Ducati Monster 821With attribution to the Scrambler lineup, the Monster 821 and the 899 Panigale – all bikes that target a younger demographic of riders – Ducati North America has broken a new yearly sales record.In 2015, Ducati North America – Ducati’s largest worldwide sales region that consists of United States, Canada and Mexico – sold 12,132 motorcycles. This represented 14.1-percent increase compared to 2014.
When broken down, the USA was the top seller with 9,674 motorcycles sold (+10 percent), followed by Canada with 1,458 bikes sold (+12 percent). Due to the addition dealers in Mexico, this market has also grown; in 2015, 1,003 motorcycles were sold in Mexico, which us up more than 85 percent over 2014.“Our success in North America is the result of the hard work of the entire Ducati organization and our network of dedicated dealers,” Dominique Cheraki, outgoing CEO of Ducati North America. “I am proud of what we have collectively achieved during the past five years of my tenure and I’m enthusiastic of what the future holds for the brand.”Ducati says the top models sold in North America – the Scrambler, Monster 821 and 899 Panigale – have “shown special appeal to the wave of new and younger riders entering the world of motorcycles.”Ducati expects additional growth in 2016 due to 45 percent of its models are all-new motorcycles, including the cruiser-targeting XDiavel, the adventure Multistrada 1200 Enduro, and the new Ducati 959 Panigale.2016 Ducati XDiavelThere’s a huge push for the XDiavel, and Ducati North America just began the “XDiavel Experience Tour” in the states. This tour will visit 15 cruiser “hot spots,” beginning with Phoenix on February 20, continuing through Daytona Bike Week and beyond. With its forward-mounted foot controls and upright riding stance, the XDiavel will be available in showrooms this spring.The other anticipated motorcycle from Ducati is the Multistrada 1200 Enduro, which features many ADV-savvy upgrades, including spoked wheels (19” front, 17” rear) and a 79-gallon gas tank.Ducati North America’s new CEO, Jason Chinnock, arrives from Automobili Lamborghini America, where he was in charge of marketing operations. Chinnock has worked for Ducati in the past, holding various roles in sales, marketing and dealer operations since 2000.“It’s a tremendous honor and responsibility to lead Ducati North America into the next chapter,” said Chinnock. “We have a clear objective to continue the growth of our brand in a manner that delivers a premium experience to our owners and profitable business for our dealer partners. I am confident that we have a strong internal management team. This, coupled with an outstanding dealer network and a tremendous product offering, will give us the ability to fully capitalize on the opportunity in this market.”
Hello everyone and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly Podcast—Motos and Friends.
My name is Arthur Coldwells.
This week’s Podcast is brought to you by Yamaha motorcycles. Discover how the YZF-R7 provides the perfect balance of rider comfort and true supersport performance by checking it out at YamahaMotorsports.com, or see it for yourself at your local dealer.
This week’s episode features Senior Editor Nic de Sena’s impressions of the beautiful new Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST that is loosely based around the original FXRT Sport Glide from the 1980s. Hailing from The Golden State, these cult-status performance machines became known as West Coast style, with sportier suspension, increased horsepower, and niceties including creature comforts such as a tidy fairing and sporty luggage.
In past episodes you might have heard us mention my best friend, Daniel Schoenewald, and in the second segment I chat with him about some of the really special machines in his 170 or so—and growing—motorcycle collection. He’s always said to me that he doesn’t consider himself the owner, merely the curator of the motorcycles for the next generation.
Yet Daniel is not just a collector, but I can attest a really skilled rider. His bikes are not trailer queens, they’re ridden, and they’re ridden pretty hard. Actually, we have had many, many memorable rides on pretty much all of the machines in the collection at one time or another.
From all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!