He likes to go BIG (like his Super Bowl commercials), he likes to be edgy, so why not commission a life-size Ducati Groom’s Cake?!

All the specs and more photos after the jump.

Here are some details about the motorcycle cake:

· Modeled after Groom’s Ducati Streetfighter

· Cake was a ‘working motorcycle’ — YES, functional & edible!

· When the bike was “turned on”:

o Motorcycle engine would rev (loud engine sounds)

o Working lights

o Smoking exhaust

· Made of delicious layered, yellow cake

· Almost stole the wedding spotlight

· Took 8 men to lift (weighed around 400 lbs)

· Designed by ‘Ace of Cakes’ Chef/TV Star Duff Goldman

· Set to be featured on the Food Network program in 2010

· As a ‘thank you,’ Bob Parsons gave Duff a Ducati Monster, helmet, gloves, Ducati leather jacket

· Duff & Bob Parsons plan to ride together in 2010

· Duff’s ‘Charm City Cakes’ bakery is in Baltimore — Bob Parsons is from Baltimore

Here are some details about Bob Parsons:

· Owner & Founder of GoDaddy.com

· Joined U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War
Awarded the Combat Action Ribbon, a Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry & a Purple Heart

· Rode one of his motorcycles during an ABC “Nightline” feature this summer

· Loves motorcycles almost as much as his new bride

· Recently went on a 5,200 mile road trip with his Ducati

· Featured riding in Jan/Feb issue of Inc magazine

· To learn more about Bob & see national news coverage about Go Daddy & Ducati, click here

Known for his genre defining music and straight talk, Jones recently expanded his bike collection to include the rambunctious Ducati Hypermotard S due to its aggressive styling and exceptional fun factor. Steve had been eying the model since first riding one at Ducati North America headquarters earlier this Spring. He bought the motorcycle to celebrate his return to the Los Angeles airwaves this fall.

“I’ve always admired Ducati from a distance but never found something that suits me. That all changed after that first ride on the Hypermotard. I knew I had to have her. All my mates are jealous- and that suits me just fine!”

Residing in a perfect motorcycle hot spot, Jones can be found carving his Hypermotard S along Southern California’s coast and canyons.

Find more images of Steve Jones picking up his Hypermotoard on facebook.

For more information on the Ducati Hypermotard family click here.

UPDATE: FULL REVIEW HERE!

So much for predictions.

Weather during the month of October in Bologna,Italy, can typically be cold and wet. Indeed, that was exactly the weather we were dealt on the first ride day of the world press launch of the 2010 Ducati Hypermotard 796. Funny thing, though, weather forecasts for the day were boasting of mostly sunny skies and warm, mid-to-upper 70s temps.

The other missed prediction of the day was my anticipating the new Hypermotard to be nothing more than a breathed on Monster 696 mill in Hypermotard 1100 clothing.

Out of seemingly no where a nasty, half-day long storm appeared. Wrath of God kind of stuff. Cold winds drove sheets of rain and littered the tight, winding roads surrounding greater Bologna with soaking wet leaves, pine needles and who knows what else, making for a challenging ride. Eventually, though, skies cleared, temps rose and the roads dried enough to continue taste testing the Hyper 796.

The 796’s air-cooled L-Twin engine employs new, smaller and lighter cases than those used on the Monster 696 accounting for 2.6 lbs weight savings The 796 engine is 4.2 lbs lighter than the littlest Monster’s mill. Also, the new engine employs an 848-style flywheel, and compresses fuel mixture at a ratio of 11.1:1. These and other changes add up for a claimed 81 hp at 8,000 rpm.

The Hypermotard 796 could just be the perfect way to enter the Ducati world for those often dreaming and drooling but never willing to take the leap.

With a tractable powerband, open and upright riding position (a seat 20mm lower than the Hypermotard 1100) and great dual 4-piston radial-mount Brembo brakes, the 796 offers heaps of performance for less than $10,000.

And with the hot-off-the-presses news straight from Ducati of a claimed 51 mpg, this newest Duc might just be the perfect Italian urban assault vehicle.

Look for a fuller review soon.

Grazie, Ducati!

Check out the clip as Hayden takes his first ride on his namesake 848.

For more info on the bike, click here.

Big Red (the Italian one) is at it again. Ducati today announced an all-new model, the Hypermotard 796. The Hypermotard 1100 now has a sibling.

Relying on the proven Ducati platform of an air-cooled, two-valve-per cylinder L-Twin mill, the Hypermotard 796 uses a brand new engine for a brand new bike. The Twin incorporates a light action APTC clutch, and claims 81hp and 56 lb/ft of torque.

The new lightweight motard-like Duc save pounds by utilizing redesigned top and bottom fork clamps, and an improved “frame layout” that apparently eliminates almost all of the forged elements used previously on the 1100. Claimed weight (likely dry) is a svelte 368 lbs.

This should be one kick-ass Duc to ride, making a great urban assault vehicle. And in about two to three weeks we’ll let you know just how cool it is, as we’ll get our first ride on the 796 at Ducati’s headquarters in Bologna, Italy.

The Hypermotard 796 will be available at authorized Ducati showrooms beginning in December 2009. Color selections will include Ducati red, matte black, and matte white. MSRP for the Hypermotard 796 will be $9,995, joining the Monster 696 in Ducati’s sub- $10,000 sporting market. It could be a good contender against Triumph’s Street Triple 675 R that retails for $8,999 ($9,599 for 2010), though the Street Triple will likely have an advantage of 15 or more rear wheel horsepower.

