Sadly, for any of us who may be either vertically or financially challenged (or both), Ducati has left us out in the cold when it comes to their top end sportbikes.
That 999 had an accessible seat height and reasonable power, with great torque. The current V2 comes close to the power numbers but has a lofty non-adjustable seat height that rules out some potential owners who don't want to risk dropping their relatively expensive baby (nearly 17k MSRP for the 'S'). Ducati's V4 models now touch 30k OTD, so not an option for most people, short or tall, who can't justify to put that much $$$ into such a single-purpose recreational toy.
I have gravitated to the three-cylinder world, where Triumph and Yamaha are producing relatively inexpensive but powerful (enough) sportbikes, even if they are mostly of the 'naked' variety. Although I remember well and really do love the V-Twin sound and method of power delivery, I have found the triples to be better mills for my purposes, which is to have good power at sporting speeds with a nice top end, but that don't sound like they are going to stutter and die at stoplights or tooling around town. 😉
That is a shame but not a huge loss. I'd probably gravitate to the 999 again or maybe 750SS of that same era. I'm more interested in the older Ducs than I am the new ones with all their electro gizmo's.
A 250 Desmo would be a fun one to have.
I've never owned a Triumph but would like to have one in the stable for a trial. The closest I came was the Thruxton but I bought the Roadster instead. The Thruxton seat was a bit higher than the Roadster that I bought instead.
.
You meet some of the best folks behind bars.