Does Anyone Actually Care About Uber-Exclusive Special Edition Models?
Almost every major motorcycle manufacturer offers some sort of special or limited edition model, something with a little extra pizzazz beyond the run-of-the-mill production model. Whether it’s an anniversary paint job, or dressed up in items from the accessory catalog, special edition models give us something a little, well, “special”.
Some manufacturers, however, go a step further, with special edition models at sky-high prices, that somehow still manage to sell out in a matter of minutes. We’re not talking about up-spec variants like BMW’s M models or the latest Harley-Davidson CVOs. These aren’t inexpensive motorcycles, but the ones we’re talking about are in an entirely different stratosphere.
No, we’re talking about bikes like the Ducati Streetfighter V4 Lamborghini, or the KTM 1290 Duke-based Brabus 1300 or the Ducati (again) Diavel for Bentley. You can get two M 1000RRs for the price of a single Diavel for Bentley, and almost have room to throw in a G 310 R as an impulse buy because it was sitting next to the check-out aisle.
For the most part, these are tie-in models with a luxury brand, where exclusivity is the point. Motorcycles are meant to be ridden, but even KTM’s calls the latest Brabus 1300 R a “Masterpiece Edition” and the supplied press photos have them on display in an art gallery. When was the last time you saw one of these on the road?
So, for the Question of the Day, we ask you: do you actually care about these exclusive, pricey special edition models?
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Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
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In general, motorcyclists don’t care. There are a few with collections that want these. They are relatively low cost for what they add to a garage full of exotics.
I certainly don’t care. These are BS bikes.
I never had to do any repairs to that Ural Tourist. Sure it's crude compared to every other bike I've owned. The only complaint I had with it was how stiff the trans was, shifting wise. The dealer in Salem, OR did some mods for me, like a lever next to the tank on the right side so I could shift it into reverse. My disability made it so I couldn't reach down to move that little lever for reverse. All seasons, it started easily. Being a sidecar rig, i could ride it in the snow. There was a local high school near me and I'd go there when it snowed to spin around in their parking lot on Sundays. I had so much fun with that bike!