The Motorcycle Times - March 2016

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volume 7 | issue 02

MARCH 2016

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MOTORCYCLE NEWS

Celebrate with Indian Motorcycle

Indian Motorcycle®, America’s first motorcycle company, loves making history at Daytona, whether it’s winning the first Daytona 200 or drawing the best crowds with our Daytona Bike Week events. This year Indian again has a full schedule of events, including demo rides, new models, vintage & custom bike displays, racing, organized rides and much more, March 5-12. “Seventy-five years after Ed Kretz dominated the first Bike Week race, our team is inspired to honor that legacy and showcase our future,” said Steve Menneto, President of Motorcycles for Polaris Industries. “Whether you’re a cruising enthusiast or long-haul tourer, into customs like those shown in our Project Scout contest or a race enthusiast cheering on the SuperHooligan Scout Sixty bikes, we know that anybody hanging out with Indian Motorcycle will have great stories to tell.” Below are some of the highlights of the Daytona Bike Week action Indian Motorcycle has planned. • Demo Rides across from the Florida Hospital Gate, 9am–5pm daily. Last Ride Leaves at 4:30pm. Demo rides of the 2016 lineup are free to those with a valid motorcycle license and proper attire. • Indian Motorcycle Display at Daytona International Speedway (Richard Petty & Midway Blvd.) 9am–5pm daily. Register for a chance to win a 2016 Indian Scout Sixty. • Hooligan Race Night (Ocean Complex West Parking Lot, Daytona Beach) 7 p.m. – 9 p.m., March 8. Join a celebratory after-party at the Boot Hill Saloon. • Indian Motorcycle Rider’s Group & Veterans Ride (Indian Motorcycle of Daytona Beach, 290 North Beach Street) 9am–2pm, March 10. Owners of Indian motorcycles join veterans from the Veterans Ride program in an organized tour that begins at Indian Motorcycle of Daytona Beach and travels to Orlando for lunch. Kickstands go up at 10 a.m. Visit www.IndianMotorcycle.com/enus/daytona for up to date schedule.

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Ducati XDiavel

Lean, Mean, Stroked-out Cruiser Ducati is trying to market a cruiser again – this time with it’s new XDiavel. At first glance, it looks similar to the original Diavel, and the name is pretty much the same, except for an extra letter. But it’s actually a very different motorcycle. Let’s back up to the origins of the new X. Ducati North America CEO Jason Chinnock said one of the hurdles of building a cruiser was to get the Italians to really understand what American cruising is all about. “I wanted to give the Ducati guys an experience that was true to American motorcycling. Not a European’s interpretation of what the American motorcycling culture is … but actually to truly experi-

ence it in the seat of the pants.” So in 2013, Chinnock, then-company sales and marketing director, organized the “Inspiration Ride” to help designers, including original Diavel designer Bart Janssen-Groesbeek, truly understand the U.S. market. Ducati rented three cruisers, including a couple of Harleys, and brought along three Ducatis, including the original Diavel and a Monster, Chinnock said. “We rode from Los Angeles, basically up to San Francisco,” he said. The first segment of the ride was all highway. “You’re not leaning the bike on the highway, you are eating the miles,” he said, and the Italians were

comfortably riding the cruisers on the flat, straight roads. “It was interesting for them to experience the idea that it took 2 ½ hours to get from Los Angeles to where the roads start to get twisty. “When we got to the twisty roads, they wanted to change, but I said, ‘I need you to experience what it’s like in both worlds. I need you to experience riding a Ducati on a flat straight road, and then riding a cruiser on a twisty road,” Chinnock said. The ride “made us realize that there really wasn’t a bike out there yet” that could breach both the cruiser world and the sport world. CONTINUED ON P.03


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