[shamar1]

some of you've may or may not have heard me mention in the past about the supermono owned and raced by jerry wood in the LRRS...? well here it is...!!! :shocked: just back from the CCS finale down in miami. :grin: and the hits just keep on comin' ladies and gentlemen... :809028-ridin:

left

right

front

 

[shamar1]

close-up left

close-up right

looks a little rough perhaps, but afterall... it's no trailer queen. :grin:

it was told to me that from all the racing (although not by jerry), mr. wood literally had to have ducati italy specially re-cast him some one-off cases from the original molds to replace the original set that eventually got shot to hell... :shocked: now you know that crap wasn't cheap...!!! :crazy: but not that that's anything spectacular...? however to MY inquiring mind, i interpret that to mean ducati could easily start production if they really wanted to...??? :Wow1: emphasis on the "if they really wanted to"... clearly they do not. :frown:

 

[south]

[ QUOTE ]
shamar1 said:

it was told to me that from all the racing (although not by jerry), mr. wood literally had to have ducati italy specially re-cast him some one-off cases from the original molds to replace the original set that eventually got shot to hell... :shocked: now you know that crap wasn't cheap...!!! :crazy: but not that that's anything spectacular...? however to MY inquiring mind, i interpret that to mean ducati could easily start production if they really wanted to...??? :Wow1: emphasis on the "if they really wanted to"... clearly they do not. :frown:

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I dunno, S1, it just sounds to me like they've got the old molds lying around--i.e. unlike much of the old Japanese stuff which is used to produce sport tourers and naked bikes before being sold to the Chinese, Koreans, etc. and used to manufacture new 20 year old motorcycles. Dusting off a set of molds and turning out a couple of castings is a far cry from retooling a whole production line--but, hey, fire off a memo to the home office and see if they'd be willing to sell you all the old tooling; this could be your big break, just think: the Shamar Supermono. :waytogo:

 

[shamar1]

[ QUOTE ]
Dusting off a set of molds and turning out a couple of castings is a far cry from retooling a whole production line

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well if we were re-issuing the relatively complex and elaborate '93 ford taurus then i'd say you have a point...? however, not much "toolng" associated with the assembly line of a motorcycle manufacturer and even less so with a comparitively small volume manufacturer like ducati. we're not stamping out unibodys and then spot-welding with an army of robotic cells. what's to "re-tool"...? what's to "produce"...? or rather what's radically different than what they are already producing...? motorcycle manufacturers predominantly subcontract, outsource and then "assemble" as much universal "off the shelf" parts as possible under a big roof with simply their name affixed to the outside. hate to debunk the myth, but they're all just big bicycles. there's really not much to it 'cept insert fastener A into workpiece B with the appropriate amount of loctite and tighten to the indicated torque spec. it's all pretty universal. can't remember the last time ducati ever kicked out michelin, marchesini, brembo, showa, KTM, D.I.D. and started turing their own tires, rotors, master cylinders, forks, shocks, radiators, drive chains, etc. etc.

 

[south]

Lucky for you S1, the invitation for breakfast in bed outweighed the planned morning ride in mid-40 degree weather (it's a cozy 60 degrees here in town, but 50 miles north into the countryside at 8 AM, brrr! F*ck that; I didn't move to Florida to be cold :smirk, so now I've got a little extra time :laugh:...



While I agree that, obviously, production of a large unit volume sedan is far different from turning out a largely hand assembled motorcycle, I think your wishful/wistful thinking has resulted in a little oversimplification, S1. Granted, much of the "periphery" of the bike consists of bolt-on components from outside manufacturers or application-specific pieces farmed out to subcontractors, but this outsourcing still requires negotiations, contracts, the willingness and capacity for the subcontractors to go back to producing the parts--i.e. these second-tier companies have to retool their production lines; they may not be prepared to do so, and even if they are, there are all new start-up expenses to be figured in, etc.

Then, the Ducati in-house side of things: while a steel trellis frame doesn't require a manufacturing process of similiar complexity to the new die-cast, minimum welding, aluminum frames, the frame tubing still must be uniformly cut to size and shape on some kind of production line (it ain't like Guiseppe is in the back with a tape measure, circular saw fitted with a metal cutting blade, and a couple dozen pallets of chrome moly tubing :smirk. The old frame jigs have to be pulled out of storage, or new ones fabricated. Speaking of Guiseppe, the availability and (re)allocation of human resources figures prominently.

