| Do you think...
All this 1098 introduction has sparked of the eternal debate of Ducati's evolution, 916 vs 999 vs 1098 etcetera...
This got me thinking a little around what it is that makes people so passionate about their particular favourite. I think it's got something to do with nostalgia or maybe deferred gratification...call it the snotty nosed kid syndrome if you want. You know the sort of thing, the first time you press your nose against the showroom glass and lust after a bike that has just stopped you dead in your tracks.
The sort of scenario where you know you want one real bad, but when you turn your pockets out you've only got 10 pence, a half chewed pack of Rolo and a dog end. So you vow to yourself that "one day...one day..."
I only realised the other day that this was probably the reason I got a T8 last year, when for the same money I could've had a 2000 996 or a 2003 749S. Thinking back it was because my cousin got a brand new 888 when they were fearsomely expensive, totally out of my reach with two pre-teen kids and a recent business collapse, so I just had to stand there awestruck at this thundering red object of desire and just tell myself "one day...one day"
I just wonder how much of a bike's appeal is from people who suddenly realise that they can finally afford the bike they've lusted after for years |