The Hypermotard 796 should make another great hooligan option in this price range.

See the rest of the post for more pics.

Hit the jump to see Henrichot’s Buell Scoop concept.

There’s a great series running on Motorcycle.com all about getting you and your motorcycle ready for road racing.  If you are interested at all getting out on the track to be just like those MotoGP racers, you have some very interesting reading ahead of you.

The series is very extensive, it starts off with just you and your motorcycle and proceeds all the way to what you should expect, learn, know and bring to the track.  Any expenses made are highlighted in each article so you can get an idea just how much it will cost to get you on your way with this addiction.  The author, Jeremiah Knupp, took his 2000 Ducati 748 along on this journey.

Here’s 9 handy guides to help you start motorcycle road racing:

1. Introduction: Leaving the lawn chair

2. Geoff May: one man show to AMA pro – Pointers and Interview with Pro Geoff May

3. Prepping your bike for track school

4. Cleared for Take-Off: Getting Your Race License

5. Building a Supersport racer – the minimum

6. Building a Supersport racer – the priorities

7. Advanced Supersport modifications

8. Building a Supersport Racer – Stage III, the Finishing Touches

9. Preparing for your first race weekend

Even if you don’t plan on ever getting into road racing, I found the articles to be quite fascinating as to how Jeremiah Knupp (the author) got prepared for his new hobby.

Give the articles a skim at least, there’s some great pictures from photographer Holly Marcus to check out.  I’ve included a few shots below that I pulled from some of the photo galleries.

We have been sent what the Motorcycle.com team seems to think are spy shots of the new Ducati Multistrada which is supposed to be liquid-cooled and faster.  Judging from the tape on the motorcycle pictured above, it looks like it was out for road testing and they didn’t want to reveal some details of the bike.

What more can I say?  They’re spy shots! What do you think of this thing? Is this the Multistrada update that Pete had in mind?

See more pictures after the jump.

Hit the jump for more info and a list of participating Ducati Dealers.

Along with the tack experience, you will get a close-up look at the Ducati Hypermotard Truck which will be the home base for product giveaways, a ‘Best Bike’ contest, test rides, a suspension seminar and cold Red Bull.  Larry Pegram, the factory Ducati AMA Superbike rider will be available for autographs and a special question and answer session about his Ducati 1098R Superbikes.

Last but not least, will be the Ducati-Ferrari Showdown, three Ducati’s and three Ferrari’s will race separately for best lap times where the top Ducati and Ferrari will go head to head in a winner-take-all race.

If you are interested, here is a list of the participating Ducati Dealers:

Seacoast Sport Cycle, Inc.
208 Rockingham Rd.
Derry, New Hampshire
603-437-5656
info@seacoastsport.com

Moto Milano
656 Roosevelt Trail
Windham, Maine
207-892-5420
motomilano@roadrunner.com

Great Bay Motorcycles
90 Lafayette Road
North Hampton, New Hampshire, 03862
603-964-4450
inquire@greatbaymotorcycles.com

Valley Motorsports
216 N. King Street
Northampton, Massachusetts
413-584-7303
sales@valleymotorsports.com

Ducati of Worcester
700 Plantation St.
Worcester, Massachusetts, 01605
508-854-1377
mreynolds@wagnermotors.com

Riverside M/C Sales
2 Union Square
Somerville, Massachusetts, 02143
617-628-6400

Gengras Ducati
540 Connecticut Blvd.
East Hartford, Connecticut, 06108
860-528-7200
dsmith@gengras.com

Cliff’s Cycle Revolution
465 Federal Road
Brookfield, Connecticut, 06804
203-740-1270
ckirkness@cliffscyclerevolution.com

Rockwell Cycles, Inc.
Route 9W P. O. Box 985
Ft. Montgomery, New York, 10922
845-446-3834
Marian@Rockwellcycles.com

Ducati New York
155 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York, 10013
212-989-1414
generalmanager@nyducati.com

SuperMoto Italia LLC
815 Middle Country Rd
St. James, New York, 11780
631-584-4340
supermoto8@aol.com

Jack Trebour Motorcycles
1445 Rt 46
Ledgewood, New Jersey, 07852
973 584-0810

Cross Country Ducati
875 Middlesex Avenue
Metuchen, New Jersey, 0884
732-635-0094
scott@ccbmw.com

DeSimone MotorSport
1315 Route 73
Mount Laurel, New Jersey, 08054
856-840-1580

Koup’s Cycle Shop, Inc.
189 N. Harrisburg Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States, 17113
717-939-7182
sales@koups.com

Martin EuroSports
303 South Third Street
Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, 18036
610-282-9300

I’m feeling a little uncomfortable after watching Ducati’s recently posted “Colour Therapy” video.  Are you prepared to watch a Ducati technician strip a Ducati Monster of it’s plastic to reveal it’s true nakedness?  Cover your eyes if you are under 18.

Ducati posted this video on YouTube to promote their “Colour Therapy”.  “Colour Therapy” is there way of customizing the colour of your Ducati Monster motorcycle with an easily interchangeable kit that is available at Ducati dealerships.  I have personally picked out a new colour for the Ducati that I don’t own.

Hit the jump to see how a Ducati technician strips a Ducati Monster to “re-dress” it with some new colours.

Check out Ducati’s Colour Therapy site.