Racer rides the 2022 V4S

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Man, it again started out as a simple legitimate, observational question with regard to marketing which I stated I found interesting and sure enough, right out of the gate people are butt hurt that I am picking on them and instantly become defensive. It was a simple inquiry for someone who has some knowledge to the psychology of what drives sales and marketing on this particular platform. It wasnt directed at anyone at any time. but no, it is instantly responded to with "what's it to you, quit telling other people what to do" How is this even possible?
 
TomFoolery said:
The racers are not "running down" you street lot, let's be clear.

No, as a street rider, you cannot "discern and enjoy the difference." Absolutely not. Even an experienced racer takes a lot of development and evolution and many years of racing many bikes to discern what a bike is telling him and to have a meaningful conversation with his suspension builder or electronics engineer. Forget street rossis. All a street rider knows and will ever experience is marketing material that Ducati sells him.

We (racers / track-only riders) are amused that you want to try so hard just to look cool (meaning, spend $30k or $40k or $50k on a bike where its 100% certain that you will never experience or even get to understand what its motogp-derieved slide control does for instance because street riding is so rudimentary and low skill).

Now if you disagree with me about street riding being for fred flintstones and say "but I go fast on street bro" then you are even dumber than I am giving you credit for. Going triple digit speeds on the street and pretending to drag knee endangers other people's safety, breaks laws and generally brings a bad name to this sport we all love. Don't be a street clown, which a lot of street riders buying 200 hp bikes are. Period.

Actually, if you bought that CB750, I would respect you more because you are doing something for the pure enjoyment of the activity rather than a status symbol or badge. If you said just riding a motorcycle and seeing the sights gives you pleasure, I will respect you for that. If you said creating art by changing components on a motorcycle to your taste gives you pleasure, I will respect you for that. Don't try to fit it and fake your understanding of the sport. Be your own.
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I agree that sport bikes are largely overkill on the street and don’t for a second pretend to be a racer, nor do I ride WOT or anything close. I have done track days in the past (both car and bike) and will again in the future, purely as a novice, for both pleasure and to improve my skills. Even as a track novice the improvement in handling dynamics between sport bikes/cars and standards is very apparent. Simple weight distribution, wind protection and a well set up, fully adjustable, properly sprung suspension will benefit any rider who enjoys the sport, street or otherwise. It has nothing to do with looking cool (although they do) but simply sport bikes have the aforementioned properties built in vs standards. We do agree 200+ for the street is absurd. We disagree that you need the skill set or to ride hard enough to use the various electronic Nannie’s to know, appreciate, and feel the difference between a Panigale and a CB750. Under utilized and not ridden to their potential absolutely. Enjoyed any less because we don’t bounce off rev limiters, fine tune the rear wheel lift or slide the rear end, patently incorrect.
 
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Vbreeze said:
It's really simple. These things are "Aspirational," and ambitions. "Aspirational marketing and design."
You don't sell anything shiny and wildly expensive by marketing it with "you're getting the standard, stay the same, don't grow." You sell things that are "aspirational."

Everyone who buys one wants to associate with the racing lifestyle, not everyone can do that all of the time. Some just get to look some get to practice and hope to become. Everyone starts out somewhere. There are a lot of people who study & work their ass off, raise kids etc, to arrive at middle age and finally have time to try out crazy stuff. Here they get a 200hp bike because they're all grown up now, and find out the physics of the situation. A tiny % of humans can manage such a thing at any age and a tinier few can afford, practice etc and actually do that.

I don't know what we have to criticize the 95% who will put 3,k miles on a Ducati ever, then love it the rest of their lives. They're making it all possible for the 5% who will ride the wheels off. If they were only selling 400 bikes a year (5% of 2020 sales), they'd be out of business or you'd have to add a zero or two on the price tag. Adding a zero would take 5% down to 1% who would buy them which would make more sense because 400 is not an economically viable production number with anything plastic or metal molds let alone the complex parts. 40 totally hand made one-offs with absurd prices would be viable.

Anyway, yesterday an old man road up to me at a stop light on his bicycle with a smile flying off both sides of his head giving me thumbs up. He was exploding with joy off-loading his story about how he used to have a Ducati and omg omg omg so much joy back then and wow this one is so over the top and omg omg so much joy. Clearly these Panigale represent a lot of things to a lot of people. Seems like, Joy freedom the arrival of technology to create flying things of beauty not just surveillance and weaponry.
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So true, in the end all that matters is the experience of the bike which is personal. Apart from my earlier comment about total squids who want their ego's boosted everyone who buys a bike is entitled to enjoy it as they please. Its very easy to be a smug person because one has knowledge or is a racer or rides hard and fast, the reality is that no one cares. Riding sports bikes is a deeply personal experience, lose concentration and you're dead meat so there is that to sort the idiots out. The fact is that anyone can write a check for a new superbike but in my view you have to do the yards to earn your seat and stay alive!
 
