Synergy. This is what happens when two things meet, compliment each other and then prosper from their joint relationship. AMG and Ducati are two powerhouse name brands in the world of performance. And even though one rides on four wheels and the other on two, that makes no difference because their message is exactly the same. Sex, speed and performance. The following video takes us on a behind the scenes look at the C 63 AMG Coupé photo shoot. That means a blonde clad in a full leather body suit, a wicked white Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Coupé and a camera crew that’s bringing out the best in both of them.

Source: Youtube.com

Let’s see now… I’ve had a 1990 Ducati 750 Sport, a 1996 Ducati 900 SS, 1998 Ducati 748 and lastly a 2001 Ducati 996. It’s been years now since I’ve thrown a leg over one of Ducati’s fiendish super scoots and I’ll be honest when I say that I miss them everyday. You see there is something about these Italian pasta rockets that gets under your skin and creeps into your soul. Maybe its the rumble of those old dry clutches clattering together, or perhaps the thunderous boom that emitted from those big V-twin power plants. All I know is that now, after seeing their ad for the new 1199 Panigale, I want one again.

Source: Youtube.com

Having logged over 100,000 miles in the saddle of various motorcycles, I can tell you that if I had one way in which to travel that this would be it. Those that don’t ride will never understand the feeling of freedom, exhilaration and pure connection to the road that riding offers. The fact is that most people are afraid of motorcycles. They hear of horrid accidents and think that most riders have a death wish, when in fact it’s totally the opposite. Ever hear the phrase, “Live to Ride, Ride to Live”… well, it’s 100% true. Motorcycles make you feel alive. They bring to light every sense in your body and offer an almost out of body experience when your cruising down the road on that perfect sunny day. Sure there’s an element of danger in riding, but hell, that’s part of the fun. If you’ve never ridden a motorcycle then please do yourself a favor and try it just once. If you don’t like it, then fine, however don’t simply dismiss it because of what others say as you’ll be missing out on one of the greatest experiences of a life time.

In my experience, you either have the motorcycle gene or you don’t. If you have it, you’re never truly happy or at peace unless you’ve got a bike underneath you, an open road in front of you, no place to be and all the time in the world to get there. If you don’t have it, you probably can’t understand what all the fuss is about, and that’s a good thing.

It’s hard to put the importance of motorcycles to riders down in words, or on video, but Ducati and Puma do a great job of exploring that relationship in a series of videos called “Lean In and Ride With Us”. Watch the video series below (shamelessly ripped off from Autoblog, who found it first) at your own risk, because even if you have a dormant motorcycle gene, these vids will have you trolling Cragslist and eBay for the rest of the afternoon.

Source: You Tube, via Autoblog

If the video below is true (and it has to be, because it’s on the internet), the Ducati Diavel will intimidate men carrying clipboards, get women hot and bothered, captivate children and cause men driving AMG Mercedes sedans to drive into parked cars. If that’s not all you need to rule the world, you should seriously consider another line of work (possibly one that involves carrying a clipboard). When Ducati announced their 162 horsepower cruiser, I’ll admit that my first thought was “pointless waste of carbon fiber”. The more that I see the bike, especially in motion, the more I understand it’s appeal and the more I could actually see myself riding one (after hitting the lottery, of course). Watch the Diavel in action in the video below.

At a base price of $16,995 (or $19,995 for the uber-sinister Diavel Carbon), the Diavel isn’t cheap, but it is priced on par with Harley’s V-Rod (which starts at $17,199). That’s cheaper than Yamaha’s overpriced and bloated V-Max, which (almost unbelievably) stickers at $19,890, so maybe the Diavel is priced just where it needs to be. I know one thing for sure: that blond in the cafe isn’t going to look at a guy on a V-Rod or a V-Max with quite the same hunger in her eyes, so that alone may make the Diavel worth the price of admission.

We’ve got a black helicopter, AC/DC, a hot brunette in a leather body suit, a Ducati Monster and a mega yacht… HELLO! Those are the ingredients for pretty much the best commercial ever made! Granted it’s a commercial for the new Visa Black Card, but quite honestly, who cares as it’s got all the right elements that car guys drool over. Visa’s gone ahead and sexed us up with little miss boom-boom in the cat suit, then we’re treated to the thunderous exhaust note from that Italian v-twin and to top it off, we also get a James Bond-ish feeling throughout the entire ad. Shit, this could have been an ad for Kool Aid and I wouldn’t have cared in the slightest. Now, does this mean that I’ll be going out and paying the $495.00 annual fee that’s associated with this thing? Well… no. I mean it does get you some nice services like acceptance into some swanky airport lounges and good rates on rental cars, but personally, I think I’ll just stick with my frugal ways and save the $495.00.

It goes without saying that most people would agree that the thought of Keira Knightley posing on some old two-wheeled iron is pretty damn sexy. Lucky for us we’re treated to this very thing as it just so happened that she was recently seen straddling a vintage Ducati 750 Sport during a photo shoot for Chanel’s new Coco Mademoiselle perfume. Decked out in a beige one piece cat suit, Ms. Knightley was kind enough to lend her form to that of the Ducati, which is also dead sexy regardless of color. The two melded seamlessly together in a moment that can only be described as “Super Awesome” and something that men the world over will rejoice in seeing. I have to say though that seeing Little Miss Kiera in a cat suit got me thinking that Warner Brothers just made a serious mistake by casting Anne Hathaway as Cat Woman in the next Batman movie. Granted, I know that’s going out on a bit of a tangent, but let’s be honest here, you know I’m right.

