An Open Letter To A Thief

To the upstanding citizen who busted out the front window at Ducati Omaha a couple weeks ago, I have an offer for you.  The next time you decide you're going to break out our glass to see how much cash you can grab, could you please just come talk to me first?  Since the amount of cash you're getting is less than it will cost us to replace the broken glass, I'll just write you a check for $50 more than that and we'll call it even, ok?  I'd rather not have to be awakened in the middle of the night with a call from the alarm company and have to clean up a huge mess of broken glass, and you'd rather have more money to buy your week's supply of meth, so it's a win-win.  Thanks for you consideration, and oh, MAY YOU ROT IN HELL!!!

Comfort Is Relative

What's the most common thing we hear from new customers who walk in the door for the first time at our shop, as far as what they're looking for in a new motorcycle?  You'd think it would be "I want something that handles great!", or "I want something that makes the crowd drool!", or even "I want something reliable."  But that's not it.  The most common thing we hear is "I'm looking for something comfortable."  Seriously?  You want an awesome Ducati engineering-marvel that's lightning fast, drop-dead gorgeous, as nimble as a cheetah, but what really matters is how comfortable it is?  Ok, fine, it's your money.  But what does "comfortable" mean?  We've found that it's extremely relative to your personal perpective on the subject.  If you're used to riding a Ducati 916, then anything that has 1.5" higher bars on it will feel like a Goldwing.  But if you're coming off of a VTX1800, then even a Monster can feel like a torture rack.  But the big problem with the concept is that people try to judge "comfort" by sitting on a bike in the showroom for 15 seconds and make an immediate assumption about what it will feel like after an hour in the saddle.  BIG MISTAKE!!  The Japanese companies have known for years that the "butt impression" sells bikes, and they've long sacrificed true long-range comfort for immediate comfort on the initial sit, knowing that's how a lot of people will select a bike.  But how comfortable is an upright cruiser after a 3-hour ride?  For many people, it's WAY less comfortable than a sportbike would be.  But how do you get someone who sits on a Monster and says "Oh my God, I can't ride something that is so leaned forward!", to understand that a slight forward lean at a dead stop with your feet on the ground, might be the most comfortable bike on earth at 50 mph.  There's only one way we know of, and that's a test ride!  Unfortunately, many people won't even get that far, the initial sit is their benchmark from years of indoctrination in the ways of the Japanese dealerships.  We're doing what we can to change that by having a full demo fleet available at all times, and get people out on bikes to see what they're really like to ride!  Help spread the word, UPRIGHT is not necessarily COMFORTABLE! 

Multistrada 1200 Best Bike of the EICMA Show!

Sorry to be lazy, but I'll just copy and paste this exciting news straight from the Ducati press release!

18 November 2010
Ducati Multistrada 1200: Best Bike of the Eicma show

More than 20,000 fans voted for the all new Ducati Multistrada 1200 by participating in a contest organized each year by the Italian "Motociclismo" magazine, who carried out a survey among visitors with a form to fill out either at the show or online. The new Multistrada 1200 took more than 48% of the votes, followed by the MV Agusta F4 and the Aprilia RSV4.

The prize giving took place at the end of the show, on the official Motolive stage (the area dedicated to EICMA's external events) in the presence of Dr. Costantino Ruggero, the General Director of EICMA, and Piero Bacchetti, President and CEO of the Edisport publishing group. This was the final event at the end of an intense week that saw nearly 450,000 visitors fill the Halls of the Milano-Rho trade show district.

The award only emphasizes the public's enormous interest in the new jewel in the Borgo-Panigale crown, a further confirmation of the energy and resources that Ducati is dedicating to the constant development of new products.

The new Ducati Multistrada 1200 thus reigns supreme. Not just as a new bike, but a new concept of bike. From the moment the EICMA show opened, the Ducati stand dedicated to this innovative machine was flooded with a constant tide of visitors, all eager to see the new product, the pride of the Italian motorcycle industry.

The 1200 is a Multistrada with the emphasis on Multi, a sportbike which is powerful and fun but also easy to ride and whose first priority is the safety and comfort of its rider.

