FEATURE
DUCATI MUSEUM TOUR
P80
tically designed back-
grounds.
I pored over the dis-
plays, reading the history
and watching the vid-
eos. I reckon everyone,
bar the most well-read
"Ducatisti," will learn
something new.
From bikes that were
winning when singles
ruled, through Paul
Smart's green-frame
V-twin racer all the way
up to the world champi-
onship winning bikes of
Troy Bayliss and Casey
Stoner, there's so much
to drool over. As much
as I loved the one-off en-
gineering details of each
race bike, the street
bikes held even more
appeal for me.
The immaculate 851
superbike brought back
memories. It was the
very first test bike I ever
rode as a cadet at a
motorcycle magazine.
That was an eye-opening
experience for a young
guy who'd grown up on
skinny 18- and 19-inch
wheels!
Standing beside
the luscious 916 in the
museum, I remembered
the thrill of being at the
international launch of
the model, and knowing
that this was a bike that
would change motorcy-
cling. I was astounded at
