I just wonder if it will ever happen. I don't know the rules, and with Ducati increasing their displacement every year, I'm not even sure if their 1299 would fit within the rules, much less make it 6 laps, and they don't make a supersport anywhere near the rules either.

Hell, their new "small" bike, the 899, is only a few cc down on my old 916 in my garage and up on horsepower.

What amazes me is that they have signally failed to produce a 650 twin, that's a class they would be nailed on to win.

Just another open goal they've failed to see, why did they never build a Tony Rutter replica?

(05-06-2015, 10:04 AM)desmophile Wrote: What amazes me is that they have signally failed to produce a 650 twin, that's a class they would be nailed on to win.

Just another open goal they've failed to see, why did they never build a Tony Rutter replica?

The Supermono certainly nailed that class. I thought KTM  might bring something out.

When they eventually stop making aircooled small cc twin motors we might see something new

I wonder with 220bhp what a 1299 Panigale S superstock bike would get round in.

Reliability? I know, and cheap, low dig at the bike, but are they as reliable as a modern Japanes/European 4? They've come on a lot, however I think they still require a bit more fetlling than the others.

On another note, I've never understood why someone hasn't run the Aprilia RSV's (V4's) around the TT. Or maybe their geometry is too track biased, rather than road focused (but the again that hasn't stopped Honda NS500's or YZR 500's being raced at the island).

(05-06-2015, 05:59 PM)Westers Wrote: Reliability? I know, and cheap, low dig at the bike, but are they as reliable as a modern Japanes/European 4? They've come on a lot, however I think they still require a bit more fetlling than the others.

On another note, I've never understood why someone hasn't run the Aprilia RSV's (V4's) around the TT. Or maybe their geometry is too track biased, rather than road focused (but the again that hasn't stopped Honda NS500's or YZR 500's being raced at the island).

Have you never heard of David Hewson ??? That old boys been making Norton look like what they are for several years now with a home built RSV.

(05-06-2015, 06:14 PM)Allyshaper Wrote:

(05-06-2015, 05:59 PM)Westers Wrote: Reliability? I know, and cheap, low dig at the bike, but are they as reliable as a modern Japanes/European 4? They've come on a lot, however I think they still require a bit more fetlling than the others.

On another note, I've never understood why someone hasn't run the Aprilia RSV's (V4's) around the TT. Or maybe their geometry is too track biased, rather than road focused (but the again that hasn't stopped Honda NS500's or YZR 500's being raced at the island).

Have you never heard of David Hewson ??? That old boys been making Norton look like what they are for several years now with a home built RSV.

No, not heard of him before, and having googled him I now feel ashamed of myself. I will hence forth do summit or other to make up for my heinous crimes 

(05-06-2015, 06:35 PM)Westers Wrote:

(05-06-2015, 06:14 PM)Allyshaper Wrote:

(05-06-2015, 05:59 PM)Westers Wrote: Reliability? I know, and cheap, low dig at the bike, but are they as reliable as a modern Japanes/European 4? They've come on a lot, however I think they still require a bit more fetlling than the others.

On another note, I've never understood why someone hasn't run the Aprilia RSV's (V4's) around the TT. Or maybe their geometry is too track biased, rather than road focused (but the again that hasn't stopped Honda NS500's or YZR 500's being raced at the island).

Have you never heard of David Hewson ??? That old boys been making Norton look like what they are for several years now with a home built RSV.

No, not heard of him before, and having googled him I now feel ashamed of myself. I will hence forth do summit or other to make up for my heinous crimes 

Consider yourself  edjyoukated.

Aye - Just watched him go from 21st to 12th at Oulton; nice bit of riding.

And a 118mph lap of the TT - nothing shabby about that at all 

(05-06-2015, 07:02 PM)Westers Wrote: Aye - Just watched him go from 21st to 12th at Oulton; nice bit of riding.

And a 118mph lap of the TT - nothing shabby about that at all 

Norton,look and learn.

(05-06-2015, 05:59 PM)Westers Wrote: Reliability? I know, and cheap, low dig at the bike, but are they as reliable as a modern Japanes/European 4? They've come on a lot, however I think they still require a bit more fetlling than the others.

On another note, I've never understood why someone hasn't run the Aprilia RSV's (V4's) around the TT. Or maybe their geometry is too track biased, rather than road focused (but the again that hasn't stopped Honda NS500's or YZR 500's being raced at the island).

I'm a bit of a junkyward buyer and I have bought a lot of salvage title Ducatis from USA, where a salvage bike is usually less damaged than a UK bike, and I've never had a problem.