Source: Autoblog

I’ll admit it: when Ducati first announced the Diavel, my first thought was “fail”, especially in the U.S. market. BMW had been down that road with the R1200 C, and even Moto Guzzi had a swing and a miss with their California series. Euro bike makers just can’t compete with Americans when it comes to cruisers, and the high end niche where the Diavel is priced doesn’t get many customers these days. I can’t speak for sales or even demand, but I’ll say this: I was dead wrong on the Diavel. It isn’t just another Eurocruiser, and it isn’t even another power cruiser destined to slug it out with the Yamaha V-Max or the Suzuki B-King. In fact, the closest concept I can think of to the Diavel is Yamaha’s old Warrior, from the pre-Star Motorcycle days. Is the Diavel a power cruiser? Sure, but with the heart and soul of a sportbike. Watch the video to see what I mean.

So let’s sum it up: the Diavel gives you an L-twin motor sourced from the 1198 Multistrada, good for 162 horsepower. Ducati’s traction control helps to moderate that power, as does a rider’s choice of three separate ECU modes. “Sport” gives you full power and maximum throttle response, “Touring” give you slightly less power and a delayed throttle response and “Urban”, which drops horsepower to 100 and eases throttle control settings. Think of “Urban” as “Rain” mode, and you get the picture.

Like the Pirelli ad says, power is nothing without control, and here’s where the Diavel starts to get interesting. Brakes (ABS, of course) are Brembo units borrowed from the 11998 Superbike. The 50mm Marzocchi front fork is adjustable for spring pre-load, compression and rebound damping, and the Sachs rear shock is adjustable for compression and rebound. Specially developed Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tires ensure that the Diavel sticks as well as it goes, even in wet weather. Despite the meaty size of the rear (240/45-17), MotoUSA calls it “not as distracting as anticipated” when the roads get twisty.

At a starting price of $16,995 for the base model, the Diavel is priced outside of my league. That’s a shame, because hideous rear fender aside, I’d really like to ride one. I’m not ready to slow down to cruiser mode just yet, but sport bikes just don’t work for my knees and wrists anymore. The Diavel could be the perfect solution for guys like me, as long as they’re in a different income bracket.

At the end of the day purchasing a automobile is more of an emotional decision than a practical one. We look at things like styling, performance, economy and price and then decide on which ones we can compromise on. It’s tough, but in the end, reason and common sense generally win out over sheer emotion and we end up driving home in something practical. It sucks, but unfortunately that’s the way it usually happens. There are however some exceptions to the rule. For example, I’d sell body parts to purchase a 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV, a car that I’ve lusted after since birth. As for bikes, well I’m not sure I’d go down the body part road, but I’d definitely dive deep into the realm of illegal activities to own something like the Ducati dirt tracker you see here. This stunner was built by one Marcus Carlsson of Marcus Moto Design, and takes inspiration from a 1975 Formula 1 car, and an ’80s-era motocrosser.

The bike took Carlsson six months to build and utilizes the mill from a crashed 2001 Ducati 996, Brembo brakes and wheels from a Ducati 848 and beefy Öhlins suspension that was tweaked specifically for this application. As for that funky tank scoop – that was inspired by Niki Lauda’s 1975 Ferrari 312T Formula 1 car. Pretty cool stuff right? I’m actually thinking that it’s a good thing that this machine is way across the pond right now as it’s currently up for sale for a price that I can nowhere near afford. However, for those of you with deep pockets, please feel free to inquire about the bike by sending an email to info@marcusmotodesign.com .

Source: MarcusMotoDesign.com

If you’ve ever wanted to know what a ridiculously expensive motorcycle looks like, well then, here you go. This is the Renard GT, a bike that’s made in a little country called Estonia and comes with a price tag of $96,000.00. The Renard GT is marketed as a grand touring power cruiser with “sporty” abilities. What that means to me is that they’ve created a motorcycle that is relatively quick and goes around corners just as good as anything that is already mass produced, but for 10 times the price. Granted, the Renard GT is in fact a pretty trick machine. For instance its carbon fiber monocoque chassis only weighs a tick over 24 pounds and is reinforced with kevlar to quell bumps and vibration. It also has 3D designed CNC machined
hardened aluminum components that are milled from a solid block, as well as a suspension system that is adjustable in three dimensions.

Power wise however the bike uses a lump that has basically been around since the late 1960′s. Moto Guzzi’s 90° V2 engine powers the Renard GT to the tune of around 125 hp, which, lets be honest, isn’t a whole lot in today’s day and age. Top speed is said to be around 140 mph… again, that’s not too impressive for a bike that costs almost $100k. Now I’m sure there are those individuals out there that will pony up the cash just to say that they own one of the most extravagant motorcycles in all the world. If it were me though, I’d just go out and buy the new Ducati Diavel and be done with it. It’s a quarter the price, and in my opinion looks a helluva lot better.

Source: RenardMotorcycles.com