Coast to Coast (and back?) with an Italian Supermodel

[prince_ruben]

Definitely a good write up and experience. You make we wanna go to a dealership and just do it! No pondering whatsoever. Good breath of life.

[AntiHero]

Originally Posted by prince_ruben

Definitely a good write up and experience. You make we wanna go to a dealership and just do it! No pondering whatsoever. Good breath of life.

Great to know the money I spent on "how to sell motorcycles using Jedi-Mind tricks over the internet" course is working!

I'm still in Indianapolis, heading off to farm country in a couple hours. Going to take me a bit to digest MotoGP and get pics/sories up, but for now, here's some eye candy:

[bobfab]

AMAZING RR!! One of the best i have read in a long long time. I wish i would have started reading it a month ago, i would have ridden flagstaff road with ya on any day!!!

Hey OT, but do you have any pics or details of your Full-Race S2000? Former Honda guy here!!

[TomN]

Great stuff!

[GypsyWriter]

Still loving this RR! Keep up the phenomenal work.

[qhfan2]

Originally Posted by AntiHero

Wow, that's a lot of time away from each other. Perhaps that's the secret to a great relationship! :)

We shall see!

I grew up aboout 70 miles from Indy... Lafayette, IN. Be careful and watch out for the deer!

[AntiHero]

Originally Posted by bobfab

AMAZING RR!! One of the best i have read in a long long time. I wish i would have started reading it a month ago, i would have ridden flagstaff road with ya on any day!!!

Hey OT, but do you have any pics or details of your Full-Race S2000? Former Honda guy here!!

Flagstaff would have been cool. Do you know where Flagstaff turns into Lakeshore? There's some benches on Lakeshore right by a sign/gate overlooking a lake. Go up there, park by the Lakeshore Park "Private Property" sign and as you walk down the path towards the benches examine some of the big boulders that are about knee height on your left (before you get to the benches) You will see something I left behind in the rock. You'll not have seen anything like it before, and will know it when you see it. Might want to bring a small bit of water to give it some clarity, as it's probably a little dusty. It's worth the drive. :)

Video of me hunting down a GT3 and a GT1 Vette (prior to me gutting/caging the S2000):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAaC9WhWS4s&feature=plcp








And anyone who thinks the Panigale makes an awful commute bike--this WAS what I once commuted to work in:

[AntiHero]

My bike (the one in the back) made it onto Ducati's FB Page covering the MotoGP! Woohoo!

[rico2072]

COME ON MAN! I'm jonesing for some more pics and reporting! LOL

Really nice ride (S2000), always loved those cars.

[Groomez]

Sweet! I remember seeing this on Sunday!

Originally Posted by AntiHero

My bike (the one in the back) made it onto Ducati's FB Page covering the MotoGP! Woohoo!

[AntiHero]

Originally Posted by rico2072

COME ON MAN! I'm jonesing for some more pics and reporting! LOL

Really nice ride (S2000), always loved those cars.

Ok, here goes....

I honestly don't remember too much about the drive from Madison to Indiana. Sat. night at MotoGP with the liver-poisoning friend Chachi left most of my memories of the past week in my camera.

But I did take this pic, so I know I actually made the drive.

[AntiHero]

Arrived at my new host's house in the afternoon and saw this! I wanted to go next door and ask the neighbors if they were Mormon, but I'm pretty sure I knew the answer already:





Unpacked and took off to will call to pick up my gift from Ducati North America:

[AntiHero]

We hit up the Desmo club dinner that was hosted by Dallara. Dallara is the chassis builder for Indy and Indy Lights cars (among other racing series) who just opened a new manufacturing facility a con rods throw away from Indianapolis Speedway. We did the tour, which was, errr, lacking in all but the category of "know it all guy in the tour who wanted to demonstrate how much he knows about everything, including the stuff that he doesn't know much about. But it was cool to see and touch alien technology up close.



Elliot, a mechanical engineer, actually did know his shit. Let's all take a moment of silence to thank Daniel Bernoulli....




And they had some simulators that would have been cool had the tracks not been ovals. BORING!!!!


Rossi's team showed up for some behind the scenes look at Dallara's technology. Even though they were speaking in Italian, which I do not understand beyond the vernacular of ordering in a cafe, ya know they're looking for carbon-chassis secrets that might fix the issues of their own MotoGP Chassis.



Oops. Must have snapped this accidentally.

[AntiHero]

Onto MotoGP.

Ducati Island is about the best marketing/sales tactic I can imagine. It's like an Italian motorbike art installation. The public is able to walk around, but there's one area sectioned off where Ducati models serve up bottled water, biscotti and espresso.









And in addition to all the customer/owner bikes, Ducati brings some specials of their own.

[AntiHero]

Almost immediately on the Island I ran into a guy who had offered his house (and steaks, drinks and a garage) up to me in Chicago. Unfortunately the timing was all off and I simply couldn't make it to Chicago, but it was great to meet him. Unfortunately I was so spaced I failed to snap a shot of us. But shout out to you, Adam! And thanks for introducing me to some of the other D.R.I.L.L. guys--would have liked to hang out more.

The crazy thing was that several guys I'd never talked to online recognized me as the nutter going coast to coast (some introduced from other forums I'd never heard of, like an XR1200 forum). This is the inmate (Travis) who tracked me down just to say hi. Good thing, too, because--in addition to being a cool dude whom I really enjoyed talking to, he graciously made recommendations that decided my next route and and helped me avoid some of the mistakes on I was going to make. Awesome guy.