Radical Ducati Vendetta

Over the years, I've looked at many bikes from Spanish firm Radical Ducati and have come to same conclusion after looking at each one: they're hideous.

Honestly, the bikes looked liked they were styled by an angry blind man using an axe.  I'm sure the bikes are fast and all but I can't get past the styling.  Radical Ducati takes all of the beautiful styling of a new Ducati and replaces it with angles, cuts and exhaust wrap.  And I think they throw away more parts than they keep.  In short, Radical doesn't just paint a mustache on the Mona Lisa, they give her dreads and tattoos.

So it was with justified skepticism that I went to look at the new Vendetta.  I was expecting the worst.  The Vendetta is based on the new and soon-to-be-replaced Ducati 1198, a bike I think is gorgeous.  To ease the shock, I put my hand over my eyes and clicked on the link to the pictures.  Ever so slowly, I peeled my hand from in front of my eyes, only to find my skepticism was misplaced.

They've actually made a good-looking bike!

What Radical Ducati did (with help from fellow Spaniards Dragon TT) was take the normal Ducati 1198, remove all the standard bodywork and replace it with all-new bodywork.  The solid lights on the standard 1198 were replaced with four smaller lights that look like an angry man's furrowed brow.  The fairing has turn signals built into the sides and has been redesigned to allow more air to flow around the engine, paving the way for more performance.  The fuel tank is larger and the seat is totally unique, incorporating LED lights and turn signals into the tail.  You can even choose between two exhausts.  All the better to compose your mechanical symphony with.  All of this new bodywork is offered in either fiberglass or carbon fiber.

I like the Vendetta's styling because it's not over-the-top like Radical's other bikes.  It has a beautiful sense of aggression and evil to it.  It's like a Hollywood leading man went to the gym and has come back more fit, more cut but still handsome.  Radical's other bikes were like taking the same leading man and giving him a green mohawk and a safety pin to put through his nose.  They just didn't work.

I'd even venture to say the Vendetta is one of the best-looking bikes I've seen in awhile.