Teaming up with a bespoke Italian furniture maker might not be the obvious collaboration for a motorcycle manufacturer but that is exactly what Ducati has done for the XDiavel.
The Latest Ducati Is a Piece of Furniture
It's a collaboration that simply begs to be made fun of: a motorcycle inspired by a furniture manufacturer! Cue the jokes about it having all the handling characteristics of a sideboard or a Lay-Z-Boy!
Ducati seems impervious to such potential jibes, however, as the latest collaboration with high-end furniture maker Poltrona Frau (Yes, I've never heard of them, either!) demonstrates.
The Ducati XDiavel Nera is a limited production special edition offering 'unlimited luxury'. Ducati dubs the motorcycle as 'Elegance. Unlimited.' It also goes on to say that the model as being a 'deliberate ‘opposites attract’ relationship where the comforting, relaxing elements of Poltrona Frau juxtapose to the raw, sporting style of the XDiavel.'
Right!
Apparently, Poltrona Frau is a furniture brand that is revered globally, which is all well and good but what on earth does it have to do with motorcycles? How much influence can a furniture maker have on a motorcycle design?
Well, the XDiavel gets a 'lavish makeover with special attention made to the upholstery of the seating and soft-materials on the cruiser.'
Soft materials? What soft materials? Are we about to see padded leather foot pegs? Crushed velvet hand grips? Is this not the most risible marketing ploy ever? The only thing your - no doubt extra - dollars seems to be buying is a garishly coloured seat.
“The XDiavel Nera project was born from the encounter between two Italian excellences,” said Andrea Ferraresi, Director of the Centro Stile Ducati. "Ducati and Poltrona Frau are two brands with a unique history, they share a passion for beauty and well-made objects, they are strongly Italian and make craftsmanship a distinctive element, always supporting it with sophisticated technological solutions and the use of high-quality materials.
“The XDiavel Nera perfectly summarises the values that unite Ducati and Poltrona Frau. It is a unique motorcycle with an unmistakable identity, a splendid expression of the excellence of Made in Italy.”
The XDiavel Nera is available in five colours: classic Poltrona Frau Siam Red, Steel Blue, Concrete Gray, India Brown, and Selva Green and the bike comes complete with a key fob and a document holder in the same leather.
Desperate marketing, perhaps?
Thankfully, there will only be 500 of these made, after which maybe we can get back to the serious business of making motorcycles for enthusiasts and not for boulevard poseurs.
