Ducati 848 Nicky Hayden Edition

Nicky Hayden Edition 848 is the 2010 model of Ducati’s middleweight sport bike and the paint work recreates part of Nicky Hayden’s helmet design. A total of approximately 100 units are destined to be sold in US making sure each owner stands out in the croud from other Ducati and each bike will feature Nicky Hayden’s personal autograph on the fuel tank.

The new Special Edition 848 ushers in a revised LED dash cluster for better visibility, optional 30mm mirror extensions, improved aluminum cam belt tensioner pulleys for lower weight and a redesigned crankcase.  The bike features the same 134-horsepower L-twin Evoluzione powerplant, wet-clutch and six-speed gearbox as the rest of the 848 line with a total weight of mere 168kgs.

848 Nicky Hayden Special Edition will be priced at US$14,499 which is $500 more than the current 848 pricing and will be on sale from US Ducati dealerships from today.

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2009 Yamaha R1 Rossi Replica

Yamaha France has just released 2009 Yamaha R1 in  Valentino Rossi & Jorge Lorenzo replica factory livery. These bikes will be made available in limited numbers( 4 units only) for select buyers in France. In France, each R1 will cost €19,990 (a premium of 20% over standard R1) and a Rossi or Lorenzo replica helmet comes as part of the deal.

2009 Yamaha R1 Lorenzo Replica

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Ducati 1098R

“We want to have one showroom in every metro,” Precision Motor CEO Ashish Chordia told reporters. Precision Motor is the distributor of Ducati in India.  In 2008, Ducati sold 45,000 bikes globally and it has been a good year for it, Ducati’s CEO and President Gabriele Del Torchio said.  “India will not be a major market for Ducati now. But it will be five years from now,” he said.

Multiple showrooms currently seem a distant possibility in India where total Ducati sales for 2008 were in low single digits with most bikes picked as displays units especially on account of a extremely high pricing for the Indian market which was totally disconnected from the Indian market. The scenario will hopefully change in 2009 especially if the pricing is brought down to more saner levels especially when a R1 or a Hayabusa is available at half  the price of a comparative Ducati 1098/1198.

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BMW S1000RR

The new 600 is expected to be equipped with a inline four cyclinder motor and follow in lines of the newly launched S1000RR superbike.

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These bikes are race machines built for tracks, modified for street use and sold to customers most of whom fall under 30 yrs age bracket and most of them are novices in handling these powerful beasts.

The report mentions doubling of accidental deaths in USA over the past decade with 25% deaths among sportsbike riders who account for merely 10% of all bikers in US.

In an analysis of deaths per 10,000 registered motorcycles, supersport drivers had a death rate of 22.6 in 2000 and 22.5 in 2005. Sport and unclad sport bikes, which are similar to supersports, had the next highest death rates at 10.8 for 2000 and 10.7 for 2005. Death rates for other types of motorcycles were much lower.

With the advent of the sportsbikes era in India, practically all the manufacturers are gearing up for launching the big bikes from their stables. By next year we will have a number of bikes falling into the 250cc & over category. However the licensing norms for these bikes are still antiquated. You can apply for a license on a 7 bhp 100cc motorcycle and ride a litre class machine with the same license. We wonder what the statistics for India will reflect 5 years from now.

Statistics courtesy: IIHS

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Ducati SBK 1098R Troy Bayliss

Ducati has released a limited edition 1098 superbike, the Bayliss 1098R to commemorate Troy Bayliss’s victory in the 2008 World Superbike Championship on board the 1098 R.

The 1098 R Bayliss Limited Edition has a special colour scheme designed by Aldo Drudi. The paint scheme is identical to what was used during Troy’s final race at Portimao in Portugal 2008. Troy Bayliss has retired from WSBK after winning on three generations of Ducati Superbikes.

The paint scheme incorporates Australian flag and number ’21′ which was Bayliss’s number.

Bayliss Limited Edition 1098 R will be limited to a production run of 500 units and comes with a numbered plaque on the top fork clamp. The number also corresponds to a numbered commemorative desktop plaque bearing the engraved signatures of Ducati Motor Holding CEO Gabriele Del Torchio and Ducati Corse triple World Superbike Champion, Troy Bayliss.

In addition, the Bayliss 1098R will be supplied with a full racing exhaust system including 102dB carbon fibre exhausts by Termignoni, a dedicated ECU, branded bike cover and rear paddock stand.

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2009 Ducati Monster 1100

Ducati Monster have been practically unchanged since 1994. Last year when the new Ducati 696 was restyled & launched,  there were speculations for the higher capacity which have finally been confirmed with Ducati unveiling the Monster 1100 & 1100S.

The new Monsters are powered by an air-cooled Desmodromic engine that already does duty inside the Hypermotard & Multistrada. Power output is at a healthy 95HP @ 7500rpm and 79.5 lb-ft torque @ 6500rpm.

Tank & body panels are removable and replaceable. So the owners can swap panels to their desire.

1100S features Ohlins suspension in front and rear, reduced weight, golden rims and carbon fibre parts.

Prices for both the monsters isn’t out yet.

More images of the new Ducati 1100 & 1100S here: http://www.bikersunite.com/gallery/v/2009_bikes/09ducati/

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The kit once on the bike will transform a R1/R6 into a MotoGP 2008 M1 repalica. The replica kit can be transformed and shod on a number of R1 & R6 of varying pedigree. Price will vary according to the number of units of kit required for the bike.

Yamaha YZF-R1 MotoGP Kit

Yamaha YZF-R1 MotoGP Kit

Yamaha YZF-R6 MotoGP Kit

Yamaha YZF-R6 MotoGP Kit

Yamaha YZF-R1 and YZF-R6 MotoGP Kit

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Ducati 1098S Tricolore

I came across this article in Economic Times stating the launch of superbikes to be a disaster in India. With 73 R1 & MT-01 sold since December 07 & ‘just’ 22 bookings for Ducati’s in India, the launches have been termed failures.

Now let’s look at the outlook from Yamaha & Ducati’s prespective.

• Yamaha at launch expected 24 unit sales in the initial year. They are at 3 times the figure.
• Ducati had a forecast for 50 units in the first year. They are almost at halfway mark in barely three months.

So where does the issue of “dismal performance” crop up? Everyone knows that with over 100% in duties, India has the highest per unit cost of bike for the customers. Still the companies managed to grab 95 orders within 7 months of launch despite presence of a vibrant grey market. I consider this to be a success rather than a disaster for the manufacturers.

Suzuki and Honda are expected to launch a couple of high end bike each by the end of the year (Expect the Hayabusa, GSX-R1000, CBR1000RR & the VFR1000 to hit the streets in next 6 months). Instead of further dampening sales due to increased competition, there should be a 3-4 fold increase in the market size with more choice available for the Indian biker.

Expect sales figures in range of 200+ from manufacturers at the end of fiscal year. Now I wonder what the figures may have been had we not been riddled with rediculously high import duties.

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