MORE Exciting News from Ducati?
Tue, 04 Nov 2008Ducati held its third Global dealer meeting this past weekend where it showed the cards up its sleeve. While Ducati unveiled the highly anticipated Streetfighter 1098, 1198, 1098R Bayliss replica and the M11 to press, it also showed dealers a fifth model. This model is so secret that security asked to see dealers’ mobile phones to make sure no photos were taken. 1000 dealers attended the launch, so we’ll be surprised if there’s not one rotten apple out there that got a shot of the new bike, so we may get pictures sooner than we think.
The bike is simply called 0903 right now, which is likely just its code name. It was described to me as a Multistrada-type bike, but hyped up to a high level with completely different design. It features a high suspension and is a type of Tiger Ducati style. It also allegedly features the 1098 engine, just like the new Streetfighter. Motorcycle.com’s European correspondent Tor Sagen spoke with a number of dealers who liked the bike even more than the Streetfighter. According to my sources, the bike will be a 2010 model due to be shown this time next year at the EICMA 2009 show.
The future looks bright for Ducati as the marque announced to its backers at a meeting in January that it planned to launch 10 new bikes by 2010. The first three being the 2008 Monster 696, 848 and 1098 with three more to follow in 2009 and four in 2010.
By Dustin Woods
See also: EICMA 2008: First Impressions.