Orange County Choppers and Ducati

S

shaman sun

New member
Elton, while most often I agree with your take on things, on this one I don't altogether. I don't think we are being elitist in the expression of our taste here. Most people know who OCC are and what they do, and have seen an episode of their show. Most people on this site are sportsbike oriented, are passionate about the brand I would suggest, and own a sporty Ducati of some sort, I mean afterall sporty is Ducati's heritage ain't it? So when someone from OCC drops in to say hi, and let us in on what they're up to with our chosen brand of sportbike, I think it would be quite probable that the majority of punters on here would cringe at the prospect of what they might do.....

But then again, look at what Roland Sands did with the motard, that wasn't all bad, and he's a chopper builder too.

It's purely a matter of taste rather than elitism. We all like and appreciate bikes also, but you might be in the minority on this one as far as taste is concerned buddy. I hope they do it tastefully and in keeping with the sporty style of the brand.

The other side of the coin is that it would be pretty hard for them to out bling a few bikes that lurk in this and other Ducati forums anyway!!!
 
SO,

Fair enough. Your point is well-made.

I guess I'm just a bit tired of sportbikers dumping on HD and cruiser guys. I find the division counter-productive and negative.

There's a similar riff in the boating community. I'm an avid sailor. I love sailboats. You know what lots of sailors talk about? They talk about how, "blowboats," are so much better than motorboats. And then they further divide between those who have fiberglass, (or put more simply, just, "glass") boats, verses those who have wooden boats. The real, "purists," wouldn't be caught dead on a glass boat. And while most sailors aren't explicitly saying that they're better than their motorboat counterparts, isn't that the underlying message? Isn't the message that blowboats are better, nicer, more esthetic, more in tune with the notion of moving across water, and by implication, the people who see this, who understand this, are more sophisticated, have better taste, a better sense of esthetic? In a word, "better?"

And isn't this really the message of all this anti-cruiser, anti HD, rhetoric? I understand that people aren't explicitly stating that sportbikers are better than Harley guys. On the contrary, (as you point out,), people are merely expressing a preference for sportbikes. But it strikes me that the underlying sentiment in many of these comments is that, "Us sportbike guys are the ones with the cool bikes. We're the guys who really understand motorcycling. We're the guys with good taste, with a good sense of esthetic. We're more sophisticated. And you cruiser guys don't know what motorcycling is really about! After all, if you did, you'd be on a Ducati rather than a Harley!"

Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

Elton
 
Sneeches on Beaches

http://www.uulongview.com/sermons/bellies_with_stars.html

One of my favorite "books" ever...


I think the division between the sport crowd, and the cruiser crowd has gotten better over the last several years. In '01, I'd be on the street with my Aprilia...and I would always signal to other riders. Ya know, a wave...two fingers down...a point...something. At that time, I'd say that less than 2% of Harley guys would wave/signal back. I found this quite amusing really. And, I definitely found it to be an elitist snub. I'd talk to people, and friends who had the cruisers about this....Inevitably, a long explanation about "how sport bikes aren't bikers", or how "All Crotch rocket riders are punks" would come up. Really, just a microcosm of society. Where it's "ok" if we're in a large enough group to disrespect others that aren't in our "too cool" club.

These days things have gotten quite a bit better. Not sure if it's as a result of introspection, education, epiphany, or some of these shows on the tube. Routinely on Superbikes they mix the crowds and venues....from Chapter riders, to stunters. From mixed events to focused, they've been pushing the "one crowd". The biker. "If you're on two wheels, your a friend". OCC, is 99.9% cruiser. But from what I've seen, they aren't a bunch of elitist tourers...they're bikers. And that's good enough for me. Plus, any show where they're makin' bikes...fixin' bikes....and ridin' bikes, is a show I'm going to watch. Face it, it sure beats the hell out of most the other crap on TV.

Just my 2cents.

If I was in the area, I'd definitely stop on by to see what they've done to my favorite brand. Maybe I'd like it, maybe I'd hate it....but it's a Motorcycle. I like those
 
I think what zman said is quite accurate. When i started riding on the street 10 years ago pretty much no Harley guy would signal back to me. I took this to be stupid elitist crap from them and it kind of posioned my opinion of them for quite awhile. But in the last couple of years I think that it has gotten a lot better. I would say 95% of riders, no matter what bike they are on, signal back. At bike nights now the crowds are far more diverse and the attitude is not 'you bike sucks because its a sports bike' but 'hey man you ride, thats cool'.

In the end we two wheel guys are one community, we take the same risks when we go out there with the cagers. While choppers are not really my thing, I respect them for what they are, and the rider for being out there doing battle with cars and pursing a passion that is like mine.

As far as the OCC goes, like many, I would rather not see them butcher a duc with crome etc, but I am willing to wait and see what they make of it. There are guys out there that bling out ducs already (ie motion superbike) so its not like they are the only ones.

For all the negatives, the OCC has contributed to bringing light on the motorcycle community and has encouraged more people to ride. I for one think that any thing that does that is alright with me, no matter what kind of bike they ride.
 
I kinda think that the OCC guys will keep it tastefull with the Ducati's, if they are smart. I am sure they already know or have been briefed on what the average Ducati owner wants and expects out of thier motorcycle. You don't just go and open up a Ducati dealer without knowing what's in demand from the consumer. If they start hacking em up, that would be a very poor business decision!! I think that they will do the right thing!! Who know's, these guy's might come up with some kick ass accesories.
 
You must not have been at the HD rally where they dragged a jap bike around the parking lot by a chain. lol

I always liked Vinny, Cody, Mikey and even Jr.(until he threw the bass and pretended he wasn't wrong..a man would have owned up) and Sr.
 
Good point. I don't think the cruiser crowd have really done much to endear themselves with other fraternities within the motorcycling world. Particularly the outlaw element.

I remember going to a bike rally in Western Australia in the NW in 1985, and there were a lot of HD cruisin outlaw types there. We rocked up at 5.30pm on a friday after work, and were the only group of jap and euro bikes there the whole night and next day. When we pulled into the carpark area, a large group of HD cruising enthusiasts where engaging in a sacrificial burning of a Honda 400 4cyl, strategically positioned nose down in a 44 gallon drum. We parked our bikes well out of sight for the night......
 
I too like everything on 2 wheels and don't get the division between owners. I've owned them all and appreciate a great looking bike of all types. But the OCC thing I just don't get. Some of their stuff is just down right silly. The show is so over the top sometimes and it's all about "the show". I think originally it was about building cool choppers but it has morphed into something bigger than that. Gotta hand it to them, they're a money makin' machine. Hope they don't butcher the Duc too much.
 
No buddy, you are a victim of perception.

Are you sure that is actually a refrigerator that is keeping your beer cold???????
 
An OCC is not on my list of things to buy but an OCC Duc would be pretty fun to critique. Maybe Thorsten can consult for them....

On the other hand, Goldwings kick ass! I ride my GL to the track with the tunes cranked while the boys take the race bikes in my "RR-mobile"....
 
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