Hey guys I've been an fan of this forum for quiet awhile, and two long hard years of sweat, i'm ready to invest in an italian pure bred...but my dilema is this...DUCATI of MV. I'm in austraila and the F4 EVO 3 is $30000 ride away, I'm in love with this bike....it truly is a work of art but i have just heard that DUCATI is releasing the MATRIX 998, which apart from the matrix green colour it's the stanard 998...Its really hard to get an opion on which is the better bike...Both dealers tell me that Their Bikes are better...So i wouls appreciate your feed back... My Riding Style....Physically i'm not a tall person i'm 5'10 but i'm 100kgs (220 pounds)... my riding experience is limited in that i've never been on anything bigger that a 600.....I can tell you now that the bike i choose will deffinately not be used at the track...but it won't be parked either...i would probally ride it everyday at traffic speeds...and on a long stretch of highway about 100kms a day... so what would be most useful to me is the bike that can cruise around the 120km/h mark....I dont want to throw my money away and after reading about TP...it puts bouts in my mind.... I need the bike thats gonna benifit me the most....something that i'm not gonna make a fatal mistake on... i'm not a young kid thats reckless...i'm just looking for the bike i can really enjoy the most for riding style....I also need to know about about reliablty...which is better of the two....i don't mind either bike but i want the one thats going to best suit me and make me proud....where i'm not going to feel ripped off...Thanks

-- chris wallace (briston01@hotmail.com), November 04, 2003

Answers

I have a 996SPS and a F4-750 evo2,i prefer the F4.

-- Maximo Diaz (maximodiaz@entelchile.net), November 04, 2003.

The Duc and the MV are both hard-corde sport bikes that are fully enjoyed when ridden hard on the track. When you say you will use the bike for "Everyday riding", implying commuting, and "definitely not be used on the track", it puts doubts in my mind that these are the right bikes for you. I'm not calling you a "poser" or anything like that, but be aware that the 2 bikes you have chosen are extremeracing machines. Choose wisely and have fun!

-- ben (ben_kifle@yahoo.com), November 04, 2003.

Chris, There is an MVF4 trackday on the 24th Nov at Phillip Island. If you can make it you should come ...talk to the guys who ride them..

There's also an MV Rider's club of Australia that has just started. www.mvagusta.org.au

I had a Ducati 748 before the MV...the Duke is not in the same league.

Pete

Pete.

-- Pete Hughes (pete_mvagusta@yahoo.com.au), November 05, 2003.

I have a 916 and an MV that I am fixing up so can't give a full account on the MV yet. But what can I tell you is that Ducati parts are far easier to get then the MV parts in Australia. That said service costs are a bit higher for the Ducati.

Sorry to say this but neither bike is really suited to the purpose for which you intend to use them. The 916-998's only come into their own own of race tracks or fast smooth roads so you may find that both bikes are uncomfortable, heavy and handle slowly.

Ideally do some trackdays on them or you will be very dissapointed as neither will live up to the hype in normal street use.

You will need to change the suspension of both bikes to get the most out of them with your weight. ( I am the same weight : (

At the end of the day its a decision of the heart which you like the look and sound of best if you don't intend to use them on the track. So go with your gut feeling, otherwise you'd be on a VFR800

Cheers Ed

-- ed (edu@racersden.com), November 05, 2003.

I would choose the MV any day and twice on sunday... the Evo is great but a "common" F4 is nothing less....

Superior brakes, roadholding (dep on tyres) and the looks... argh.... no the Matrix version is just a way for Duc to recoup some lost sales with theire great but ugly 999. The Tamburini design F4 was a Duc to be, so they had to go radical not be compared with their apostate designer....

Now MV has their QC in place the bikes are built very well (better than Duc some argue) and does it very well here in the Netherland were we are pestered with wind, rain, horrid trafic jams... 40 deg celcius in summer -15 deg celcius in winter... YUP ik drive al year round... and it never missed a beat... no Duc for me... (anymore)...

Cheers!

Ruud

-- Ruud van Dijk (ruud.van.dijk@honeywell.com), November 05, 2003.

Thanks guys for all you advice....I guess you could say that i,m a poser...but i could not imagine anyone that would'nt like to be seen on either bike. when i say no track use...I probally take it out to the track when i finally grow some balls....but for now i guess the MV has my heart.

-- chris wallace (briston01@hotmail.com), November 05, 2003.

I'm an MV owner and love it, especially its looks. I used to have a 916 and have ridden the latest 998, and I have to be honest here, the 998 does everything better than the MV. I still like the MV better though. If you want the best performing bike and don't care about anything else, get a GSXR1000.

