first SL review

Claymore · May 4, 2014

jarelj said:
Well, I know some REALLY slow guys with REALLY fast bikes........

I am one of those...

CaliDuc · May 4, 2014

jarelj said:
That's the most amazing part, I think. Now if you strip that down into race trim, imagine the package you'll have! ZX-10R, BMW HP4, RSV-4, whatever, nothing is going to touch this bike as far as power/weight ratio, and it won't even be close. We've all been lulled into a false sense of what is the maximum possible due to the bikes that have been available the past 10 years, but this bike is resetting the bar way up there. It's not the same as the Desmosedici, that bike was not built to reset a performance benchmark, it was built as a collectible Ducati and a celebration of the MotoGP championship. The SL is different, it's a dagger aimed at the heart of the sporbike market to put everyone else in their place and show what the "new" Ducati is capable of with VW's backing. Comparisons to the 1199R are pretty much irrelevant, this bike is not an evolution of the 1199R, it's a new bike. It's not just a little bit beyond an 1199R it's WAY beyond.

When Ducati launched the SL at the dealer show last year, Claudio Domenicali said that the design brief for the bike was dictated by Ferdinand Piech (Chariman of VW) as the absolute maximum that is possible with the technology available to produce a bike. When the Ducati engineers went back and provided the design, it was presented to Mr. Piech with the caveat "Here's the maximum we can do, but we can't build it because it's going to be too expensive". According to Domenicali, Piech's response was "I don't give a .... how much it costs, just build it!". That's verbatim of what Domenicali said. So this is not another evolution of the product line, it's a one-off separate project to elevate Ducati back to the undisputed king of production sport bike technology and performance. And luckily for the rest of us much of that technology will trickle down into the rest of the product range as we move forward. For those lucky enough to ride one, I'm pretty sure we're going to feel the same was as the dude in that first review, and it won't have anything to do with riding with "new bike blinders" on, it's really going to be that good, it HAS to be given the way the bike was built.

"The SL is different, it's a dagger aimed at the heart of the sporbike market to put everyone else in their place and show what the "new" Ducati is capable of with VW's backing."

True.

RD16RR · May 4, 2014

gnance said:
If I had 60K to blow then yes I would take a sl no doubt. But since I work my ass off and still don't make enough money for what I do I'll have to budget my money. Honestly I am perfectly content with my "S" model at the moment...it is perfect...it really is. Best bike I have ever had. I'm sure the SL is better and more lust inspiring...but if I had 60K to dump on bikes...I would still rather take 2 or 3 vs one.....

HP4, pani r, F3 800, New superduke, multistrada........ there are so many bikes I would love to ride...why stick to one? Again assuming one is on a budget as I am.

-- everyone has their opinion.....mine says, you would be missing out passing on the SL

Simonwg905 · May 4, 2014

Totally Agreed !
A 2012 RS engined, almost race prepped with warranty ,Super light weighted street legal Panigale is too good to miss if u haven't buy a Panigale already.
I am lucky that 3 of my buddies bought it, I will post a report after I get my hands on it.
All these 3 SL owners have either Panigale R or Panigale S in track bike forms.
When I was still on to sportscars, the last brand that I Loved was Lotus.
I had a track prepped NA Exige, with Japanese tuner "JUN" tuned it.
Once I knew Lotus would released their road legal 2 Eleven, I bought one right away.
It's had no windscreen, no doors, but a rollcage n a huge rear spoiler.
It's factory prepped track car that road legal with a warranty , too.
That's when I started to enjoy factory prepped race version platform.
I did enjoyed my Exige varies tuning steps, but if the track is where u headed, it's more fun n less troubles with the Factory prepped race / track version.
Look at those Porsche RS n Ferrari S.

gnance · May 4, 2014

RD16RR said:
-- everyone has their opinion.....mine says, you would be missing out passing on the SL

not passing on one....I've learned my lesson buying new bikes...it's a waste...

Just need to wait for one of you rich guys to get bored of it in a year or two and buy it with low miles at a fraction of retail

RD16RR · May 5, 2014

gnance said:
not passing on one....I've learned my lesson buying new bikes...it's a waste...

Just need to wait for one of you rich guys to get bored of it in a year or two and buy it with low miles at a fraction of retail

-- interesting view....in fact, not a bad idea.....your own form of trickle down economics

Akillya · May 5, 2014

gnance said:
not passing on one....I've learned my lesson buying new bikes...it's a waste...

Just need to wait for one of you rich guys to get bored of it in a year or two and buy it with low miles at a fraction of retail

That's exactly what I plan to do to add a DD16 to my garage!

RD16RR · May 5, 2014

gnance said:
That's the nice thing about Ducati and MV Agusta and other high end Italians....while some ride the snot out of them like they were meant for...there are still an aweful lot of garage (or living room hehe) queens. So it's easy to pick up a nice one with low miles.

certainly does happen....you just need to be on the lookout for one, and before you know it (after the sparkle fades) it will pop up like a ping pong ball out of water

first SL review

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