Maybe it’s me. I just can’t get excited about $40K motorcycles. I’ve seen the uber-offerings from Harley’s Custom Vehicle Operations (kind of sounds military, doesn’t it?) and that supercharged Kawasaki a few years ago. Those are and were priced in the stratosphere, too. The whole thing just reeks of people who have more money than brains. Way more. Like I said, maybe it’s just me.
The latest obscenely expensive bit of garage jewelry comes from Ducati in the form of the 2022 Ducati Panigale V4 SP2. It’s that rattle-can primer gray Ducati you see in the photo above. The Panigale V4 SP2 is an enhanced version of the V4 SP that shaves a bit over two pounds off the weight of the motorcycle. Can two pounds really make a difference? Yes, Ducati and the magazine writers breathlessly exclaim, if it’s two pounds taken from the right places.
Give me a break.
Especially give me a break when you consider the dilettantes who buy these machines. I’ve seen them up on Angeles Crest Highway in the parking lot at Newcomb’s. They are the same types who add carbon fiber bits and pieces to their Gixxers. Most of them, like me, are afflicted with Dunlap’s Disease (you know, when your belly done lapped over your belt buckle), so the point of shaving a few ounces here and there off the motorcycle is lost on me. Skip a meal, dude. Get to the gym. You’ll accomplish more.
So, I’ll set my benchmark: A $40K motorcycle that costs $40K because it has a miniscule amount of extra horsepower and weighs 2.2 pounds less than the standard model…well, that’s too much. You don’t need to spend stupidly (I can think of no other word) to buy a motorcycle you can have a lot of fun with. But that’s a topic for another blog.
Stay tuned.
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