Kev242 said:
Keep selling them and I hope people keep buying them, more for me to choose from when traded in! Roll that Akra exhaust into your monthly payment....love it! I bought a $40k bike for <$16k when it was 3y old and it only wears slicks, one of the best mechanical purchases I ever did.

I was just admiring a V4S Speciale that was in my local shop as a trade in, full Akra and of course....the RAM iphone mount. Do I care? Not a bit...could be my future bike (if I was ever in the market for 200+hp again, a used V2 is more likely in my sights).
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I love trade ins by people with all the gear and no idea :)
 
endodoc said:
Good vid and let’s face it, the dominant message from the riders own words “this bike is for amateurs and is dominated by rider aids to assist the rider” also no doubt, the bike is super fast. That’s all great but what does reality look like and how does that play into marketing. Ducati says about 5% of buyers will do track day events so what are you actually buying as the other 95% and ok we can give let’s say 20% of the bikes will see aggressive riding where some of that stuff matters but that leaves 75% of these bikes sold to guys that will never seen 30 degrees of lean angle. Why are these guys buying these bikes?
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Read a really good article recently by an IOM TT racer, that without mentioning the V4S by name, was commenting that even a top of the line Ducati was a comprise in function, and for his money he‘d buy a ZX10R and spend the difference on customizing it to his spec and it would be a superior single purpose bike
 
37NG900X said:
Read a really good article recently by an IOM TT racer, that without mentioning the V4S by name, was commenting that even a top of the line Ducati was a comprise in function, and for his money he‘d buy a ZX10R and spend the difference on customizing it to his spec and it would be a superior single purpose bike
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Doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. The difference in lap times between all production super bikes is marginal, factory or modified.

A privateer that’s budget conscious would go for the budget friendly option, obviously!

Do you want to ride a zx10?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
SBK-SP said:
Hmmm? I’ll reply assuming this is a legitimate question. The answer(s) are as varied as there are different riders. So, I’ll give you mine. In the immortal words of my medically retired Army Medic Grandfather (stroke) when my uncle asked why he bought the 410ci, 4bbl carb, dual exhaust version of his 1967 Mercury Monterey. My uncle said “you’ll never use all that power going to the Doctor and the Commissary”.

My Grandfather replied “that’s true, but I know it’s there if I want it”.

His statement is pure logic and it applies to me as well. It trumps all those silly questions of why I bought “this” thing, or why “this” thing instead of “that” thing.

I’m 67, reasonably successful at life, and I have 3 turbocharged and tuned Ford Performance vehicles and 5 motorcycles. 3 have “old school” manual throttle cables, no IMU or other “safety” electronics. the remaining 2 have the very latest full IMU and GPS electronics systems. Why? Because I want them. End of discussion…
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Damnit I can't find the button for the triple like
 
I just watched that. I think 44T is spot on. For a track rider chasing that last 1% they will notice the differences but street riders won't. They were pretty glowing on the 2022, which is a lot considering the 2021 won their IOM shootout.
 
bello.
$30,000.
Something about that face that says, "kill me before it spreads."
I can hear the design director now, "Make it looks like an axe wound. Production in 1 week ok! Keep teh green from da '80's."
Screen Shot 2021-12-08 at 2.08.00 PM.png

RODOLFO said:
This is so true

NO ONE

I MEAN NO ONE

wants to ride a zx10 on the street

haaa, ugly as ....
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Vbreeze said:
bello.
$30,000.
Something about that face that says, "kill me before it spreads."
I can hear the design director now, "Make it looks like an axe wound. Production in 1 week ok! Keep teh green from da '80's."
View attachment 39813
Click to expand...

A little “transformer’ish”. I think JP automotive/motorcycle design in general has become too influenced by Manga
 
It’s funny how they grow on you once you own them though. I had a 2011 zx10r for 9 years. When I first got it, I just couldn’t understand why the front end looked like it did. Didn’t take long to luv it.

I put it down to me being behind the design curve.
and if I’m honest there were a couple of curves I didn’t quite get on my ‘19 PV4S at first… but think it’s absolute eye candy now.
My last comment is that I’ve owned 3 Kwakas from new, and they were all bullet proof in terms of reliability.
 

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