Why We Ride

Frankfurt at night has this charm: it seems, at the same time, completely real and utterly unreal. By day, the city organises money, appointments, careers and probably a few global nervous breakdowns too. But late in the evening, it changes its character. Skyscrapers become beacons of light, streets become backdrops – and somewhere in between stand two Ducatis. A Streetfighter V2 S. A Diavel V4. Red. Obviously. Joining them are Sophia Flörsch, a racing driver, and Daniel Fuchs, owner of two fashion labels and a jewellery brand. Both love speed, especially on the racetrack.

You can hear the engine vibrating slightly whilst stationary. The Streetfighter V2 S sounds like a machine that makes little effort to be sensible. Metallic and deep, dark, dry. Slightly restless when stationary, as if it were constantly under tension. When setting off, the smooth hum is followed by the typical Ducati pulse – the mechanical heartbeat of the V2 engine. As revs rise, a rough hiss emerges. Italian emotion, in other words.

The Diavel V4, on the other hand, is a completely different beast. Less nervous, but richer in tone. When stationary, that deep, bassy rumble is mesmerising, almost American in character, with an elegant Italian accent. When accelerating, the V4 engine pulls away with authority. A motorbike that doesn’t need to prove its speed.

Sophia Flörsch adjusts her helmet. Daniel Fuchs glances briefly down the road. The pair set off. Slowly. And that is precisely where the ambivalence of this evening lies. Of course, they could simply open the throttle. But that’s not what tonight is about. That said, it has to be said: riding a motorbike changes your perspective on speed anyway. If you’re capable of riding fast, you don’t need to prove it all the time. And: “For me, riding a motorbike is the best way to clear my head completely,” says Daniel Fuchs. “Even more so than driving a car on the racetrack. On a motorbike, you think of absolutely nothing else but riding. And even when you’re travelling slowly, it’s a cool experience. You’re riding one of these red divas – that really makes an impression.”

At red lights, passers-by turn their heads. Two motorbikes in a city at night – that could be the start of a story. Because motorbikes have an air of recklessness about them. More irrational than cars. And, strictly speaking, more pointless too. Nobody really needs 168 PS on two wheels just to ride to dinner.

“In a car, after all these years, I know exactly where the limit is and how to approach it,” says Flörsch, who only passed her motorbike licence last autumn. “On a motorbike, it’s completely new to me. That’s why I’m not setting myself any goals at all; I just want to gain experience.”

Surprisingly, this evening is hardly about technique at all. It’s more about freedom. Although that’s probably one of those words you’d want to avoid when talking about motorcycling, because it immediately sounds like a cliché. And yet, in the end, it’s hard to get away from it. ( … )

→ Read the full story in the new rampstyle #38 “Just for the Plot”. 
(Available now in German)