New York City "Progressive" International Motorcycle Show
I met a buddy of mine in Chelsea for lunch mid-day Friday, and headed over to the Javits Center.
2015 Ducati Panigale 1299
After helping rescue a junkie on the subway, where this poor kid kept falling against a departing train, then proceeded to jump down onto the tracks where he couldn't even regain his footing (I pulled him away then out from the tracks), I was ready for a real thrill at a motorcycle show.
To be honest, I hated the scrambler when it was first announced. I thought it was an embarrassing marketing ploy to throw a cheap product at the previously untapped hipster market that Triumph dominates. And arguably it is... The new Ducati Scrambler is by far the cheapest Ducati on the market, they're pandering to the modification scenesters, banking on building a market for "customization" and aftermarket parts, and the bike is manufactured in Thailand, which is sacrilege to a Ducatisti purist.
And yet, after sitting on one it does not seem like a terrible machine. The Scrambler sits you upright, more comfortable than my Monster, with a slim width, perfect for the city. And when you compare 75-80 horsepower to these kids riding around on their CB500's and Bonnevilles, this is simply a much better motorcycle.
Finally, the design and styling are pulled directly from the mid '70s Scramblers, and it could be argued that Ducati is tapping into a much deeper vein of their own history with cheap, versatile street bikes.
Ducati Triumph Soho had a number of custom bikes, and a few had outrageous styling, like this neon Panigale with the see-thru
Ducabike wet clutch system.
Perhaps a bit absurd, but coordinated at least.
As a reminder that Monster's now have returned to metal tanks, this 1200S Monster was polished down to the steel.
Another blinging Panigale 1199S from
TheChopShopNY.com
I felt a bit bad for this Monster, because honestly who powdercoats rims in a the most likely color to show dirt, then puts knobby tires on them? What a shame...
Stay tuned for the my next post about the rest of the show, including the new H2R, the RC390, the new R1 and more...
