For some, the modern era of street motorcycles is formulaic and stale. Savvy business minds and technologists have honed in on designs that beg only improvement “tweaks” versus dramatic overhauls. Regardless of which school of thought you take on this, the result is the largest number of motorcycle owners and riders in history.
Nevertheless, the motorcycle industry is and will forever be driven by passion, dedication and exclusivity. During the evolution of the sport, many manufactures gave us brilliant engineering masterpieces, only to suffer from misguided management. A few of the latter have gracefully (and gratefully) fought their way back into the game and, along with modern state-of-the-art products, have re-introduced new versions of their coveted, iconic “heyday” machines.
Enter the Ducati GT1000 Sport Classic. Like the original ’70s model, the new GT presents the same, beautifully-naked classic styling with subtle, modern interpretations. At a glance, it’s a sophisticated, everyday bike for all-day comfort riding. Fire it up and it is a juvenile, pent-up little joy toy – but only if you want it to be. The tubular steel handlebars and slightly rear-set foot pegs enable a comfy upright riding position. The wide, thick seat pad presents a true two-up motorcycle for a great “couples” experience, a good selling point for persnickety, budget-minded partners.
Either on your own or two-up, the Ducati Desmo Twin performance rocks like no other sport classic on the market. High-strung and bursting with torque, it whines in town and sings on the open road. But as most modern Ducati lovers will tell you, you get used to it.
Also a sentiment among Ducati enthusiasts, the GT 1000 is as much fun to sit and stare at as it is to ride. All components are of high quality, with showy chrome, slick lines, exotic paint and squeaky-clean trim. Owning the title makes you feel like a millionaire for the price of a pretty nice used sedan.
With a special thanks to the guys at Salt Lake Motorsports, we got to wow attendees at this year’s Bonneville VintageGP in Tooele, Utah, with a brand new GT 1000, not to mention experience a hoot or two on some of the local canyon roads.
If you like classic motorcycles but cringe at all the pre-requisite maintenance and upkeep, or if you’ve always wanted to say, “Yeah, that’s my Ducati,” we recommend checking out the GT 1000. It is simultaneously a brilliant throwback to motorcycling’s vibrant past along with an encouraging contribution to its future.