{"id":37153,"date":"2015-12-16T11:09:15","date_gmt":"2015-12-16T16:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/motorcyclemojo.com\/?p=37153"},"modified":"2020-04-07T14:04:12","modified_gmt":"2020-04-07T18:04:12","slug":"ducati","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/motorcyclemojo.com\/2015\/12\/ducati\/","title":{"rendered":"A Flock of Ducs"},"content":{"rendered":"
Faced with a wide range of Ducatis, Costa had to choose his favourite. Even he was surprised at his decision<\/p>\n
Unlike usual corporate launches, Ducati North America invited a handful of Canadian journalists to California to sample a range of Ducati models. The bikes included the Diavel, Hypermotard SP, Hyperstrada, Monster 821 and 1200S, Panigale 899, and Scrambler Icon. This wasn\u2019t a tightly scheduled affair with press briefings and buffet dinners; it was a ride among friends along some of Northern California\u2019s best roads, with stops at a few noteworthy establishments. We rotated through the machines over two days, getting an opportunity to experience the differences between them. The ride gave me the opportunity to rank my personal favourites, and I was surprised by my choices. Guide duties were handled by Ducati North America PR manager Nathon Verdugo, who is an avid rider, and whose motocross background had served him well as a former development rider for Aprilia, where he helped develop the RXV 450 and 550 enduros.<\/p>\n
Moto Food<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a>After a dizzying stretch of tree-lined switchbacks, we arrived at a California motorcycling landmark. You\u2019ve likely heard the song by Arlo Guthrie, and have maybe even seen the iconic 1969 film of the same name. Alice\u2019s Restaurant, in Woodside, is perhaps mistakenly believed to be the basis of Guthrie\u2019s satirical monologue, but the song and the movie were actually based around a short-lived restaurant in Massachusetts. This west coast Alice\u2019s Restaurant dates back to the early 1970s and is a homage to the song, as well as its owner, Alice Taylor. The restaurant is located at the intersection of Highways 84 and 35, and is a busy motorcycling hangout as well as a great lunch stop. Its menu includes breakfast items like the Ducati, consisting of toast, eggs and applewood bacon, and lunch items like the BMW burger, the Kawasaki burger, the Honda burger \u2013 the list goes on down through the manufacturers, each moto burger garnished differently. Ducati North America CEO Dominique Cheraki joined us for lunch, riding in on his Monster 1200S. Frenchman Cheraki is a former endurance racer, and having ridden with him at a previous Ducati launch also in California, I was looking forward to the post-lunch ride.<\/p>\n