Check out Gotham Ducati, NYC's first and only official Desmo Owners Club

IMOC 2018 35th Annual Italian Motorcycle Owners Club Rally

Bimota V DueI've been to the IMOC (the International Motorycle Owners' Club Rally) three out out of the past four years, and was excited to get to go this year as an official Ducati sponsored event!

34th IMOC Rally 2017 
32nd IMOC Rally 2015 
I was already out on Cape Cod this week at a swanky wedding at the Chatham Bars Inn for one of my girlfriend's girlfriends, and arranged to meet Ted Gooch, the President of New England Desmo DOC. #wpmneverends
Tigh Loughhead of Gotham Ducati and Ted Gooch of NEDOC New England Desmo
I ended up getting stranded (as my gf thought the event would last several hours later than it or my cell phone would), but there were some amazing bikes to check out! 
 The featured brand this year was Laverda, but I could not help to start ogling some of my favorite Ducs, like this 70's Imola replica 750S,
I had actually though about purchasing this MH900e, as it was going for 16-17K a couple years ago, 
This totally custom 900SS was also sort of a Mike Hailwood replica, but designed from scratch by the owner. 
And of course who could forget
 the timeless Desmosedici. 
 The coolest machine in the whole place was also owned by the same guy who had the Desmosedici.
 I'm a big fan of Bimota, but here was a 500CC two stroke Bimota,
 The bike was called the Bimota V Due, and is considered the bike that killed Bimota.
 But it sounded outrageous, and at 110hp weighing only just north of 300lbs,
 this machine was built purely to race.
 There were a smattering of MV Agustas,
 and some cool Guzzis.
 from the new V7s,
 to older Ambassadors,
 to the odd Quota 1100s touring machine.
 The show was really about Laverdas though,
 which I have to admit,
 is not my most knowledgeable topic of Italian motorcycle history.
 I know they're another Northern-Italian manufacturer,
 largely known for their use of super powerful triple-cylinder engines,
 like the ones used in the Laverda Jota,
 They're beautiful machines,
 and unmistakably Italian,
 but the brand kind of petered out in the 80s,
 and whose brand was purchased by first the Japanese in the 90s,
 then Aprilia and finally by Piaggio, who might relaunch or sell the moniker at some point.


















© 2018 Tigh Loughhead

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