Seems as if Ducati need to shift some stock. They are offering with the purchase of a new Panigale V4R, the full Akrapovic undertail system for £1500, which is over £6000 less than the RRP. Quite a saving if you are in the market for a new bike and were considering this model. https://www.ducati.com/gb/en/current-offers/panigale-v4-r-exhaust-offer?_gl=1*zuwniw*_up*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwtamxtOthQMVD5VQBh0MeAzZEAAYASABEgI6cvD_BwE&fbclid=IwAR3avxykKs6KFgJVfR77nOyvnAqNyIPcU4owziohWOdvD3sSWv1IIoOrlio
Having to sign a disclaimer to say you won’t ride the bike on the road may have put a few people off the full system.
Saw no mention of that in this offer or is that now a general rule for anyone buying the full system? If so, it makes a mockery of the whole thing, given there are a fair number of owners out and about on the roads with full systems already on their bikes, many of whom, I would hazard a guess, didnt have to sign one.
I'm pretty sure this is a relatively new caveat in the UK and I believe it unifies the approach across the different markets. Pretty sure Ducati America got reamed by the authorities for fitting the race exhaust to road bikes. Seems odd given what Harley Davidson gets away with. I had a loud exhaust advisory on my MoT printout last year. Andy
I think California led the way, with some pretty hefty dealer fines if they ignored issuing disclaimers to new owners. Let's hope the whole thing doesn't spiral into the Swiss model of a complete and utter Nanny state. This might paradoxically be a useful tool for the factory to steer future customers onto electric offerings from Bologna, if your wings are clipped at the dealer in terms of the exhaust you want, but that is probably a long way off yet. It's just one more jurisdictive nail in the coffin of motorcycling, which is odd given the number of high end supercars driving around with TMS or Powerflow full systems fitted, that are conveniently overlooked.
I recall a UK tuning shop up North, being prosecuted (and found guilty) last year of modifying a chavvy BMW to make excessive noise. Andy
Decades ago race cans used to have 'Not for road use' stamped on them, but nearly every one ignored it. Hopefully the stupidly loud maps and exhausts days are numbered now.
Yep, someone I know was fined £10k for fitting a decat system on a ‘customers’ car. Turned out the customer was from VOSA. Sly bastards.
It's a Ducati thing now. It's so that people can't go back to Ducati and sue them if they get pulled by the police for having bikes that are too loud.
Well mines as loud as fuck. Huzzah!! Last one to the bar’s a homo!! Stolen from The Lord Commander Flash-Heart The bar bit, not the exhaust. Didn’t have flash bikes in 1917….
Its a worldwide thing. Noise and emissions will be at the heart of future traffic policy. Interestingly i was reading a post from a trackday insuruictor on another forum earlier and he was saying that noise is becoming an ever bigger problem for them exacerbated by some riders thinking they can fit the loudest exhaust possible and just carry on regardless.
Or we are going to have to build a future than will sustain a decent standard of life for the majority. I love my bikes ( you can forget cars because i hate driving) but realise we are going to have to change the way we live and pretty rapidly.
Can you imagine, back in the day, being persuaded to hop on one of those fucking things? Hmmm, not me chum. Be my guest
It’s interesting what this sort of move says about Ducatis actual versus perceived value. They used to do deals where you could get way 20% off performance parts of a set amount towards accessory but taking a £8k exhaust and making it £1500 kinda devalued the item. to put it another way, when I worked in the bike shop we were never allowed to discount Arai Helmets, they were priced at an amount which they marketed as what it costs to make a premium top end helmet and they felt that suddenly knocking £100 off them was just a race to the bottom. The wider thing here for me, is that it was only probably 5 years ago that the ‘R’ model Ducati was the one you stretched for if you had to have that really special bike, but they have been blurring the lines with countless ‘SP’ and ‘SP Replica’ bikes for years and the sort of people that have cash to buy one of those types of bikes is a small pool
It’s a reality check for Ducati, I guess. The only reason to discount like this is because either the bike or the exhaust (or both) are not selling well. I am hearing more and more from clients that they feel the interest rate rises are starting to bite quite hard.
