Fritz Doernberger and his Ducati Silver
Shotgun.
Bike: Ducati Silver Shotgun
Owner: Fritz Doernberger
Hometown: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Occupation: Retired machinist
Etc.: Fritz also owns four rare Parilla motorcycles
Friz Doernberger can trace his affinity for the Ducati Silver Shotgun back to an early age. He developed his love of Italian machinery after going with his father to a race meet in his native Salzburg, Austria, in 1948. He was unimpressed with German and Austrian bikes, preferring the dashing style of Italian café racers.
“It had to be a sportbike,” he says, “to look and sound like a race bike.”
Fritz acquired his first Ducati single, a 200cc Elite, after moving to Houston, Tex. “We went everywhere on that bike, pretty much wore it out,” he says. He now owns examples of both “narrow case” and “wide case” singles, including a 250 Mach 1 and a late steel-tank Mark 3D.
What’s the Ducati Silver Shotgun like to ride? “It’s wonderful,” says Fritz. “It’s really nice. The better chassis and stronger forks make a big difference over the earlier bikes. The 450cc engine is nice, too.”