know how it's going to change over the years it's produced and, most importantly, know what the relevance to the sales will be.

If the sales are where they expect, they're going to replicate this entire experience for all of us. Trust me. That's the point of this whole exercise.

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LOLLL omg that almost seems a bit psycho and narcissistic

I saw the bike and sat on it at the Motorcycle Live event in Birmingham UK last weekend. My view is that the bike looks far better in the flesh than it does in the photos. It looks fatter in the plain colour. The tricolour paint scheme on the Speciale suits the bike very well and hides the tank shape. The seat looks just like the OEM seat from the 1299, so presumably you have to pay an extra $200 for a comfy seat. The heat shield around the rear headers on the right hand side of the bike is horrible. Apart from that, I like it. Do I like it enough to replace my 24-month old 1299S with a V4S? Probably not, at least not during 2018.