I recently road tested the $80,000 Confederate P120 Fighter Black Flag-- one of the world's most expensive production motorcycles-- and endured countless interruptions while making my way through the streets of Los Angeles.
Passersby asked everything from "What is it?" and "Where did the seat go?" to my personal favorite, "Did you see that oil sloshing around in there?" Little did I know how many precious minutes would be stolen by curious gawkers during my day-long stint behind the handlebars of this blacked-out exotic.
See what all the fuss was about in my 2010 Confederate Black Flag Photo Gallery, and stay tuned for a review.
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Photo © Basem Wasef; click for photo gallery
I like this a lot. Crazy expensive. Wold buy, but my spouse doesn’t like the pillion.
Correction – “would” buy
Forget about the passenger pillion, is there even a rider’s seat?
Well, this is, uh, interesting. But really, unless you want this bike as a prop in your next Batman movie, what good is it?
This thing is a comic-book caricature of what some lonely teenager might dream that a motorcycle should look like. It has absolutely no place in the real world, except possibly in Ripley’s Believe-It-Or-Not Museum.
I’m with Steve on this one. Doesn’t look very comfortable for anything but short rides. Just a show piece.
The workmanship looks to be off the charts…really first class.
However…I can’t help but think this another one of those answers to a question no one asked.
Steve, Joe, Pete,
I think this is one of those “if you have to ask, you wouldn’t understand” kind of bikes… the thing is simply unlike anything else out there, and it’s most certainly not for everyone. Especially with a price tag of eighty grand.
Scottie,
Regarding the so-called seat, to quote @ducatinewstoday (via Twitter), “I think some pieces must have fallen off the back of the delivery truck”
Basem
Hi Basem,
One of the beauties of carrying on intelligent conversations with intelligent people is the ‘agree to disagree’ thing. It’s quite possible, even likely I don’t get this thing.
I get the workmanship, I get the personal expression, I get the immense satisfaction in making something not even close to anything else..I just don’t get the end product.
However…let’s look at the price tag as you correctly point out.
What else in the ubercool category will 80 grand buy?
P120, Desmosidici, P120, Desmosidici…hmmm…
From where I sit, it’s no contest…now THAT I get!
If you’re gonna drop a s… pile of money, be uncomfortable, turn heads, and be terrified to let it out of your sight, you might as well have a REALLY good time when you find the RIGHT ROAD.
Cheers!
Pete
Pete,
I absolutely agree– to disagree
I know a guy who owns a Confederate, and he sheds a little light on their target demo: he’s got a ginormous garage filled with race replicas, custom choppers, and a variety of other bikes. I’m guessing his financial status is fairly representative of Confederate owners… they’re the types that want to have one of everything, including that badass Desmosedici.
Basem