Ducati Diavel News
News
Photo: a massive breach of brand trust and honesty
To say the least, Ducati's Diavel is controversial. JT Nesbitt called it a massive breach of brand trust and honesty and later penned the McQueen/Hasselhoff conundrum. Back in December Wes wrote a story entitled Who's buying the Diavel. The underlying idea behind these stories is that regardless of how good of a motorcycle the Diavel is, it was designed to attract a new type of customer, one that ...
27 June 2011
News
Lies, damned lies and Ducati sales statistics
Why do we give manufacturers such a hard time for over-enthusiastically representing their successes? It has to do with a sickness we see in the motorcycle industry; a detachment from reality that leads to dishonest marketing, dishonest journalism and an inability to objectively evaluate problems, then act to fix them. If we, as a hobby/passion/industry/whatever can’t be honest with ourselves, t...
05 April 2011
News
Where’s HFL? Motorcyclist edition!
It’s that time again! Time to play Where’s HFL?! Guess who’s decided to play the game this time?! Motorcyclist magazine! Unlike last time, we didn’t even have to hide tiny watermarks in images, they decided to play by apparently copying their text straight from Hell For Leather! The following line is included on Motorcyclist’s website and in their March, 2011 print edition: “JT Nesbitt...
29 January 2011
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News
15 December 2010
By the numbers: 2011 muscle bikes
It’s ironic, but a traditionally irrational Italian company is attempting to turn a class that’s never been about logical decision making on its head with a muscle bike/cruiser thing that’s all about numbers. Not just outright power or torque either. While the Ducati Diavel makes a lot of power — 162bhp — it’s also very light weight, at least for muscle bike/cruiser things — 210kg (d...
10 November 2010
EICMA 2010: live photo mega-gallery
2010 is a weird year for Milan’s EICMA motorcycle show. The Italians are building a cruiser while the British are busy copying the Germans. One Italian company forgot what beauty was and the other reminded everyone that Italy makes the most beautiful bikes in the world. Honda’s gone hyper-niche, Husqvarna’s building silly concepts and BMW’s making scooters. We dispatched our moped-building...
09 November 2010
News
Michael Lock on what the motorcycle industry doesn’t need right now
Former Ducati North America CEO Michael Lock just sat down with The LA Times’ Susan Carpenter for a surprisingly insightful interview. Covering why he thinks the motorcycle industry is where it is — Q3 sales just fell a further 16.6 percent over an already dismal 2009 — and how it can save itself. It’s great to see someone formerly in a management position acknowledging the things HFL’s...
21 October 2010
Spy Photos: Ducati Massive Breach sits up and begs
These photos, snapped by the modernist transportation enthusiasts at Le Container, give us the clearest look yet at the riding position of Ducati’s upcoming muscle bike. A archetypal example of sit-up-and-beg, the new Ducati does without the non-functional feet-forward riding position of traditional cruisers. Does that hint at a bike that should forever alter the way we think about cruiser perfo...
20 September 2010
News
Is the Ducati 0803 a cruiser or a muscle bike?
This latest spy photo of Ducati Project 0803 nèe Ducati Vyper is the first to clearly demonstrate its "generous" proportions. It looks like a Ducati Monster ate a few too many panini more than it does our traditional idea of a raked out, be-tassled cruiser. So what the hell is it? Do the Testastretta 11 degree engine, USD forks and Brembo Monoblocks make it a performance bike or does the 240 rear...
21 July 2010
News
The official word on Ducati's new cruiser
As Ducati's statement reads: As many you may have noticed, there has been quite a bit of activity in the past few weeks surrounding a supposed new Ducati model. I wanted to take this opportunity and send you a note saying indeed we do have a surprise in store for this year's EICMA show. Our R&D department is working around the clock to complete development of...
16 July 2010
News
Is this the Ducati Vyper performance cruiser?
Rumors are swirling of a forthcoming performance cruiser from Ducati, allegedly called the Vyper. This shot purportedly shows an early clay styling model for the machine, revealing clear influence in the tank and tail from the Ducati Monster 1100. While the Ducati Vyper would be a clear departure from the brand's traditional performance-led values, it would continue a recent move to appeal more to...
22 June 2009