Ducati 1199: what's with the "she" business?

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luke

luke

Joined
Aug 17, 2012
Messages
152
Location
Newport Beach, CA
I've noticed that it's common for people to refer to their Ducati using female terms ("she", "her", etc.).

I sort of get it. Most Ducatis are damned sexy bikes (our beloved Panigale being no exception), but what about a fire-breathing, spit-you-off-while-I-rip-your-face-off-as-you-attempt-to-ride-me beast is feminine?

Oh, wait .......
 
some people do write some ........



luke said:
I've noticed that it's common for people to refer to their Ducati using female terms ("she", "her", etc.).

I sort of get it. Most Ducatis are damned sexy bikes (our beloved Panigale being no exception), but what about a fire-breathing, spit-you-off-while-I-rip-your-face-off-as-you-attempt-to-ride-me beast is feminine?

Oh, wait .......
Click to expand...
 
I'm not too sure I'm thrilled to be known as riding a "duke". Either.
So yeah, it's a she....
 
You obviously have not met my wife, that last line describes her perfectly, hence why the Panigale gets tagged "she".
 
Its common for a guy to name their Car, Boats, Airplanes and Motorcycle with a female terms. Its more strange for a guy to name it with male names, unless you are into short of stuff I guess.:rolleyes::D
 
Once again, I just call it my "Ducati". But if I were going to refer to it as a he or she, why the hell would I want to call it some guy thing? It really is more of a mistress than anything else. Certainly you can't count on it for a long term relationship.
 
pronouns in other languages:

the motorcycle - english - neutral
la motocicletta - italian - feminine
la motocicleta - spanish - feminine
die maschine - german - feminine ( also: das motorrad/moppped - neutrum)
la moto - french - female

...

pick yours...
 
Last edited:
Not that it specifically matters... but motorcycle in the French language, at least Canadian French, is not a masculine noun... It is:

la moto, or more specifically taught and used (at least here) la motocyclette.

Now if only I could learn to speak Italian... Well, at least the words that won't get you punched in the mouth ;)


Jeff

Phil said:
pronouns in other languages:

the motorcycle - english - neutral
la motocicletta - italian - feminine
la motocicleta - spanish - feminine
die maschine - german - feminine ( also: das motorrad/moppped - neutrum)
le moto - french - male

...

pick yours...
Click to expand...
 
stand behind your bike looking forward down at HER... tell me that SHE doesnt have the curves of a woman that you just want to throw a leg over and ride!
 
Phil said:
pronouns in other languages:

the motorcycle - english - neutral
la motocicletta - italian - feminine
la motocicleta - spanish - feminine
die maschine - german - feminine ( also: das motorrad/moppped - neutrum)
le moto - french - male

...

pick yours...
Click to expand...

Correction: In french it's "la moto"!

Mine is a "she" because of the degree of attraction I have towards "her" despite the amount of trouble "she" puts me through. And after 20 years of marriage, the "bite your leg off" aggressiveness is daily bread to me.:D
 
Riding a motorcycle is today what riding horses was until about a century ago. People loved fast horses then as surely as we love fast bikes today. Now, I don't know much about horses, but I'm pretty sure that, back in the day, I would've rather boasted about riding a mighty stallion than a fleet mare.

But in the end, all views in this discussion are validated: the Panigale is not only drop-dead sexy, it also sports a huge hairy pair.
 
Havent people (men and women) called mechanical transportation "She" for a century ? my wife calls her Monster a she

airplanes, motorcycles, ships, cars etc

i believe the the reference is to the beauty of the machine (like a woman) but also to the temperamental nature (like a woman)

my neighbor was in the Navy in WW II and said he had heard a similar story and every ship was a "she", and the machine guns were "he"
 
ScottJon said:
Havent people (men and women) called mechanical transportation "She" for a century ? my wife calls her Monster a she

airplanes, motorcycles, ships, cars etc

i believe the the reference is to the beauty of the machine (like a woman) but also to the temperamental nature (like a woman)

my neighbor was in the Navy in WW II and said he had heard a similar story and every ship was a "she", and the machine guns were "he"
Click to expand...

When the ship is named after a man, it's sometimes a "he". The Germans used to refer to the Prinz Eugen as "he". Now I wonder what the crew of the USS Ronald Reagan call their ship ...

Also, the machine gun part made me smile. Anyone have that link to the soldiers firing the .50 BMG--which sounds exactly like a Panigale at idle? :)
 
you know, i don't think i've ever knowingly referred to any of my bikes as a "she" or "beast." seems silly to me.
 
luke said:
I've noticed that it's common for people to refer to their Ducati using female terms ("she", "her", etc.).

I sort of get it. Most Ducatis are damned sexy bikes (our beloved Panigale being no exception), but what about a fire-breathing, spit-you-off-while-I-rip-your-face-off-as-you-attempt-to-ride-me beast is feminine?

Oh, wait .......
Click to expand...

In Italian the bike is female "LA moto" not "IL moto" which is the goto movement. We use to refer to our bikes using SHE.
 

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