Whoever said this was thinking simplistically and may not know their metallurgy. First, you need to determine the exact titanium alloy used:

CP - commercially pure, weakest, but still roughly the same fatigue-life as steel, much more than aluminium

3/2.5 - 3% aluminium and 2.5 vanadium, most commonly used in bike-frames, about 5-10x the fatigue-life of chromoly steel

6/4 - 6% aluminium, 4% vanadium. strongest used in bike-frames, has 20-30x the fatigue-life of chromoly steel

Basically, if you would consider buying an aluminium or steel frame, pretty much any titanium frame will outlast them. Problems with titanium frames have never come from the material. Rather from design and manufacturing issues. Such as insufficient back-flushing of the tubing or not using a welding chamber. This causes hydrogen embrittlement of the joints that can result in cracks later. Aluminum and steel frames also face these issues as well.


BTW - the 167bhp NCR Leggera supermoto is based upon a Ducati and weighs in at 300-lbs, or 150-lbs less than the factory bike. It has a 10-lb titanium frame and a titanium swingarm made by welding custom-formed sheets together (weighs 1/2 the original aluminium unit). Every single nut and bolt on that bike has been replaced with titanium versions, many hollowed-out for even more weight-savings. I won't mention anything about the plentiful use of carbon-fibre in the latest Ducatis or GP bikes...