Moto High

You know, way back when (like when I was in high school) I used to bitch about how most cyclists rode bikes that could cope with abilities that were way beyond anything that they could even hope to achieve. I have been racing for a very long time, have mad skill yet I still can get a bike that is more than I am worthy. It takes individuals of REAL, singular talent to be able to push anything available in any bike shop to it's limit.
At some point, I just learned to shut my mouth and resign to the fact that modern mass production engineering has been able to produce bikes that exceed the capabilities of the most talented pros and that there are endless Freds who have more dollars than sense and feel like they are capable of mustering such skill in a couple of mid-life crisis saturated years that it took the rest of the world 20 or so years to do. Who am I to preach such things. I just ride my bike with what skill I posses.

Since I have bought a motorcycle, it's like that all over again. I have friends who have skill beyond my wildest dreams and they ride the most modest of motorbikes. I know people who were skilled enough that people PAID them to do something that most people do for fun. Think about that; getting paid to ride a motorcycle (or a bicycle) for a living. Does it do something that is inherently useful for anyone? No. Does it enhance world peace? No. Does it save poor starving children in 4th world countries? No. Does it help poor work-a-day folk have a better life? Only marginally. It's like getting paid to eat ice cream: you got to be doing something pretty darn special for someone to pay you to do it.

The skilled and former moto racers appreciate the "lesser" motorbikes and even get excited about them: Motorcycles with 50hp and only weigh 270lbs. They don't lust after 150hp motos. They are done with that.

But yet, Ducati has made available to the public the Desmosedici RR. In classic Italian motor sports style, they have release the closest thing to a MotoGP bike the world has ever seen. By any standards imaginable, they have released a widow-maker. This thing is so stupid fast and exotic that you know there will be no end to all the morons who will feel the need to posses this gift from the Gods of motorcycling even though they will never posses the skills to even begin to appreciate what it's capable of. There will probably be lots of Darwin awards given out on this one.

I wonder if the people at Ducati planned this. I wonder if they decided to give these folks what they wanted and gave them a big "caveat emptor" (buyer beware) and said "ok, this is what you wanted. Are you sure you are ready?"

Italians seem to be the only ones who are capable of brazenly giving to the public machinery that is blatantly only meant for the uber-talented. It's as if they want to allow the foolish the means to tempt the Gods as Icarus and Dadelus did, only to find themselves woefully inadequate and exquisitely mortal.