Good, congrats to Ducati.............just hope they can do something like this in motogp too..

Hahah. Maybe with the help of Audi, they will be able to climb the most prestigious peak of a Motogp championship.

^^^ But sir , there is a rumor tat Audi is planing to produce two wheelers with the help of Ducati

The MultiStrada is a really serious machine, I would like to see its 'competitors' in the same segment do what it has done. A substantial part was unpaved before this year and the MTS has proved that it can be ridden with equal confidence and results, both on the tarmac and off road.

Production bikes like MTS which have tech from MotoGP trickled down into them matter more than the MotoGP 'results' themselves.

Moreover, it is also the rider riding the machine than purely the machine Rossi<--Ducati--> Casey.

These fluctuations happen, what matters is how the MotoGP tech benefits the production bikes on the road.

Not heard about that. Audi has bought Ducati to have a two wheeler arm. I doubt if you are going to see Audi branded two wheelers.

With all due respect Sunny. Motogp is the pinnacle of motorcycle racing. And ducs have been all about sportbikes. The trickle down of motogp tech to road bikes. The earlier version of Ducati motogp bike used the engine as a stressed member and this has now been adopted in the Panigale. The Ducati motogp bike was a failure. The Panigale might be an exotic beauty and wonderful to own. But the wsbk riders don't want it. Its not good enough for their standards. Carlos Checa wsbk champion on the ducati doesn't want to ride the panigale.

And as regards to Stoner and Rossi on the Duc. Stoner won not because of the Ducati but overiding the inherrent weaknesses of the duc. That doesn't make the bike better, it just shows what an amazing talent Stoner is. Look what he did to the competition when he got off the duc in 2010 and got onto a honda in 2011.

In motogp duc have been fooling themselves that the bike is rideable they only need the correct rider. But barring Stoner no one else has been able to tame it. Statistics speaks volumes sir.

But this is about the MTS winning the Pikes Peak Challenge. Congrats to them for that, but the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world is still very much out of reach for them currently.

And to say the motogp 'results' don't matter is absurd. It doesn't matter how much fancy tech they put into their bikes, if they can't win with a nine times champion.

Very true. But in the end, if you look at the MTS market, most people looking to buy these kind of bikes are not your 'MotoGP' types, but you have some valid points there and I would like to see Duc winning in MGP as well!



And here it is:

I agree buddy, but Sunny's (justifiable) point is that MotoGP experience of any kind should be used (and is used), for making better road bikes.

The drastic Panigale has arrived quite recently with changes that are literally jaw dropping. Let's give it 1-2 years more and then take WSBK riders' opinions. Maybe they'll change? Maybe the bike will get a small/ big change?


And, if you recall 2-3 of the fastest road bikes (ZX 10R, S 1000RR/ HP4, etc.), their manufacturers are not in MotoGP anymore. Even when one of them existed (Kawasaki), they were not too good anyways...
But do you see a ZX 10R owner complaining? I'm yet to see one. And frankly, why should they?

--
Coming back to the topic, Multistrada is a great example of the above theory. I've never seen a better all-rounder than MTS, all due to its electronics.
Watch its torque curve in different modes, you'll be amazed at how linear it is in one mode (Enduro mode I think?). No dips, no spikes. Simply brilliant torque delivery.

Total Fact. Why should we be least concerned when we're getting good road machines for our money?
We know how MotoGP is... and how roads are...

Although I have never been a Ducati fan, but the MTS just blew me away the first time I rode it. From its nimble handling, light weight, upright ergonomics, functional electronic gizmos to everything else on it...simply amazing.

However, I will never put the MTS in the same segment of the R1200GS or Yamaha Super Tenere 1200 or a KTM 990 Adventure.....The MTS is an upright sports bike or better yet a super fast sport tourer that does its job well...whereas the 17inch front rims, alloy wheels etc are just not enough for the real hardcore off-roading that the other bikes are capable of. BUT THAT SAID, atleast 70-80% of the GS, S10 or Katoom riders rarely take their bikes off the pavement, so in that regards the MTS definitely outshines the other bikes in many aspects.

Agree with you on that point! I also support Ducati in motogp.

And thanks for the link. But 'mobility concepts' just doesn't read like Motorcycles

Samarth you have contradicted yourself. On one hand you say that motogp tech should and does trickle down to road bikes. On the other hand you say the best road bikes, do not even participate in motogp.

Motogp is all about prototype racing. Tech going to production bikes is irrelevant. The money comes from marketing not from R&D. Winning a race, championship etc gives you eyeballs and brand building. Thats why factories race. 45 million euros per annum is a very big amount for the tiny bit of tech which is transferred from prototype to production.

Since you know, please tell us how motogp is!!!

My belief is: MotoGP performance of a company making road bikes, is largely irrelevant for most of us as customers. A company may be 3rd or 4th in Road going Superbikes, and still rule the MotoGP world, and vice versa too. So, we should forget MotoGP as a criterion while buying road bikes.

An exception to the above rule, is when actually, something from MotoGP reaches the masses. Only then, we the customers should be concerned.

Having said that, I agree that I heavily mispresented myself.

My two cents....

I believe that professional racing of highest order (MotoGP) is always helpful and important in building a competitive/best production motorcycle; however, it is not absolutely necessary. BMW is not in MotoGP and before S1000RR, they were not in WSBK either. Please correct me if I am wrong. Still the S1000RR is a better Superbike in many areas than its competition. This is just one example.

My opinions are completely based on whatever knowledge I have gathered from watching races on TV and following popular and reputed motorcycle websites and magazines (international). So, nothing that I'll write here is going to be put as a fact. These are just my opinions on my understanding so far.

We should try and look at things from manufacturer's view point. What could be the biggest benefit(s) that production motorcycles can get from MotoGP? Electronics and Chassis components may be? I would like to believe so. In racing motorcycles are ridden at highest possible speeds; hence, the use of electronics and chassis which contribute the most in keeping a motorcycle stable, could be the biggest learning. There could be several more areas where production motorcycles benefit from professional racing and all this would make it seem that it is necessary for a manufacturer to participate in racing. However, we have examples of manufacturers that regularly develop extremely competitive production motorcycles without participating in MotoGP. For myself, I can only conclude that there are various ways of testing that helps in creating a good motorcycle.

But I do believe that it is extremely beneficial for any manufacturer to participate in atleast one form of professional racing that is of international level; be it MotoGP or WSBK or whatever.

I think I can also say that while MotoGP could be more helpful in designing an all new motorcycle (considering it is prototype racing (like making inventions)), WSBK is essential in improving a current production motorcycle and for meaningful upgrades.

Feel free to agree and disagree

when you race in motogp or f1, you put engines to extreme conditons which a normal user rarely would and even if he does it wont be for that much duration.. also light weight material usage gives manufacturers a future indication for the use of same in their road bikes to improve performance

When a motorcycle company cannot create a "Product" for the highest level to display its technical prowess under the rules which are common to all manufacturers, then my friend its perhaps is an apt indicator of its abilities on the street bike.

And its not just for WSBK or MotoGP, even in other sports where 'many' manufacturers participate...

A lot of this tech "eventually" comes on to the factorys flagship models. The critieria there is basically the affordability of such a tech in "mass" market scenario..

i wonder then why is Yamaha going down the charts in many of the litre class 'shootout's worldwide then.