Ducati Travelogue of Tigh Loughhead's Motorcycle Adventures in NYC

I've been running around like crazy this weekend.

Riding around on my Ducati Streetfighter this weekend was a blast, filled with that sickly sweet mixture of power and fear that makes your skin tingle and your throat tighten up, wondering about your mortality in the back of your mind (cue Song of the Sausage Creature...)

There are thousands of bikes in Peru, though mostly 125cc motorcycles. Roncos, Pulsars, FZ125 and Yz125’s abound, and people use them for everything; from commuting to carrying pets to all-purpose delivery vehicles.

I've been riding and traveling for most of the spring, so I haven't had a chance to catch up on my ride reports, but had to recap a bike night in Brooklyn a few week's back.

NYDUCATI: Bike Night at The Tuscan Gun in Brooklyn

To say my Streetfighter S is kind of scary is a little bit of an understatement. The jump in horsepower is more than slightly unsettling (-compare about 115hp of my 996 to over 160hp+ on the Streetfighter, which is also a considerably lighter and more nimble bike)

Coming back from Joshua's house, Mark from Brooklyn Moto had invited me to come to a motorcycle BBQ in Brooklyn, and watch MotoGP, the fifth round taking place in Le Mans in France.

I'm in the process of writing up a more detailed ride report, but last Sunday the East Coast Ducs went up to Hudson Valley Motorcycles and did a few hundred miles in upstate New York.

A short history of the Ducati Superbike over the last 30 years.

The master chef of Mu Ramen fame, who happens to a so be a massive Ducati motorcycle enthusiast and East Coast Duc member, invited the club to spend the afternoon dining with him and 52 lbs of mouthwatering, dry-aged prime rib steaks and watching MotoGP.

So I've had a rough time getting my bike on the road this spring. After going out with the East Coast Ducs first ride of 2016 and discovering that I needed a new clutch in my 996, last weekend my chain was really loose.

Alex (with whom I rode Italy last year), needed to get out of the house and ride this morning, before my niece's first birthday party. Our excuse was a beer run, about an hour's drive up to rural Kutztown, PA to a great craft brewery called Saucony Creek Brewing (note: the "Hop Suplex" is phenomenal, but don't drink too many if you need to ride, as it comes in at 10.5% alcohol).

Uggh... last weekend my clutch gave out hopping on the West Side Highway on the East Coast Ducs' first ride of the year.

Tigh Loughhead in Ortaköy, Istanbul, Turkey

Barlas Gunay, Tigh Loughhead and Sinan Soyalp ride Istanbul by motorbike

I flew in to Turkey yesterday afternoon, to meet up with a couple of my best friends from college, who live in Istanbul. My boy Barlas picked me up from the airport, and Sinan joined us after work. Barlas has recently become a motorcycle fanatic, and was eager to show me his YZF250, a baby sportbike in the Yamaha R line. They don’t import this model to the US, only to Turkey and Asia, whereas in Europe they import the R3, whereas the entry bike in the states is the R6.

Tigh Loughhead visits the Moto Guzzi Museum with NYDucati

A quick walk up flight of stairs yielded another generation of Moto Guzzi racing motorcycles.

Tigh Loughhead: NYDucati visits the Museo Moto Guzzi in Mandello Del Lario, Italy

Alex and I arrived exactly at the Moto Guzzi Museum, in the small town of Mandello del Lario, at exactly 3pm, which was perfect, as the museum only opens for an hour per day.

NYDucati: Custom Ducati Cafe Racer shot by Tigh Loughhead

One of the prettiest Ducati's I've seen, I'm pretty sure this was built from a 900SS.

The rest of the trip will feel odd without a motorcycle. There is such agency that comes with a vehicle, and an added immediacy or presence on a motorcycle. A motorcyclist engages with his or her environment in a way that no other mode of travel offers. I never feel like a tourist on a bike; rather I feel part of the landscape, as I feel the curvature of little pieces of earth as I wend my way down the road.

We didn’t get riding quite as early as we wanted yesterday, but we did get a ton of riding in today. I think cheap grappa last night put me over the edge, and we needed breakfast, but the hotel turned out to be just as creepy as the night before, with the host hovering over the unappetizing continental breakfast that the hotel offered. Also, no one drinks coffee here (café Americano, that is…), but instead; caffeine is consumed in tiny sips of expresso, which isn’t really enough to get me going in the morning.

