We often poke fun at other websites that churn out barely-edited press release echoes like they’re getting paid for it, and surely one of our astute commenters is gonna point out that this looks an awful lot like that.
Fair point. But here’s the thing, Ducati’s US headquarters is way closer to us than LA, where all the other OEMs are located, so we’re gonna play nice in hopes of picking up more test bikes without having to go to goddamn Los Angeles. Can you blame us?
Also, Ducati’s new PR guy, Scott, is a genuinely likable cat, and we’ve been threatening to have Fish take him riding on some of our favorite local roads, which may or may not work in our favor. For now, our ledger with Ducati is presumably in the black—after all, we didn’t crash the SuperSport they loaned us, and that thing with the Panigale years ago wasn’t our fault anyway. No way, no how.
Anyway, Ducati’s “Ready for Red” tour starts tomorrow at the legendary northwestern Ducati dealership, MotoCorsa, where last time I stopped in, they still had a muddy Panigale with TKCs on it, reverently cloistered its own room like some kind of religious artifact. The tour ends back here in The Bay, at a currently undisclosed location. We’re angling to have it hosted here at World Headquarters, but don’t really expect that to happen given our reputation with local law enforcement and—perhaps—our tendency to poke fun at the Ducatisti.
Speaking of those Ducatisti, the beast from Bologna says “Guests will have the chance to mingle with Ducatisti in a fun atmosphere while experiencing a diverse product lineup representing the expansive Ducati Worlds that range from Racetrack, Travel, Lifestyle and Sport with the Scrambler Ducati brand rounding out the experience.”
Ducati Worlds, huh? Capitalized even?
World on the street is that Ducatisti—and probably other-isti as well—will be able to check out new bikes like the Panigale V4 R and Hypermotard 950 and 950 SP, as well as a variety of Multistradas, Scramblers, and the Diavel 1260 S. There won’t be actual riding, but there will be hors d’oeuvres, refreshments, music and the very best of “Ducati entertainment,” which I think might be Ducatisti watching. That’s probably not what they mean, though.
Based on the last one of these things I attended, in San Francisco last year with Max, you can at least expect ballsy coffee. Free coffee on its own is pretty sweet—bikes too? Sounds all right. RSVP here, amigo. Amico. Whatever.
Ducati “Ready For Red” 2019 Tour Stops
January 18 – Portland – MotoCorsa
January 19 – Seattle – Block41
January 23 – Salt Lake City – Harrison Eurosports
January 25 – Denver – Skylight
January 26 – Omaha – Ducati Omaha
January 29 – Chicago – Motor Cycle Center
January 30 – Detroit – Ducati Detroit (Rock City)
February 1 – Boston – Lars Anderson (not to be confused with Ulrich) Auto Museum
February 13 – Orlando – Ducati Sanford
February 15 – Miami – Ducati Miami
February 19 – Austin – Ducati Austin
February 21 – Houston – Bayou & Bottle
February 23 – Dallas – AMS Ducati Dallas (Buyer’s Club)
February 26 – Phoenix – OTTO Car Club
February 27 – Las Vegas – Ducati Las Vegas
February 28 – San Diego – Location TBA
March 2 – San Francisco – Location TBA
Most, if not all, bikes will be red, so—trigger warning!—if you’re not quite ready for red, maybe go look at green or purple bikes somewhere else.