Ducati wanted to produce a motorcycle to tackle any kind of journey and road surface, a motorcycle that used technology derived from the Bologna-made race bikes in MotoGP and World Superbike.

A bike with no limits, that can transform itself to suit the rider's demands, from a supersport to a tourer for long journeys with a passenger and luggage, to an everyday bike which can breeze through the daily commute and also tackle off-road routes with the agility of an enduro; in other words, four bikes in one!

The Ducati Multistrada 1200 arrives on the market in Spring 2010.

The Meaning of Enduro!

With the release of the hotly-anticipated 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200, many have overlooked the significance of what this means for Ducati as a company, as a slew of visual and technical details have taken center stage in the round of debates on the intrawebs.  But consider this if you will:  Ducati has stepped WAY out of their comfort zone here and is attempting to take the beatdown stick to the establishment "Adventure Touring" segment of motorcycling.  Namely, Ducati is using the term "Enduro" in the marketing of the new bike, which a very significant word.  The mud-encrusted goggles of the hard-core offroad rider who commutes on his (what is essentially a) dirt bike are all afog as he screams "THAT'S not an enduro!  It has a 17" front wheel!".  For that guy who is an honest-to-goodness off-road rider, yes, this may not be the bike for him.  But how many "Adventure" bikes ever see serious enough off-road duty that a 19" front wheel and knobbies are required?  I think not many in the grand scheme of things.  And Ducati must be thinking along the same lines.  Ducati has decided to elbow into the "Adventure Touring" segment with a bike that is a highly sporty, multi-road capable machine, simply by using the word "Enduro" and introducing some technical innovations to make the bike more "friendly" on loose surfaces, but on a decidedly road-oriented platform.  Pretty smart, really.  Do they anticipate riders climbing a sand dune in the Baja on it?  I think not.  But if they would have just called it a Sport-Touring bike, then a whole large segment of the market (and motorcycle press) would have paid no attention to it.  If this is just a Sport-Touring bike, then it's clearly not a competitor for the other Adventure Touring bikes on the market (BMW GS, KTM Adventure, etc.), rather it's only a competitor for the other Sport-Touring bikes (Honda VFR, Yamaha FJR, etc.).  Many of those other Adventure bikes are marketed primarily based upon their off-road prowess, even though most of their owners never go farther off-road than a gravel or dirt path, which they most certainly don't need a 19" front wheel and knobbies to handle.  Their entire marketing identity of those other bikes is "Off-road", every image you see of the bikes are in the woods, crossing a stream, jumping a berm, etc. even though in reality they're used mostly for sport-touring and not offroad riding.  If this new Multi is just a sport-touring bike it's not allowed to play in this segment, the marketing materials would show a rider dragging his knee around the corner on a racetrack instead, it would be a high performance sport-touring bike.  But this one has the word "Enduro" clearly visible in the multi-mode selection menu on the dash!  So guess what, now it gets invited to both parties!  Just from the clever use of one word!  Ducati clearly intended this as a shot across the bow to challenge the status quo of the mighty Adventure Touring bikes and their owners, the majority of whom are really commuters and tourers who like technology, not hard-core off-road riders.  How much performance and fun on the road are those riders giving up to have the true off-road capability beneath them when they rarely (if ever) use it?  Ducati has decided to challenge the very essence of what Adventure Touring even means.  There's technology aplenty aboard the new Multi 1200, and Ducati is offering a level of performance that many of these riders have never experienced (but many secretly yearn for, whether they know it yet or not!).  Ducati knows this, and all it will take is one demo ride, one twist of the Testastretta-linked fly-by-wire throttle catapulting the svelte beast forward and it will be all over but the choice of color.  Those of us "in the know" for what that feels like, already know how it's going to go and what the look will be on the face of those riders as they climb off the demo bike and exclaim "Wow!".  Yeah, "Wow", I know what you mean, welcome to the party Sir, stay as long as you'd like.  Nice job Ducati, 2010 will be a fun year!

Do We Need an 848S or 848R?

