An important part of the myth and mystery inherent in any truly epochal motorcycle isn’t its performance figures or racing success, it’s the emotions it engenders and the lives it impacts. Cut to 1976 and the Ducati 900 Desmo Super Sport is the bike of the decade. Most of its fans won’t even see one till many years later, but its reputation has already been made. Particularly among a group of Canadian bikers envisioned in David Cronenberg’s “The Italian Machine.”
>This premise formed the basis for an episode of the Canadian series
“Teleplay,” written and directed by Cronenberg. At first we found the
premise cheesy — the notion of bikers living an utterly separate
existence is a little ridiculous — but the film perfectly captures
through exaggeration the conflict with the mainstream society that
defines most bikers’ personalities.
Remember, there’s nothing wrong with keeping a rare Ducati in your living room — if you ride it. They’re very serious machines.