-- (joolim33@yahoo.com), November 05, 2003.

If price isn't a factor (which would surprise me..) I'd go for the MV.. I agree with the other posters.. it's not in it's element as an around town commuter.. but you don't have to ride it on a frakin' track to appreciate it. I ride mine fast when I'm in the mood.. other times not.. and it's just as enjoyable either way..At one time in my life "performance" and quarter mile times was the ONLY factors involved when choosing a bike.. not anymore..

I can relate this.. The MV will draw a crowd anywhere you stop...and here is a typical example.. the other day I was riding with some local guys.. one on a 996.. one on a new 999.. one on an Aprila 1000, another on an R1..2 on K1200RS's.. We parked at an overlook on the Blue Ridge Pkw for some snacks at Mt. Pisqua...Keep in mind everyone of these bikes was pristene... Every single motorcyclist that stopped in walked right past every one of these other bikes to drool on the F4.. It got to the point where it was pissing off my riding buds and was almost embarrassing to me.. I heard the 999 guy tell his partner "it makes my dick feel small .." I burst out laughing, but this is common.. at every gas station.. at every bike shop.. at every restaurant..even Harley riders comment on it..

Why is this? because the F4 IS the most beautiful bike ever built.. it IS a work of art..the fact that is is also arguably one of the best handling bikes on earth is icing on the Italian cake. The Duc is just another bike, albeit every bit as capable mechanically.

We all know that most of us choose bikes for other reasons besides practicality and HP...I say buy what stirs your soul.. and trust me when I say... the F4 delivers on every level... My 2 cents.

-- Pirate (pirate@acelink.net), November 05, 2003.

I think you should also think about what kind of engine you prefere. The Duc is a twin and the MV has four cilinders; thats a big difference in engine character. The MV has a more racy sound when you are riding it. No need to say that I like the MV a lot....

-- Erik MV (erikmvf4@hotmail.com), November 15, 2003.

Hi Chris,

Sorry, but from your post I gather (maybe mistakenly) that you are actually making practical and non emotional considerations before you buy one of the two beats.

I own both. And I ride both every day. (Actually for now I use an F4 while I wait for my 1000 F4 to get here).

I am italian (even if I live in Japan), so my answer may be well way off your culture and customs, please don't feel in any way offended, as ALL bikes and bike owners are peers on the same level.

Here is my 2 pence worth of mind: These are definitely NOT bikes you can own or ride with pragmatism. These are lovers. These are beasts of fury and passion. STOP.

If you have to ask such questions as you ask, then both are the wrong choice.

You simply don't go out on a pussy hunt to cheat your wife, and carefully consider and evaluate who is going to be your lover... A lover is pure passion, thrill and orgasm.

Both my Duchess and my F4 are lover. They can give throttle orgasm, and neither can be subdued to reason.

Besides, even if they could be subdued to reason (and someone missing the point of such animals might manage to do just that) you would be wasting your money. A splendid Yamaha R1 or even R6 or any other Jap- Junk would do the job much muhc better, that's considerate reason, technical perfection, practical and good value. These bikes are not designed to give speed, they are designed and cdreated to give thrills, and only as a by-product they give speed too.

998R and F4: like a blonde and a brunette from a pin up, not a wife in a bed room...

My advice Chris: Switch off your brain, and make love to them in your mind, the best mental orgasm will be your choice.

Or, do as I did: buy both. Because the only thing that is better than a lover, is two lovers!

Smiles from Japan.

Tommaso

-- Tommaso (tommyleo@iol.it), January 25, 2004.

hey cris, i own the 2004 998 matrix ducati, i just got it today 2/20/04 i think i might be the first to own own in the usa i would just like to put my two cents in about what bike is right for you, first of the matrix is a very limited bike only 150 or less in the world, also its the last year that the 998 is being made and way le$$ then it was two years ago. this is not to say the mv is no good, thats a great bike as well, what ever bike you get you will be very happy with. hey if it makes you feel any better both bikes are in the movie matrix reloaded one gets dropped of a building and the other gets to be in 20 minutes of the movie, and guess what bike that is? ducati

-- mike (karatemike@comcast.net), February 21, 2004.

r u kiddin me man trust me from a designers point of view ducati 998 would be a masterpiece it would be michaelangelo's david of motorbikes and consider the point it was designed by the same person and me being a true blooded italian would any day go for the greatest design of bikes for 20th century and ever the great ducati 998. trust me i am a designer myself

-- david lombardi (david coulthard@rediffmail.com), February 08, 2005.