Ducati at Sea Otter

lastchild · 03-25-2009

I just heard that Ducati, the Italian Sportbike manufacturer, will have a big set-up at Sea Otter complete with demo bikes, clothing, etc!

Crazy, eh!

Silentfoe · 03-26-2009

Which begs the question.....WHY?

Alumni · 03-26-2009

I wouldn't mind a free tour of Monterey on motorized 2-wheeler. Leaving mine at home to race Sea Otter. Plus Ducati has been know to have rather quality eye candy at events.

f4ocity · 03-27-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silentfoe

Which begs the question.....WHY?

If you like bombing hills on a MTN Bike. Then leaning a street bike through a corner @ 75 miles an hour is like a gift from heaven...Plus MotoGP will be a Laguna in july.

Shocker · 03-27-2009

They have been doing bicycles (thru Colnago I think) for a while. I'm sure they'll have some out there. Mostly though, our demographic is their target. You folks don't think there are a number of high income thrill seekers at Sea Otter every year? I think it's brilliant cross marketing.

perttime · 04-15-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shocker

They have been doing bicycles (thru Colnago I think) for a while.

Bianchi: http://www.bianchiducati.com/
The European sites seem to have a wider range of bikes: http://fi.bianchi.com/en/productsDuc...cts_Intro.aspx

***gregg*** · 04-16-2009

I'm taking my gear (helmet, boots, jacket, & gloves) and hope to test out one of the new Monsters (the 1100, of course!).

-g

ghawk · 04-16-2009

It would not hurt me to take one out on that track.....or maybe it would.

006_007 · 04-18-2009

If an opportunity arises to go around that track take it. It is a whole lotta fun.

Quasi · 04-19-2009

Yes they are there. I guess they think we might be getting tired of human powered vehicles. I just ignore them.

jabandsnort · 04-19-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quasi

Yes they are there. I guess they think we might be getting tired of human powered vehicles. I just ignore them.

What's wrong with enjoying both? Sounds more than a bit snobbish to me. Anyway, I think it's great cross-promotion. I do my 50 mile commute eveyday on a motorcycle (BMW though, not a Ducati) And on various weekends enjoy either my street MOTORbike, my dirtbike (crf250x) or my mountainbike. Quite frankly, I love them all. Sorry to not be as hardcore as you on the MB front, but perhaps if you DIDN'T ignore them you might just find yourself another two-wheeled love.

JoeBMX · 04-19-2009

Ducati hooked it up. They were giving out water, granola bars, fruit, and a nice shaded place to kick back and watch the cuties walk by.

perttime · 04-20-2009

So, did they have any bikes there? With or without engines.

BrandonMiller · 04-20-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeBMX

Ducati hooked it up. They were giving out water, granola bars, fruit, and a nice shaded place to kick back and watch the cuties walk by.

yea they did, it was nice to stop there and get a snack and ice cold water!

jrm · 04-20-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastchild

I just heard that Ducati, the Italian Sportbike manufacturer, will have a big set-up at Sea Otter complete with demo bikes, clothing, etc!

Crazy, eh!

parked in the paddock area? now THAT would be FUN....

***gregg*** · 04-21-2009

...and I even snuck away from the Mtbr booth for an hour to take advantage of the free Ducati HyperMotard demo. As long as you had your gear (helmet, boots, gloves, long pants and long sleeve shirts) and your M1 and your proof of insurance, you were good to go.

They had one of the new Monster 1100s on display and even one of the Brand New Street Fighters....but the demo fleet was all HMs. Not my first choice, but hell, I wasn't gonna complain... how often do you get to test ride a Ducati for free?

After a brief introduction and rundown of bike controls, we were lead out for a short ride through Laureles Canyon (sorry, no track time). This road was actually a very nice route, with plenty of curves in it. At no time did we exceed 50 mph, but with the high torque factor of the L-twin, it didn't matter. Plenty of fun to be had from 3,000 to 6,000. Wheelies were not allowed, but you almost couldn't help but lift the front tire on any of the gear changes, with a bit of agressiveness with the throttle.

I had a blast riding these machines. Coming from a background of 4 cylinder 600cc crotch rockets, these bikes were super easy to ride with plenty of grunt everywhere. And the SuperMoto styling and layout provided an atmosphere of fun. I've been eyeing the new Monster 1100, but I've got some rethinking to do!

All in all, the route took about 40 minutes. Our particular group was about 8 people, but they could handle fleets of a dozen or more. Rides ran every hour. All the staff involved, from the ladies organizing the paperwork, to the guys leading and sweeping the rides were all very friendly and knowledgeable.

Ducati provided much needed shade and had free water in the demo area and (as previously stated) the other main Ducati booth had free fresh fruits, granola bars, and coffee/expresso.

As good as it was, I think the event would have been a lot bigger success if Ducati North America had:

1.) promoted the fact that they were going to be at the Sea Otter Classic better
2.) provided loaner helmets, boots, and jackets

Several industry people I talked to would have also liked to have participated in the test ride, if they only knew that they should bring their gear with them.

But many thanks to Ducati for running the demo fleet. To me, this kind of cross over promotion makes plenty of sense.

-g