New 996 will be lighter, faster… and redder

Pierre Terblanche, the man who is working on a replacement for the Ducati 996, gave a few hints about how it will look when he joined in a live chat session on motorcyclenews.com on Friday.

Terblanche, said it would handle sharper, go faster and be lighter, but he also revealed it would be more practical than the current bike.

” It won’t be practical like a BMW. It will still be a sports bike, but a sports bike many people can use. ”

It will still sound like a Ducati, deliver torque like a Ducati and be styled in the grand tradition. ” It will be redder, too ” he joked. But it will look entirely unlike the current bike.

He refused to be drawn on whether or not the bike would have a single-sided swingarm.

And he said he is already working on bikes for 2005/6.

He also told people in the Talk Bikes chat rooms that he hadn’t had a holiday in a year, that he collected memorabilia from the’20s to the’50s and, if push came to shove, he’d always prefer a fine lady to a fine motorcycle.

And when he was asked if the works canteen at Ducati was all pasta and chianti, he had to admit that yes, it was actually.

Follow the ” related story ” link to read the rest of the interview.

Look out for more live chats with motorcycling’s most influential men, soon.