If You Had Asked, I Would Have Told You…

Another month has gone by. That’s time enough for a sufficient number of news stories and events to have accrued to generate some thoughts and opinions. So, here goes with another edition of “If you had asked I would have told you that…”

– It’s a good thing that Ducati’s on a roll with its Scrambler line because the company’s situation could get rocky in the short-term thanks to the the problems faced by parent company Volkswagen.

Reuters reports that VW is “expected to have to pay out tens of billions of euros to cover fines, lawsuits and vehicle refits after it admitted to cheating U.S. diesel emissions tests and falsifying carbon dioxide emissions.”

Consequently, VW “is under pressure to strengthen its finances.” This could be accomplished by divesting its luxury brands, such as Ducati, as well as by significant belt-tightening.

Whichever the case, Ducati could be significantly impacted in a negative way by VW’s troubles.

– Back in early August, I predicted that Yamaha would bring its new 2016 XSR700 model to the United States. So what does the company do? It now says it will indeed sell an XSR model but in a larger form as the XSR900. It shares a 847cc engine with the FZ-09 but has a retro look, along with ABS and traction control. It will also come in a 60th anniversary yellow paint scheme as well as in matte gray/aluminum. 

– The more I look at it, the more that I think the new 2016 Moto Guzzi V9 Roamer looks an awful lot like the 2015 Harley-Davidson Sportster (XL 883L Superlow). The Moto Guzzi’s shown in the yellow; the Sportster’s in blue and white.

– The guy who sued BMW and Corbin seats after getting an erection that lasted more than four hours got what was warranted when a judge recently rejected his appeal of the original lawsuit from 2012 that he lost. The judge’s decision will certainly deflate his wallet as he’ll have to pay the defendants’ attorney fees.

– Sometimes all it takes is a few discouraging words to put me off a new model, and a recent video review by Ped Baker on the British website “Motorcycle News” of the 2015 Indian Scout has now soured me slightly on a bike that I’ve admired greatly for its styling.

Baker talks of riding in the rain on the Scout’s Kenda tires, which he calls “a dreadful experience.” He also shows off a swing-arm washer that’s rusting after only 5,000 miles. I still like the Scout, but his observations might make me think twice before opening my wallet. (That’s assuming that I had the cash.)

Here’s Baker’s review:

– Dates dates for track days by Team Pro-Motion at Lime Rock Park in Salisbury, CT have been scheduled for 2016. They will be held on May 30, July 25, Sept. 26 and Oct. 17. That’s two fewer days than expected.

– I’m looking forward to the Progressive International Motorcycle Show in New York City, which begins Friday at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center . The show’s seemed stale in recent years, but with so many new models having been released recently, there will be lots of new stuff to ogle. RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland will be there all day Friday.