I've gotten three e-mails in the past week asking if there is going to be an 848S or 848R model for 2010.  Ducati's position ever since the launch of the 848 was that this model is already spec'd similar to the prior 749S model, it already has the high-comp motor, the high-lift cams, light crank/flywheel, etc.  The 848 already has a higher power-to-weight ratio than the 999 had!  I remember at the original 848 launch event, the comment from Ducati was "any customer wanting an upgraded 848 can easily create one just with a few purchases out of the Ducati Performance catalog." In order to fit an 848S into the lineup, they would have to "downgrade" the 848 by softening the engine and putting on a Sachs shock and cheaper wheels to be a $11,995 bike, and then put the stuff back in, plus a damper and maybe the Ti-Oxide Showa forks and monoblocks from the 1198, and it's a $15,495 848S bike. Really the only place to go from here is an 848R, which would only be produced if Ducati goes racing with the bike, just like the prior 749R, and that would get Ohlins, 1198R TTX shock and linkage, Ohlins damper, probably more power and it's probably a $19,995 bike. I really don't think there's room for that many models any more, the one that I think is missing is the lower-spec, $10,995 air-cooled fully-faired sport bike (new SuperSport) to give a more entry-level Ducati sport bike option.  Don't hold your breath for an 848S or 848R any time soon, just bolt on a couple of upgrades and make your 848 into whatever you want!  We can provide examples if necessary, just look into our race trailer and you'll see what I'm talking about!

Two Exciting New Things!

The two new things coming soon that I'm the most excited about right now:  Ducati Multistrada 1200 and the Arai RX-Q Helmet.  You probably already know about the Multistrada, but the new Arai helmet has been under the radar for most people.  This new helmet is based on the new-for-2009 Corsair V race helmet, but it's a street-oriented design.  Many of us have been wearing the race helmet on the street (I've had three RX-7 Corsair's so far) because it's the perfect fit and offers supreme safety, and this new Arai RX-Q promises the comfort and fit of the Corsair series helmets but with new features designed specifically for the street rider rather than the MotoGP racer.  Specifically, revised venting to flow better at lower speeds and a completely new cheekpad system to reduce helmet noise.  It's also getting the new Arai shield system with 10mm wider eyeports to give even better peripheral vision.  The best part is the price, which is going to be in the mid-$500 range, a better price point for the street helmet buyer than the $899 price tag on the Corsair V race helmet.  I'll be getting one as a street helmet for sure and the new Haga Monza replica Corsair V will be reserved for track use!

New Ducati Corse Logo

Ducati Corse has release a new logo for 2010 and it looks GREAT!  The new logo was unveiled at the EICMA show in Milan this week.  The biggest surprise was when the first shipment we received of new 2010 Ducati Corse apparel arrived today, the black background on the logo has been changed to real carbon fiber!  It looks very cool, nice touch Ducati!  Be sure to come check it out at the Art of Ducati night next Friday Nov. 20th at the Nomad Lounge!

It's Too Cold to Ride...... NOT!

Are you a "fair weather" rider?  Do you have any idea what you're missing by riding only when it's 75 degrees and sunny?  Not everyone is interested in plodding down the superslab in a driving rainstorm, but do you pass on commuting to work on your bike on a fine November morning because it's "only" 45 degrees out?  How bad is it to ride when it's 45?  A little investment in good riding gear goes a LONG way to providing a much longer riding season.  Today's high-tech riding gear, including wind/waterproof clothing, warming under layers, etc. make a 45 degree ride a totally enjoyable experience.  If you are in the camp of the "summer" rider, why not give this Autumn riding a shot?  Remember how much you enjoyed that last ride in August?  Remember how liberating it felt to be out there, experiencing the sights and sounds of the environment and enjoying the ride?  Why are you limiting yourself to a few of those a year?  You may discover that a nice little ride on a brisk morning can get you in a state of mind to tackle your day that you most certainly would not experience travelling in the SUV.  Give it a try!  I promise you won't be disappointed!

New Multistrada 1200

We haven't seen this kind of "buzz" since the 1098 was launched in 2007!  The e-mails and phone calls asking "When are you going to have one of those new Multistradas??"  I think Ducati struck a chord with this bike for sure!

Let the blogging begin!

Welcome to the new Ducati Omaha Blog!  The intent here is to provide real-time information, thoughts, and just generally entertaining banter from the innerds of the Ducati Omaha operation.  Hope you enjoy!