Ducati Scootster - would you hit it?

[BlueRidgeKat]

Whaddya think?

Never had a desire for a scooter but if I ever do I hope this one or something very close is available.

[atadaskew]

Never had a desire for a scooter but if I ever do I hope this one or something very close is available.

Yamaha Tmax.  Sweet ride.

[chornbe]

Yamaha Tmax.  Sweet ride.

I'll +1 that.

[staedtler]

with a 2x4...

[1moreroad]

It's already been built.

http://cars.uk.msn.com/Motorbikes/Bikes.aspx?cp-documentid=6186190

Saw a number of these in France and Spain.  Sounds awesome but incongruous when you see a maxi-scooter when you're expecting a Ducati.

[chornbe]

It's already been built.

http://cars.uk.msn.com/Motorbikes/Bikes.aspx?cp-documentid=6186190

Saw a number of these in France and Spain.  Sounds awesome but incongruous when you see a maxi-scooter when you're expecting a Ducati.

Yeah, but that's not that Ducati monstrosity pictured (photo-hacked) above.

Although it's not the first scooter to be powered by a large twin-cylinder engine (Honda's Silverwing has a 582cc parallel twin for example) the GP800 is the first to have an impressive 839cc in a 90 degree V-twin configuration and it's the same engine being used to power Aprilia's automatic motorcycle, the Mana

Cool.

[scott19]

That?

If Ducati actually made a scooter? Yep. In fact, I'm already working on convincing the wife she needs a Vespa, or a smaller motorcycle. If it were a Ducati, I think she'd "cave" to the idea. I like scooters.

Why not an Aprilia?

[R Doug]

with a 2x4...

 

As scotters go, I'm a fan of the classing looking Vespa or something similar.  Modern Burgmans (even w/ a Ducati flair) look hideous to me.  

[Virginian]

I'd knock the bottom out of it!  

Eric

[Rincewind]

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/24july09_scoot_cati.htm

Since Ducati pledged to show three new models a year we've gotten a flood of red-painted metal from Borgo Panigale; a new Superbike, new Monsters and the popular Hypermotard. Rumors are thick that this year, we'll see a Multistrada replacement-armed with the four-valve, 150 hp 1098 powerplant-aimed at the BMW GS crowd and perhaps even a VMAX-like power cruiser. That alone would make the Ducati crowd happy, but what about the fast-expanding scooter market?

Our man in the know, Italian designer Oberdan Bezzi, is convinced Ducati has something for them as well. He tells us that the latest news is that a prototype of a scooter (dubbed the "Scootster," a contraction of "scooter" and "Monster") will be unveiled at the 2009 Milan EICMA motorcycle show in early November.

Oberdan thinks the motor will be an 850 and offer a multi-mode transmission like the Aprilia Mana. That's not a bad assumption; I just had a conversation with a source at Piaggio, who told me Piaggio loves to sell powertrain units to anyone who'll buy them. "Would they sell one without heads so Ducati could install Desmo heads," I asked? "Sure" was the answer. Oberdan's drawing shows the Testastretta motor's deep sump, so maybe that's not what he had in mind, but it'd make sense, no? He also envisioned an "S" version, with Öhlins suspension and maybe some lightweight 16-inch wheels as well.

Oberdan and my mystery man at Piaggio think Ducati is working on a scooter, but I'm not so sure. Ducati has no need to expand the market for its bikes, as the factory is already near capacity. What Ducati wants is to strengthen its existing product line and build customer loyalty. A scooter, particularly something as big and expensive as this Scoot-strosity, makes no sense.

But if it does happen, it won't be Ducati's first scooter; the factory sold a 100cc scoot, dubbed the "Brio," in the early '60s. I saw one at a scooter rally a few years ago, and I thought the Ducati logo on the legsheild was a joke. Not at all, said the owner, pointing out the "Ducati" logo on the engine case and VIN plate. He bought it cheap and got it running easily, and discovered it was actually a fun and reliable little machine. It was just the wrong product, introduced at the wrong time. Will history repeat itself?

[atadaskew]

Our man in the know, Italian designer Oberdan Bezzi..

How the flip is Bezzi 'in the know'?  He's released countless drawings that had nothing to do with bikes that eventually made it to production.  His last great one was a new Duc SS....

AFAIK he has no affiliation with Ducati at all.

[Rincewind]

How the flip is Bezzi 'in the know'?  He's released countless drawings that had nothing to do with bikes that eventually made it to production.  His last great one was a new Duc SS....

AFAIK he has no affiliation with Ducati at all.

I agree, and was surprised by that sentence as well.  AFAIK he is an industrial designer who likes to dick around with photochop and confuse the motorcycle news press weekly.  I can't think of one of his 'chops that became reality...

But, the rumor of a Ducati and BMW superscooter is, I think, independent of his fantasy drawings.  We shall see...

[atadaskew]

I think he's someone that is trying to get hired by a bike company, hence putting his junk out there all the time.

I'm not saying he doesn't have talent, but that it's just BS.  Hey, I can say Ducati is going to release a new sportbike/cruiser/scooter/musclebike/dirtbike/pogo stick, release drawings for each, and eventually they are going to release something new.  Doesn't mean it's because I knew of anything, I just covered all possible options!


Figures it's MCN.  Problem is that it also gets play on other sites because they copy the MCN release..

[Rusty the Scoob]

But, the rumor of a Ducati and BMW superscooter is, I think, independent of his fantasy drawings.  We shall see...

I really don't see a market for an 850cc Duc scooter.     I don't really understand the big scooters to begin with - why not ride a small bike instead?  Unless for some reason you can't master shifting, but if you can't master shifting, why would you want that kind of power?   I could see a few people who need the step-through for medical reasons but how many of them would want to spend a premium for a Ducati?

[fastfreddy]

What's the idea with all these big scooters? What, if any, advantage over a bike? The only difference is no gas tank in front of you. Seems silly to waste that space, just put a tank there and you get......voila! A motorcycle!!!
I don't get it.

[UFO]

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/24july09_scoot_cati.htm

motorcycledaily.com fell for that picture?

Wow, my respect for that site just took a nosedive.

[JReazor]

motorcycledaily.com fell for that picture?

Wow, my respect for that site just took a nosedive.

They've posted Bezzi's pics on slow news days before. They're usually better about making it clear that it's all fantasy and speculation.

[mugwump58]

Ughhh, on pare with Sundays tire decision. Or I'm not part of the demographic.