don't know what you would call it, but
when Ducat i North America PR guy
Vince Chiaro phoned and offered me
the chance to ride Ducati's redesigned
2005 999R during the bike 's world
press launch at Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca in Monterey, California, on the Thursday prior to the AMA/World Superbike
weekend - the biggest road racing weekend
of the year no less - I called it the perfect
I
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AUGUST 4 ,2004 •
week. Everyone should be so lucky as to
ride a world-class motorcycle on a world class racetrack at a world-class event .
As for the 999R, it definitely fills the bill
as world-class. Based specifically on the
machine that Eric Bostrom is racing in this
year 's AHA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superb ike
Series , Ducati officials say that the bike has
been significantly upgraded for the
Ame rican market and is yet another step in
CYCLE NEWS
Ducati's rich tradition . which has always
been characterized by the manufacture of
series production bikes similar to their race
versions not only in styling, but also in technical features . Put more simply, the 999R is
more of a good thing, and at a retail price
of $29,995, it had better be .
If you read our open-class shootout
(Issue # 16). then you'll know that while
we praised its racetrack manners, the
40th Anniversary
stock 999 fell somewhat short in the
power department compared to the best
of the four-cylinder machines in the test. It
was fast, it was friendly, but we wanted
more poop from the powertrain. With a
claimed 150 horsepower at the crank , I
was hoping the 999R would deliver the
goods at Laguna.
But no t at the expense of the 999 's
friendly demeanor. as those who have
