I rode a Ducati 999 (this one) back in March when Ducati did a test-ride at Atlanta Motor World. The one I rode had obviously been tracked (as evidenced by the chicken strips and the steering damper on it)
Its fast, but like all V-twins... it shakes like a mofo at high RPMS. Hard seat, tank to narrow to grip with your knees, and a ridiculously high MSRP.

Personally, I prefer the look/styling of the japanese bikes for the most part (though aprilia does have some nice stuff).

Besides, no way would you catch me spending over 10k on a bike!