Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

2003 Oucati 749/7495 model (in terms of the rake and helped stabilize the bike on the throt- wheelbase). What I don't know is tle and under heavy braking. Addi- what the trail measurement is or what tionally, Ducati worked to improve the fork offset is. The numbers are the bike's center of gravity through similar, but the wheelbase is actually mass centralization. Another key to slightly longer, 55.9 inches as the bike's handling is that the rider opposed to 55.5 on the previous bike, was engineered into the weight distri- and the rake is now 24.5 degrees on bution of the bike's chassis. All of this the base model and was 24 degrees makes the bike feel a lot more nimble on the previous base model. So why than the bike it replaces, and yet the does the thing feel like it handles so longer wheelbase and mellower rake much better? The key seems to be give it stability. that Ducati improved the front-to-rear much more useful for actually evalu- (meaning that it is easier to change line midcorner), but the trade-off is above, front-end feel was vital on the well worth it. Almeria has a bunch of tricky Almeria track, and the fact of quick 90-degree corners and chi- the matter is that the 749 didn't dis- canes that demand that it be flicked totally dif- in very quickly, and I'm just not sure ferently from its predecessor. In fact - that these corners would be any fun dare I say this - it feels much more on the old 748. I never thought I appoint. The bike handles like a Japanese 600 than a stubborn would see the day that Ducati would Italian tractor. The 749 is f1ickable, build a bike that felt this nimble and maneuverable on the track. yet it retains a sense of security from the front end that inspires confidence. One thing that fascinates me is It's livelier chassis-wise in the fast that the chassis geometry of the new sweepers than the dead stable 748 bike is very similar to the previous One of the cool details on the 749 is the new radialdesign master cylinders that feature the air bleed nipple inside the low-profile fluid reservoirs. 24 JANUARY 8. 2003' 0: U 0: I e nevvs steer off throttle, but this doesn't is around 15mm longer, which has ating the bike. Like I mentioned The 748 had a tendency to under- weight bias of the bike. The swingarm seem to be an issue on the 749. The The new frame and the new swingarm are two items that really make the 749 a drastic departure from the previous generation 748. Like I mentioned in the riding impression, the overall geometry of the bike isn't really that different on the new bike. What is different is where the engineers decided to put the weight and where they decided to put the bike's center of graVity. Every component on the bike was designed to optimize the relationship with the bike's center of gravity and front and rear weight bias, and also to incorporate the rider into the equation. The bike carries 51 percent of its weight on the front wheel and 49 percent of the weight on the rear. The trellis frame may look familiar, but the 749's is much narrower than the bike it replaces. This was made possible by the fuel tank no longer acting as the top seal on the airbox. The double-sided aluminum swingarm is a single-piece sand-casting and is roughly the same weight as the old single-sided version, but it's also much stiffer. The front- forks are fully adjustable 43mm Showa units which feature TIN (Titanium Nitride coating) on the 749S and are exactly the same on the 749 (base model). except they lack the TiN coating. The rear suspension is fully adjustable and is now linked to the swingarm by a lower mounting point. Rear ride height is adjustable by altering the length of the reaction rod without disrupting the rear preload adjustment. Ducatis have had excellent brakes for at least the last 10 years. But the latest version of Brembo's four-piston calipers are exceptional. The calipers feature 34mm pistons with individual sintered pads for each piston. The 320mm front rotors have been moved out from the wheel in an effort to improve their cooling efficiency. which, in tum_ has allowed the rotor thickness to be reduced from 5mm to 4.5mm for less unsprung weight. The rear rotor is a 240mm unit with a twin-piston caliper. One thing that Ducati has accomplished with the new 749 is the reducing of the dutter. One method was to make subassemblies that help with the ease of production and maintenance, but they also simplify a lot of the components. Most of the bike's electronics have been grouped in one central location on the left side of the bike, under the fairing. These include the voltage regulator, ignition/injection control unit, battery and diagnostic interface all in one neat clump. One of the most impressive assemblies is the tank/seat/tail section group, which can be removed in minutes as a unit. On the 749S, the seat is adjustable forward and aft by 20mm, but what is interesting is that the tank moves with the seat because of their attached design. If you're a fan of Apple/Mac products, yOU'll appreciate the simplicity of the 749's gauge cluster unit. It looks like an iPod (MP3 device) sitting in front of you. The gauges have a really cool green-backlight glow at night that automatically adjusts the light level based on the ambient light. All of the Information you could ever need is available via the instrument LCD screen, analog tach and the idiot lights across the top. A few additional features include a shift light and an onboard lap timer, which records your highest speed, rpm and lap time. One of the bike's (and the 999's) technical innovations is the use of CAN (Controller Area Network)-line electronics for the first time on a motorcycle application. This technology was borrowed from the automotive industry and greatly reduces weight and simplifies the wiring on the bike. Two nodes are connected to the CAN line for the instrument panel and the Magneti Merelli 5.9M ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The system is a network with only two wires that sends information to the dosest processing unit, which then sends the information to the network and the CPUs. The information is then processed, and the relevant information is used for the appropriate functions. This has greatly reduced wiring clutter and should simplify troubleshooting. All of the mechanical and electronic simplifi· cation has eliminated 230 parts on the bike. The 7495 has provisions for adjustment that can help to customize the bike to the rider. The footpegs can be positioned into five different locations; the seat can also be adjusted fore and aft 20mm, while the rake angle can be altered between 23.5 and 24.5degrees. The bodywork is the one element on the 749 that has met with considerable criticism, but once again there is more to it than simply the form. Ducati spent a considerable amount of time developing these aerodynamics in the wind tunnel, and the end result is a product of that research. Two-dimensional photographs certainly don't do the bike justice - you realiy have to see the bike in person to fully appreciate it. One thing that sucked me into liking the bike is the fact that there are so many cool details on it. You could spend hours just taking in the little things. Regarding the 749, the bottom line is that the bike just plain works. The fact is that the more you look at it the older and more outdated the 748 seems. My biggest complaint on the bike involves the bike's mirrors. I realize that styling is a huge part of Ducati's image, but on a bike that is already so controversial, I reaJiy don't think that making the mirrors functional would have raised too many complaints. I realize that the bike isn't a Gold Wing, but the 748's mirrors were better than the new ones, and there is a point when function has to be taken into consideration. I've resorted to using the Italian rearview mirror check, which consists of dropping down a couple gears, nailing the throttle and then changing lanes, all the while hoping that a Hayabusa isn't steaming up in that lane. Enough said.

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