Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali has made it pretty clear that he has no plans to take Ducati into the realm of small-displacement motorcycles, and he has flat-out squashed the chances Ducati making a scooter.
This could make thigns difficult for the Italian brand, especially as the hot regions for growth in the motorcycle industry are teeming with machines under 500cc in engine displacement — markets like Southeast Asia, India, China, and the countries of South America.
So what are Ducati fans in these countries to do? Well, where there is a will, there is a way…and for some Thai riders, that will manifests itself in a big way. Taking one perfectly good Honda Grom monkey bike, add in some impressively downsized Ducati Monster bodywork, and well…we introduce to you the Gromcati.
The above machine is the work of X-Speed Motorland, a mega-dealer in Thailand, and it looks like the Gromcati has been quite the evolution — starting as a simple graphic kit, and becoming the more elaborate example you see here.
When we see fan-made projects like these, it’s always a sign that there’s an opportunity here for to be capitalized on by an OEM.
Countries like Thailand are filled with rabid motorcycle fans, but with incredibly high tariffs on imported motorcycles, and super-low wages that preclude the bulk of the population from ever affording even Ducati’s “budget-priced” Monster 821, Ducati fans in emerging markets will continue to show their colors, in perhaps more creative ways.
Source: X-Speed Motorland
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