Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

ences of the past. That's because MH stands for Mike Hailwood, arguably the most legendary hero of the first 100 years of motorcycling, and the man responsible for scoring one of Ducati's two most famous race victories in its half-century of history, in the Isle of Man Formula 1 TT of 1978. And in producing the MH900e, the Italian company owes a debt of gratitude to Pierre Terblanche, whose signature product the MH900e very much is (see sidebar), as a generally faithful production replica of his Intermot bike - a one-off prototype which, (RightJ The MH900e is the bike that Piene Terblanche dreamed of building. Ducati made It a reality. The bike is now In hand-built production with 2000 models set to be built between now and June. (Below) Our test unit was stamped with the number 0000/2000. in what at the time seemed a curious move, was put up for auction by the Ducati factory at the Sotheby's sale in Chicago in September '99, where it failed to reach its $1 million reserve price (but was still bid up to a startling $750,000). Still - all good publicity for the one you could shortly buy for a fraction of that amount. While the production version retains the prototype's metal cladding freezing cold January day, with the mercury barely registering above 32°F, did however provide me with some surprises. Let's begin with the bottom line: this is a far more capable road bike than I and probably most other people, even those who made friends with their computer keyboards in the early hours of New Years Day Y2K, ever dreamed it would be. Sorry, around the engine, aimed at conveying the impression that it was powered by a period '70s-style beveldrive desmo V-twin motor similar to the one which took Mike the Bike to his IT victory, in fact the desmodue engine at the heart of the bike is the same fuel-injected, air/oil-cooled, belt-driven SOHC six-speed design as fitted to the Ducati 900SS today, producing 75 hp at 8000 rpm in MH900e guise - 4 hp less than the 900SS, thanks to the more restrictive exhaust system, with 76 Nm of torque at 6250 rpm. In most respects Terblanche's much as the engine as possible can been seen from the side - even if the result is a very tall bike whose claimed 825mm seat height seems even higher: a six-footer like myself can only tiptoe at traffic lights, though at 6'4" tall, the designer him- original dreambike design, which self has no such problem. managed the difficult feat of being both futuristic and retro at the same time, has been preserved. This includes the chromemoly tubular steel spaceframe chassis purposely designed, says Pierre, so that as The chance to ride the prototype MH9"OOe (stamped with number 0000/2000 on the silver plaque atop the fuel tank shroud, which covers a small 2.21-gallon plastic tank - this is not a bike for long journeys!) on a Pierre - but you've got to admit it does look like "only" a showbike, even if as that rare thing, a designer who actually rides the bikes he pens, we should have guessed you'd make it dynamically rewarding, too. It's a shame he's so tall - because the height of the bike is its only major drawback, even for someone not particularly vertically challenged. Certainly, the build of the MH900e is quite unlike the mid-'70s 750SS I (Above) The 900e gets a 43mm upside-down fork and Brembo brakes. once owned, which even with the long rear shocks needed to speed up the steering and stop scraping the exhausts in turns isn't nearly as jacked-up at the rear as the MH900e. However, it is quite a bit rangier in terms of the riding position and the wheelbase. At 1415mm on the MH, this is a far cry from the original Hailwood/NCR bike's 1500mm build, and it's more close-coupled than the older bikes' stretched-out stance. Though because of the jacked-up rear end, there's a fair bit more weight on your wrists than on the older V-twins. Yet Terblanche's variation on the 1970s theme succeeds in delivering a lean, rangy look to the bike when seated in the cockpit or viewed from the front, much more so than with the current 900SS. Most individual is the abbreviated seat with the twin exhausts protruding rearward from it, "Hey! What's All This Net Stuff? Just Gimme A Bike!" The Ducati MH900e was the first "new bike" ever sold over the Internet, and it caused quite a stir. So much so in fact, that Ducati decided to publish a book with a collection of fan/hate mail about the sale of the new bike. It's called "Aooh! Ch'e sto net? Manname 'na motol", or as it translates, "Hey! What's All This Net Stuff? Just Gimme A Bike!" As we all know the Intemet seems to be a love/hate relationship for the user. Sometimes a useful tool, and sometimes a frustrating annoyance, we all get more and more dependent on it everyday. Some of us are lucky enough to use it at work to increase productivity, while the rest of you are sneaking around hoping that the boss doesn't catch you downloading Cindy Margolis. The Ducati MH900e project was the first time that a motorcycle had been sold exclusively over the Intemet, so they were breaking new ground the entire way. Of course, every revolutionary idea is going to have its pundits, and this was no exception. On the other hand it only took 31 minutes for the first run of just 500 bikes to sell out. That should be a lesson for the critics. The bikes went on sale January 1, 2000, and the bikes lasted about as long as tickets to a U2 concert - the lucky few who got the bikes probably weren't as drunk as the rest of us that night. In the end, Ducati accomplished their goal. They not only proved the project a success, but they also leamed a lot about the potential of the Intemet. They were able to see their failures and victories in a very short span of time, and also to leam a little bit about their hardcore following of enthusiasts. The funny thing about the book is the level of anxiety that is present in the collected notes. They weren't just inquiring about the bike, they wanted the bike right then, and understood their chances of obtaining one were slim. Of course, the individuals who got bikes weren't complaining, they simply slapped 15,000 Euros (around $15,000) down on their credit card, and started waiting for delivery. It seems kind of weird to thrown down that much money for something you've only seen pictures ... ~ of, but then again it's a truly '" -..m. modern collectable (only 2000 will be made) bike. The book also includes a nice selection of original concept drawings by Pierre Terblanche showing early ideas of what he thought the bike should look like. If you are a Ducati aficionado, Internet buff, or fan of Mike "The Bike" Hailwood, order a copy of the book. But, like the bike, you won't find it at your local motorcycle shop, or at the bookstore for that matter, it's only available ::===========::.> the only really designer-esque part of the design that escaped Terblanche's self-appointed censorship, and the pointy-nosed half-fairing blending with the fuel tank, shaped to resemble the one-piece seat/tank unit of Hailwood's IT-winner - surmounted by a '70s-style Ducati logo as designed back then by noted car stylist Giugiaro. Aooh! A true work of art is the intricately shaped single-sided tubular steel swingarm, which for many represents the bike's single most admirable component - a masterpiece of tube bend- online, at www.ducatLcom. Ciao! cue I • n • _ S • FEBRUARY 7,2001 27

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