"Anyone can ride a black bike."
An opinion that was recently expressed on the Pure-Triumph Facebook Wall.
The owner of the opinion went on to point out that the 2007 Roulette Green Triumph Speed Triple is just as nasty. Not surprisingly, the color of his Speed Triple:
My first reaction was to be insulted. My Ducati 848Evo is black. All black. With a flat matte finish that sucks in any surrounding light, refusing to reflect even the faintest glimmer back.
It looks, as my sister says, like something Death would ride:
The few stock pieces that were not black have since been replaced:
Black CRG shorty levers; Carbon Fiber Termignoni Slash-Cut Slip-ons; adjustable Gilles rearsets; smoke Puig windscreen.
The only item left is the stock slave clutch cylinder. I plan to order a black Ducati Performance one soon.
Except I've also owned an orange BMW F650ST and a sunshine yellow Harley Sportster.
And I have inexplicably fallen for a purple/yellow/white 1995 Honda CBR900rr.
Perhaps a reaction to my void-of-color Ducati? All I know is that it makes me smile.
So, can anyone ride a black motorcycle? Sure. They start up and run the same as bikes of another color.
Does everyone ride one well? Perhaps not. My own matte black moto lives up to its fierce demeanor far better than its hapless rider does. Or more simply stated: The bike is badass, I am not.
But I do love that it is mine. Almost as much as I love riding it.
And what about red?
Is it true that flashier, fast riders buy red bikes, which is why they are ticketed more? Or is it that arrest-me-red is simply an easier target for radar gun-wielding cops?
Do you have to be sunny to ride yellow? Brave to saddle up on purple?
Have a sense of humor, or enjoy mimicking a sunrise, to own orange?
For every purist who says Ducati must remain Ferrari red, there's someone brightening up our roads on a yellow SuperSport or illuminating the night on a pearl white StreetFighter.
And do not forget that Paul Smart's Duc was silver:
Kawasaki green is hardly tame. Or sane. But if your ride sports the time-honored color, are you not a traditionalist at heart?
And if you ride with the Repsol red, orange, and black, are you following the crowd? Making a bold statement, loud and proud?
Or paying respect to a great racing tradition?
There are motorcycles adorned with flames. I've seen flowers, sparkles, and stickers of every sort.
Equipped with an airbrush, the entire casts of the Wizard of Oz, Deadwood, and Maverick have graced the tanks and farings of a motorcycle.
Maybe the answer is not that anyone can ride a black bike.
Perhaps it is that everyone can find the bike that they can ride. The one that makes them happy.
The one that speaks for them in a color that is all their own.
Love the column, hate the column, got a better idea? Leave a comment or email: Ann@SunnyRyder.com
An opinion that was recently expressed on the Pure-Triumph Facebook Wall.
The owner of the opinion went on to point out that the 2007 Roulette Green Triumph Speed Triple is just as nasty. Not surprisingly, the color of his Speed Triple:
My first reaction was to be insulted. My Ducati 848Evo is black. All black. With a flat matte finish that sucks in any surrounding light, refusing to reflect even the faintest glimmer back.
It looks, as my sister says, like something Death would ride:
Black CRG shorty levers; Carbon Fiber Termignoni Slash-Cut Slip-ons; adjustable Gilles rearsets; smoke Puig windscreen.
The only item left is the stock slave clutch cylinder. I plan to order a black Ducati Performance one soon.
Except I've also owned an orange BMW F650ST and a sunshine yellow Harley Sportster.
Perhaps a reaction to my void-of-color Ducati? All I know is that it makes me smile.
So, can anyone ride a black motorcycle? Sure. They start up and run the same as bikes of another color.
Does everyone ride one well? Perhaps not. My own matte black moto lives up to its fierce demeanor far better than its hapless rider does. Or more simply stated: The bike is badass, I am not.
But I do love that it is mine. Almost as much as I love riding it.
And what about red?
Is it true that flashier, fast riders buy red bikes, which is why they are ticketed more? Or is it that arrest-me-red is simply an easier target for radar gun-wielding cops?
Do you have to be sunny to ride yellow? Brave to saddle up on purple?
Have a sense of humor, or enjoy mimicking a sunrise, to own orange?
For every purist who says Ducati must remain Ferrari red, there's someone brightening up our roads on a yellow SuperSport or illuminating the night on a pearl white StreetFighter.
And do not forget that Paul Smart's Duc was silver:
Kawasaki green is hardly tame. Or sane. But if your ride sports the time-honored color, are you not a traditionalist at heart?
And if you ride with the Repsol red, orange, and black, are you following the crowd? Making a bold statement, loud and proud?
Or paying respect to a great racing tradition?
There are motorcycles adorned with flames. I've seen flowers, sparkles, and stickers of every sort.
Equipped with an airbrush, the entire casts of the Wizard of Oz, Deadwood, and Maverick have graced the tanks and farings of a motorcycle.
Maybe the answer is not that anyone can ride a black bike.
Perhaps it is that everyone can find the bike that they can ride. The one that makes them happy.
The one that speaks for them in a color that is all their own.
Love the column, hate the column, got a better idea? Leave a comment or email: Ann@SunnyRyder.com