The 2017 Festival of Italian Motorcycles & Scooters was held on Sunday 28 May with the event also marking the 40th Anniversary of the Ducati Owners Club of Queensland.
The top of Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall was filled with brilliant sunshine and approximately 250 Italian bikes and scooters including everything from rare classics, to racebikes, to the latest models.
The crowd voted on two ‘People’s Choice’ awards, with the winning bike being a 1959 Ducati Elite 200 while the scooter award was claimed by a 1964 Ducati Brio 48.
The owner of the ‘Elite’, Jim Clarke, said that particular model was Ducati’s largest production bike at the time, after it was introduced in 1959.
“They were sold locally in Italy for commuting, but never sold in Australia. It had a dual seat to put your girlfriend on the back and you could put a picnic basket on the tank, which is what the hooks were for. You could also put a pad over the tank and lie in the race position.”
The free event was supported with exhibits by clubs, dealerships, tuning and custom houses, and the Queensland Police Service.
