Ducati offers to buy Aprilia

Is Moto Guzzi part of the deal?

I think Aprilia owns Moto Guzzi, so yes, but I'm not exactly sure since Ducati put out a release a few months ago stating they had interest in Moto Guzzi alone.



Can you imagine, a modern Moto Guzzi!

On a related note, I also see that Proton and the MV Agusta group are pairing up. I would love to see MV return to GP racing.

http://www.cyclenews.com/ShowStory.asp?HeadlineID=6374

I don't know how "modern" they'd make it. It may be a mistake to stray too far from the air-cooled Vtwin formula.



With the liquid desmo and the Rotax in the family they'll have plenty of modern vtwins.

Yeah, but the V11 series is too nice to give up. I'd keep the Aprilia line as scooters and run Moto Guzzi as the V11 and California series.

That way Texas Pacific has Ducati full on sport bikes, Monster "hooligan" bikes, V11 Cafe` bikes and California cruisers and (more or less) sport tourers.

Purty durn good mix, I think<

oooh liquid desmo just sounds sexy!



I hope they still put out the RSV450

You wouldn't happen to have read any reviews of the F4 1000, have you? Of course, I'm still in love with the F4 SPR and it's 750 engine which is still more than I can handle. Of course it's beautiful, but all I have heard about the F4 1000 indicate that it's pretty freakin' amazing overall. Have you heard/read anything?

In the latest Sportrider Magazine the reviews of the MV 1000 S puts it on par if not better than the current crop of Japanese hyper-bikes. A "race kit" is being developed that will allow that engine to be over 200hp! I guess they are racing in Superbike in 2005 if I remember. I'm looking at a new high end "buy one last bike" with some stock comes due next year (yes stock that isn't under water) and the MV is on my list..

I don't care what Buz and longride say about you. You are pretty smart. Excellent points dude.

Political B U L L S H I T

Dear MO:

I thoroughly enjoyed MO and several of its writers' until lately now that:

by captainwhoopass (Conservatives [email protected])

has made it into a political campaign blitz and for that matter any MOron making it into a political election forum. If this is going to be allowed then please take the balance of my membership and buy what little beer you can to be shared amongst the MO Staff, because this is f#%ked. Either that or I start my own campaign using MO and posting every little tidbit of utter nonsense possible so that I can springboard my vote for Alfred E. Newman.

All joking aside...if MO doesn't do something about CaptainDumbsh#t, then I headed elsewhere to enjoy what I came to MO for--motorcycling.

Re: Political B U L L S H I T

How many threads are you going to post this little whine in?

Good mix for Ducati, maybe. Bad for us. Goodbye Falco, Futura and Mille.

>oooh liquid desmo just sounds

>sexy!



Yes, the 999, Monster S4, and ST4 do sound sexy. especially with aftermarket pipes.

Most of the woes come from taking on debt when their enthusiasm outpaces their business sense. This looks like more of the same.

When has the Italian bike industry NOT been in financial turmoil? Anyone with just a tad more observational powers than a stale turnip knows the answer: never!

Easiest prediction of the week: Italian motorcycle industry financial turmoils to continue as far as the eye can see; Italian bike industry continues to make the most interesting equipment out there; Italian bike industry continues to have difficulty keeping the spare parts pipeline adequately supplied, etc, etc.

Same story, different year.

There have been almost as many ownership configurations of Italian motorcycle companies as there have been Italian "governments" in the last 50 or so yrs.

Don't sweat this stuff: enjoy it!

Would you like some cheese w/ your whine?

Skip over his posts if you dont like him and shut up. If you gotta bash, at least wait until he says something off-topic.

Indian (in its lattest iteration) was just a Harley clone manufacturer. They had no market to sell to, other than RUB's who where allready spending 25large on Alen Ness bikes. All Indian has is a marketing name, untill someone with balls comes in and sets it up as a unique brand again, it will be at best a harley clone company

Yeah, headline-wise, it's like "Violence in Middle East".