The Ducati Conundrum

It’s funny how certain names illicit a special feeling of perfection inside of you. When a PA,NJ, and DE native hears Wawa, they declare it is the best coffee and on-the-go eating around. When chefs hear the word black truffle, their mouths water and immediately decide which kidney to give up in order to buy a supply of them. For many riders, that special name is Ducati.

While many riders who own ‘real bikes’ will scream that Harley-Davidson belongs here, I politely but firmly disagree. I currently have cruiser, and while I agree that Harley represents the classic appeal of motorcycles, they are by no means perfect and have a poser/dentist feeling about them. Don’t think I hate Harley’s though. I have an odd obsession with the 2017 Fat Boy S, but I don’t dream about it.

Ducati’s, on the other hand, appeal to the range of emotions that Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s hit for me. On one hand you have the idea that what you are riding has state-of-the-art performance technology infused into every bolt and washer, much like a Ferrari. Obviously, you will never ride your Supersport S or Monster 100% on the limit enough to expose all of this. What is funny is that knowing you have electronically adjustable suspension, race-derived TFT display’s, or fantastically nerdy driving modes somehow makes riding for lunch so much better.

I feel like that last point leans a little into something that I call the Lamborghini Factor. If you think about how you will ride your dream Ducati, I will put money down that most of the riding will not be on a track, in a race suit, on the Isle of Man. It’s use will be casual. So logically, spending your money on one of these thoroughbreds is silly. You should ideally end up with something closer to a CBR1000rr since everyday, it is better to use. Much in the same way that if you are lucky enough to afford buying a supercar to use everyday, logically, you’ll end up with a GT-R or an R8. They are well made, look nice, and still have all the performance you think you need. However, once you see the insane bodywork, hear that Lamborghini V-10 or V-12 fire up, and press that military-style ignition button, nothing else matters. You know you need that in your garage. It makes the everyday ride that much more exciting.

As an addicted motovlogger watcher, I love watching SNEWJ and his new Panigale. Congratulations to him buying his dream bike! The main reason I like watching his videos is just because of how his bike looks and sounds…that is until it broke down. Even though I think my next bike will be a Yamaha FZ-09 or Kawasaki Z900, I can’t help but look at the new Ducati Supersport S and think, “yes, this will offer me the same usability and comfort, I just need to save a little more.”

I am tricking myself into thinking it’s a good bike for what I want simply because they look so damn good and I want that Akraprovic exhaust note more then my next meal. That’s why Ducati’s are so special, they truly get under you skin, even if you don’t own one yet.