In my life I've had a 916, a 996, a M900 monster, a 748, a first year 1098, and now I'm settled into a Sport Classic 1000 as my final bike. Only one of them ever had any major reliability issues, and that was the M900 monster and was a result of the fact that it had a bore kit. Just from my personal experience, I'm not sure that the bum rap they get for reliability is really true any more. I still have my 748 and I use it for tracks and she's going strong on 55,000 miles with no major issues.

(05-06-2015, 10:04 AM)desmophile Wrote: What amazes me is that they have signally failed to produce a 650 twin, that's a class they would be nailed on to win.

Just another open goal they've failed to see, why did they never build a Tony Rutter replica?

We tend to forget that the 650 twin class is something which has been made up out of the blue. Manufacturers wouldn't plan production based on something which is going to fade away in a couple of years. Both of the main protagonists are based on pretty ordinary bikes which happen to have a 650 twin motor.

(06-06-2015, 12:05 AM)Max Power Wrote:

(05-06-2015, 10:04 AM)desmophile Wrote: What amazes me is that they have signally failed to produce a 650 twin, that's a class they would be nailed on to win.

Just another open goal they've failed to see, why did they never build a Tony Rutter replica?

We tend to forget that the 650 twin class is something which has been made up out of the blue. Manufacturers wouldn't plan production based on something which is going to fade away in a couple of years. Both of the main protagonists are based on pretty ordinary bikes which happen to have a 650 twin motor.

I haven't kept up with the lower size Monster classes but I think they have a engine that would probably fit within that class?

(06-06-2015, 01:43 AM)KypDurron Wrote:

(06-06-2015, 12:05 AM)Max Power Wrote:

(05-06-2015, 10:04 AM)desmophile Wrote: What amazes me is that they have signally failed to produce a 650 twin, that's a class they would be nailed on to win.

Just another open goal they've failed to see, why did they never build a Tony Rutter replica?

We tend to forget that the 650 twin class is something which has been made up out of the blue. Manufacturers wouldn't plan production based on something which is going to fade away in a couple of years. Both of the main protagonists are based on pretty ordinary bikes which happen to have a 650 twin motor.

I haven't kept up with the lower size Monster classes but I think they have a engine that would probably fit within that class?

I think that the rules allow a bigger capacity air cooled engine. I havent read them for a while but wasnt it 812cc 

My hazy mechanical knowledge is telling me that the v-twin 1299 super short stroke crank/bin lid sized piston engine wouldn't be suited to the high speed transmission snatch n grab of the TT Course road surface, it's something to do with max piston speed - I could be wrong or off target on this but there's a crossing point on the bore and stroke dimension graph where it all gets complicated.

(06-06-2015, 12:05 AM)Max Power Wrote:

(05-06-2015, 10:04 AM)desmophile Wrote: What amazes me is that they have signally failed to produce a 650 twin, that's a class they would be nailed on to win.

Just another open goal they've failed to see, why did they never build a Tony Rutter replica?

We tend to forget that the 650 twin class is something which has been made up out of the blue. Manufacturers wouldn't plan production based on something which is going to fade away in a couple of years. Both of the main protagonists are based on pretty ordinary bikes which happen to have a 650 twin motor.

I'm sure that Ducati could very quickly turn out a 650 twin from the parts bin at the factory. I'm sure it would potentially be a contender against what are basically commuter bikes.

The minitwins class seems to be doing ok at club level, I'm sponsoring a local lad myself.

There was a contributor on this very forum a few years ago who had a 650 Duke which was a sleeved down 748, he raced it in the Manx.
It was built by Shaun Kinnersley who used to be with Steve Wynne at Sports Motorcycles, I think he's at Norton now.

(05-06-2015, 06:14 PM)Allyshaper Wrote:

(05-06-2015, 05:59 PM)Westers Wrote: Reliability? I know, and cheap, low dig at the bike, but are they as reliable as a modern Japanes/European 4? They've come on a lot, however I think they still require a bit more fetlling than the others.

On another note, I've never understood why someone hasn't run the Aprilia RSV's (V4's) around the TT. Or maybe their geometry is too track biased, rather than road focused (but the again that hasn't stopped Honda NS500's or YZR 500's being raced at the island).

Have you never heard of David Hewson ??? That old boys been making Norton look like what they are for several years now with a home built RSV.

Well said that man,  Dave raced his 2012  V4  last year, finishing in all three races he  contested, and Norton couldn't get more than a lap posted.
He's on the same bike this year, and has done well in qualifying.  Norton just seem to have done the rebel teenager trick of making the bike louder, but no more powerful.
As to Ducati, i suppose their old bugbear of being too fragile for the TT puts the mokkers on it for them, but a supersport or lightweight - well, wouldn't that be something?

There's a couple of reasons why Ducati aren't at the TT.
1. They're awful.
2. By the sound of it, they're all locked up in your garage.

Nah, my girls get regular use.