Think about all the bits and pieces: pistons, rods, cranks, cylinder heads, transmission innards, wiring harnesses, gas tanks, etc.--sh*t doesn't have to be "radically different", as you say, just unique to the Supermono; as you are well aware, this ain't Harley Davidson with 30 models assembled from 2 motors and 3 frames. Speaking of Guiseppe, somebody has to negotiate the contracts, oversee production, do the fabrication work, and then build the actual bikes--the availablity and (re)allocation of human resources figures prominently.

Top it all off with the Piaggio bean-counters doubtless looking over Ducati's collective shoulders, and I think the resurrection of the Supermono stands a far better chance in the your hands than it does coming from Ducati. I'm tellin' ya, get Ducati to sell the old molds and tooling on the cheap--I've got a good size and fitted out detached garage/workshop and a spare bedroom: this could be BIG. :waytogo: :lol:

 

[shamar1]

[ QUOTE ]
Think about all the bits and pieces: pistons, rods, cranks, cylinder heads, transmission innards, wiring harnesses, gas tanks, etc.--sh*t doesn't have to be "radically different", as you say, just unique to the Supermono; as you are well aware, this ain't Harley Davidson with 30 models assembled from 2 motors and 3 frames.

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sorry guy, but that's EXACTLY what ducati's are... :crazy: without belaboring the point, i promise... you can take my word for it. :grin:

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Top it all off with the Piaggio bean-counters doubtless looking over Ducati's collective shoulders, and I think the resurrection of the Supermono stands a far better chance in the your hands than it does coming from Ducati

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:808919-icon_police: just curious...? as a now clearly identified "layman" to the marque... of all the proverbial "hills" out here of which to attempt an offensive...? why exactly would you pick THIS hill to die on...!?!? :rolling: (i suppose however, it's just as good as any) anyway, it's akin to stumbling upon a discarded hand grenade and then thinking it reasonable to threaten "THE OWNER OF THE BOMB STORE". :808876-nono: i heard a very popular comedian make that analogy once in reference to terrorists attacking America. :laugh: so how does one make that leap...? :lol: many here now perceive you as perhaps... "having a death wish". and that ain't good. :frown:

now back to our previously scheduled program already in progress...

 

[south]

[ QUOTE ]
shamar1 said: as a now clearly identified "layman" to the marque...

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey now, while certainly not my brand of choice, I do have a Ducati owner in the family. :laugh:

[ QUOTE ]
of all the proverbial "hills" out here of which to attempt an offensive...? why exactly would you pick THIS hill to die on...!?!? :rolling: (i suppose however, it's just as good as any) anyway, it's akin to stumbling upon a discarded hand grenade and then thinking it reasonable to threaten "THE OWNER OF THE BOMB STORE". :808876-nono: i heard a very popular comedian make that analogy once in reference to terrorists attacking America. :laugh: so how does one make that leap...? :lol: many here now perceive you as perhaps... "having a death wish". and that ain't good. :frown:

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/wwwthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif Unless I misunderstand you, I think--to put it in your terms--you misunderstand the terrain of my "offensive". I wasn't attempting to engage in a Ducati-centered pissing contest with you--my points were made based upon valid business practicalities (notwithstanding my confusion of Aprilia with Ducati in terms of the Piaggio reference :rolling:--what can I say, brain fade, it was stupid, I knew/know better, but sh*t happens)--but, despite my limited familiarity with the brand and your obvious oversensitivity and skewed perception of some kind of threat to your self-image, you'll have to do better than mere bluster and sabre-rattling--take my word for it: I may certainly be persuaded by an informed presentation of facts from a (more) knowledgeable source (that'd be you), but your attempts at belittling condescension and ridicule, all with a *wink* to your internet audience, leave me absolutely unfazed and, needless to say, unconvinced.

Perhaps, in the interests of good relations and "healthy" discussions--which is the spirit in which I approached your post--we can just "agree to disagree", and I'll close by just saying, "nice pics, S1. Too bad Ducati won't be making any more of those." :smirk: