Ducati 750 Sport

If there's one sure way of opening up new markets for a good or service it's via brand extension - at an introductory price you just can't dismiss out of hand.

And that's exactly what the boffins at Ducati are on about with the release of the matt black-only 750 Sport, the marque's half-faired sportsbike - and down-spec'd version of the popular 750SS. A Mac Oz of the motorcycle world if you like.

But don't think the Sport - which was unveiled at the Munich Show last September - is a marketing test case, as Ducati has already hit the high mark with the 600 Dark, a cheaper variant to the established M600 Monster. If you're on a roll, keep all guns blazing...

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH
I'll have to admit from the outset that the Sport just gets over the line in my books - that's not a rejection of what Ducati is trying to achieve with it's $11,995, no-frills price tag, but rather a critique of the issues at hand. And the issues include a front brake which easily throws in the towel when the going gets tough; and a five-speed gearbox which is not all that well mated to the air-cooled, two-valve engine.

The 748cc fuel-injected, metallic silver powerplant pumps out a claimed 64ps at 8250rpm and torque of 6.1kg-m at 6000rpm. Those figures alone are not serious warning bells, but when the wide-ratio gearbox (the 750SS has a six-speed gearbox) is brought into the equation, it really does upset the balance.

The missing ratio is very obvious around town, with the gap between second and third gear quite wide. That means you are constantly shuffling between the two gears - second is a touch too low and third too high. No problem with commuting in second with the Sport hustling along at 5500rpm, but in third you're always on the verge of catching a bad dose of transmission snatch, which starts to become an issue at around 3800rpm and below.

A rethink of the ratios is required, and maybe adding a tooth or two to the rear sprocket to lower the final gearing.

Despite the below-par ratios (the gearbox itself is quite slick), the Sport's 90-degree V-twin engine does an admirable job of building revs. The power delivery on the 183kg machine is quite linear all the way through to the 9000rpm rev-limiter, although you'll be wasting your time by progressing that far - its most productive work is well and truly over. All the while, it emits a decent rumble from the two-into-two exhaust.

The Sport hums along at 4000rpm in top gear at 100kmh - if you followed that sort of behaviour for any length of time, fuel consumption would easily top the 20km/lt mark, which would see a servo stop around everyone 300km or so. The Sport has a 16lt tank.

IMMEDIATE RECOVERY
As for the earlier assessment on the Sport's brakes, the 'throw in the towel' critique was particularly felt during a commute to work one morning when I was diverted from my usual route because of an accident. After filing through the middle of traffic on a trailing brake for only a few minutes, there was immediate brake fade from the single disc setup, which frankly was a bit unnerving considering its hitherto tame use.

I suppose the oppressive 40-degree conditions Melbourne has been experiencing didn't help the cause either. However, lay idle for a few moments and there's immediate recovery. But why not just double up on front discs to remove this fade factor altogether.

The rear also lacks feel and bite. Just to complicate matters, the rear brake lever is mounted way too low, which means that you have to make a conscious effort to pivot your foot to apply pressure on the lever.

The Sport is fitted with a Brembo twin-piston caliper at the pointy end, married to a 320mm floating disc. On the rear it's more of the same, only there's a 245mm disc on duty.

While the braking is definitely not the Sport's calling card, it really is still a nice sportsbike to punt around - even considering some of the hardware at its disposal. For example, there's no adjustment available on the upside-down 43mm forks, leaving a lot of the front-end burden on the OEM Bridgestone Battlax BT57 hoop.

However, the standard settings are good and there's ample feedback from the front - although the wrists bear a lot of the weight burden in achieving this. Actually, there's quite a long reach to the bars on the 750 Sport, which means you adopt quite an aggressive riding position.

The rear suspension is a cantilever link-less design, with a Sachs shock absorber. Unlike the front-end, the rear is fully adjustable for preload, rebound and compression. The response from this end of town is also acceptable, although some consistent, hard riding soon tested the damping capabilities. I'm not a big fan of the 'budget' Sachs shock, with Aprilia's first-model RSV1000 also suffering fade from its Sachs unit (it was up-spec'd for the next model RSV).

A 160-section Battlax radial tyre is also standard fare on the back, different to the European models which are Dunlop-shod.

ACTIVE INTEREST
Irrespective of the quality of the running gear, anecdotal evidence suggests the black matt Sport is a visual winner - and I would have to agree. You know you're on a winner when the IT guru from upstairs takes an active interest in the machine's welfare, even to the point of being taken aback when you tell them it's only Ducati's entry-level sportsbike. "But it looks so fast..."

There are two versions of the 750 Sport: the half-faired and full-faired, although only the former is available in Australia. Personally, I'm a supporter of the half-faired, as I believe it's in keeping with the bike's more relaxed ethos.

Pillions are well accommodated on the Sport, with a rear grab rail and well located pegs. As for the sidestand, it's quite flimsy, which makes it difficult to park the thing on less than ideal terra firma.

The second shipment of 750 Sports has just arrived in Australia, still at the same $11,995 price. As first base in the Ducati sportsbike tree, the Sport is great value for money and a hoot to punt around, but whether that's enough to make it a sales success is another thing - even for a rider looking to make their first foray into the knee down market....Mark Fattore.