Alex and I awoke this morning amazed at the roads we had already traveled. Yesterday we explored nearly the entire western half of Lake Como, as well as most of the periphery of Lake Lugano. Travel has been thoroughly smooth all the way from JFK to Milan to EICMA to picking up our bikes and hitting the road. Newly invigorated from our recent successes, we decided on an ambitious route for the day, to try to explore a THIRD lake, also situated in between Italy and Switzerland, to the west of Lugano, called Lago Maggiore.

Milan, Como, Gravadona, Menaggio, Lugano

Apparently, sexy girls sell motorcycles.

2016 959 Panigale

I'm exhausted, and I should be packing for EICMA in Milan in a couple days, but even though my eyes are bloodshot and my wrists sore, I know that I won't put this up unless I get it done tonight, even though I was riding from eight this morning till nearly eight tonight.

The long Sunday return to NYC, where I found myself on the New Jersey Turnpike at dusk, with the sun glinting off the skyscrapers in Jersey City, as the buildings framed the masterpiece of a skyline I call home.

East Coast Ducs Photo Credit: Alex

IMOC 2015 Italian Motorcycle Owner's Club Rally with the East Coast Ducs

Star of the show? A couple of beautiful 1991 Ducati 851 Raymond Roche Replica Superbike Racers

I will write a ride report of the East Coast Ducati rider's club's trip up to Massachussets, but I wanted to catalogue some of the best classic bikes at this year's IMOC (Italian Motorcycle Owner's Club) rally.

I rode with my friends Jared and Chris straight from Motorcycle Mall's European Demo Day in New Jersey, straight to the Oil and Ink Expo in Brooklyn, an exhibition of motorcycle art hosted by Jane Motorcycles.

Ducati Ben Bostrom Edition 998

Motorcycle Mall has a yearly European demo day, where they let riders test-drive the new bikes. Experience riders sign up, and Rich Gonello leads a little half hour tour around East Jersey.

I didn't ride much this weekend, as my ST3 sits languishing on the street, and on Sunday afternoon I was sitting, reading on my balcony, when I saw an email from Union Garage mentioning the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride next weekend, and the 7th Annual Brooklyn Invitational Custom Motorcycle Rally today, which I had totally forgotten.

The East Coast Ducs had a bit of a late start this morning. A few of us were ready to go early, but everyone didn't congregate until about noon, so we didn't end up going to ride out of the city as we had planned.

Tigh Loughhead and the East Coast Ducs at the Schroon Lake, New York

I've been quite remiss in getting this post up. In September, a bunch of Ducati owners dedicated to riding, made a plan to travel up to Montreal, Canada for the weekend. I had been up to Montreal over July 4th weekend, and had such a good time, that a number of my other riding crew wanted to go.

The atmosphere was a bit subdued this year at DESMO Ducati Owner's Club. I've gotten a few tickets over the past few weeks, and more than a few friends (or friends of friends) have had some motorcycle-related drama.

I wound up wandering around Woodstock this weekend, weirdly ending up at Richie Haven's house, on the 45th anniversary of the famous music festival in 1969. Richie Haven's was the first act to perform at Woodstock.

I ran up to Bear Mountain last weekend after getting a tire changed at Rockwell Cycles. My beautiful 996 complimented the stunning scenery on my favorite scenic spot in the park.

Tesla Model M

Old Port of Montreal below:

Spending the day at the Old Port of Montreal, checking out the famous Jazz Festival, then cruising for food on the Rue Saint Denis during the Circe Festival.

Please join STUART PARR FOR THE LAST "OPEN BIKE NIGHT”

Thursday, July 9th 7pm-9pm at 285 Madison Ave (at 40^th Street) - ALL RIDERS WELCOME for an Italian Bike Night

Sadly we are closing the show early, as the space has recently been leased as a result of the buzz and traffic you have all generated by visiting the exhibition.***

**The last day of the exhibition will be Sunday, July 12^th.

The event will take place on 40th Street by Madison Avenue Thursday night (July 9^th) at 7pm, and we'll have some refreshments and then ride over to the Ear Inn for anyone who is interested.

We welcome all motorcyclists, so bring your friends! Find out a little more about the exhibit here: www.stuartparrcollection.com.

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

A short history of the Ducati Superbike over the last 30 years.

Milan, Como, Gravadona, Menaggio, Lugano

2016 959 Panigale

IMOC 2015 Italian Motorcycle Owner's Club Rally with the East Coast Ducs

Tesla Model M

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