749R (2003 - 2007) review

The 749R makes you feel invincible on track, and allows you to push harder than ever before. So what makes it so good? For a start, the chassis is simply brilliant. The Öhlins front and rear on the R combine with the traditionally superb Ducati chassis to make the bike perfectly balanced in a corner. Through the fast left-hander of Donington’s Craner, the R allowed me to carry so much corner speed in total confidence I was overtaking other riders round the outside at one of the scariest corners on the track.

The motor, which is a true 749cc rather than 748cc like the other models in the 749 range, feels really punchy and strong low down. It doesn’t have the lumpiness of a 999 and revs cleanly from low in the range, picking up strongly in the mid-range while still having a decent kick at the top near the 12,500rpm redline, or when the yellow shift warning light starts to flash.

But there is a slight problem. During the wet launch of the 749R at Valencia, the slipper clutch didn’t seem to be working quite right and the bike felt like it was selecting false neutrals on downshifts. This problem became even more apparent in the dry. I found that the Ducati often slipped into a false neutral when downshifting more than one gear at a time – not good when you’re going fast on track. Speaking to Ducati, they say no one else has reported this as a problem, but for me it ruined a nearly perfect bike. If anyone out there has bought one, let us know if yours does it.

The 749R makes you feel invincible on track, and allows you to push harder than ever before. So what makes it so good? For a start, the chassis is simply brilliant. The Öhlins front and rear on the R combine with the traditionally superb Ducati chassis to make the bike perfectly balanced in a corner. Through the fast left-hander of Donington’s Craner, the R allowed me to carry so much corner speed in total confidence I was overtaking other riders round the outside at one of the scariest corners on the track.

The motor, which is a true 749cc rather than 748cc like the other models in the 749 range, feels really punchy and strong low down. It doesn’t have the lumpiness of a 999 and revs cleanly from low in the range, picking up strongly in the mid-range while still having a decent kick at the top near the 12,500rpm redline, or when the yellow shift warning light starts to flash.

But there is a slight problem. During the wet launch of the 749R at Valencia, the slipper clutch didn’t seem to be working quite right and the bike felt like it was selecting false neutrals on downshifts. This problem became even more apparent in the dry. I found that the Ducati often slipped into a false neutral when downshifting more than one gear at a time – not good when you’re going fast on track. Speaking to Ducati, they say no one else has reported this as a problem, but for me it ruined a nearly perfect bike. If anyone out there has bought one, let us know if yours does it.

The 749R makes you feel invincible on track, and allows you to push harder than ever before. So what makes it so good? For a start, the chassis is simply brilliant. The Öhlins front and rear on the R combine with the traditionally superb Ducati chassis to make the bike perfectly balanced in a corner. Through the fast left-hander of Donington’s Craner, the R allowed me to carry so much corner speed in total confidence I was overtaking other riders round the outside at one of the scariest corners on the track.

The motor, which is a true 749cc rather than 748cc like the other models in the 749 range, feels really punchy and strong low down. It doesn’t have the lumpiness of a 999 and revs cleanly from low in the range, picking up strongly in the mid-range while still having a decent kick at the top near the 12,500rpm redline, or when the yellow shift warning light starts to flash.

But there is a slight problem. During the wet launch of the 749R at Valencia, the slipper clutch didn’t seem to be working quite right and the bike felt like it was selecting false neutrals on downshifts. This problem became even more apparent in the dry. I found that the Ducati often slipped into a false neutral when downshifting more than one gear at a time – not good when you’re going fast on track. Speaking to Ducati, they say no one else has reported this as a problem, but for me it ruined a nearly perfect bike. If anyone out there has bought one, let us know if yours does it.