Top Ten Holiday Gifts Over $1000

Dennis Chung
by Dennis Chung

We now come to the upper echelon of our holiday gift guide, for those who are just rolling in cash and are willing to spend it on a loved one who’s the hardest of hardcore motorcycle enthusiasts. We’ve looked at gift ideas for different budgets up to $1,000, but what if you want to give something even more extravagant, and have the means to do so?

This may have been the hardest list to compile in our gift guide. It’s much easier when you’re working with a limited budget but much more difficult when the sky’s the limit – instead of our bank account! And it’s not exactly like we’re – as the kids say these days – the Cristal, Maybach, diamonds-in-your-timepiece kind of people here at Motorcycle.com. But oh, can we dream!

Sure, we could easily just fill this list with any 10 different motorcycles, as even a decades-old used Harley-Davidson will more than qualify for this price bracket. We did include some motorcycles on this list, but decided to focus on the truly exotic and rare two-wheeled treasures the industry has to offer. But we also looked at other gift ideas that we feel a motorcycle fanatic would love to see under the tree.

10. EICMA 2014, $2,500

For the enthusiast who wants to keep abreast of the latest new models and innovations, what better gift is there than a ticket to the Mecca of Motorcycles, EICMA, in Milan, Italy. Officially known as the International Motorcycle Exhibition, EICMA is where the magic happens, when the major manufacturers introduce their biggest, most important models. Sure, there are other shows, such as the touring International Motorcycle Shows or the fledgling AIMExpo here in the U.S., or the biannual Intermot show in Cologne, Germany.

The show takes place every November in Milan, a city known for its art and fashion, and to the two-wheeled aficionado, motorcycles. Tickets to EICMA are only about $24, but for a two-way flight for two and lodging for a couple of days to take in the show and see other sites in Milan like La Scala opera house or Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”, you’re looking at spending upwards of $2,500.

9. Valencia Grand Prix, $3,500

If you know a motorcycle racing fan saddened to learn Laguna Seca had been dropped from the 2014 MotoGP schedule, there’s one way you can cheer them up this holiday season: with tickets to a MotoGP race in Spain. Sure, they will miss the ride down the Pacific Coast Highway to Monterey, Calif., but Spain is the heart of the MotoGP world championship. Spain hosts more MotoGP rounds than any other country, and the series’ top three contenders Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa, are all sons of the Iberian Peninsula.

Spain hosts four MotoGP rounds: Jerez, Catalunya, Aragon and Valencia. Prices for any of the Spanish rounds are about the same, at about $3,500 for two people including round-trip tickets and hotel accommodations. This year, the MotoGP title was decided at the final round at Valencia, and the chance for championship drama may make the Valencian Grand Prix a better bang for your buck.

8. Isle of Man TT, $4,500

No motorcycle racing fan’s bucket list would be complete without at least one visit to the Isle of Man for Tourist Trophy week. Races are held in time-trial format, with riders touring the 37.733 miles of the Snaefell Mountain Course.

It takes a special breed to compete in the Isle of Man TT, hurtling along public roads at average speeds exceeding 130 mph. Even the great Valentino Rossi says the race is too dangerous for him.

For a price of $4,500, you can get airfare for two to the Isle of Man plus campsite accommodations for the week. Yes, you’ll have to camp, as hotel accommodations are already fully booked. For full package details, visit http://www.iomttbreaks.com/.

7. Dainese D-Air Racing Suit, $4,999

The next big leap in racing suit technology is the addition of airbags that automatically deploy within a split-second of a spill, creating a cushion of air to protect a rider’s neck and collarbone. According to Dainese, the D-air airbag-equipped racing suit reduces the force of impact transferred to these areas by 85%.

The technology has been race-tested, with Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi among the first to wear the D-air in competition. Now who can argue with that pedigree?

The D-air full leather racing suit is priced at $3,999, but for an even more special gift, spend another $1000 to have it custom tailored to fit your favorite rider. For more information, visit http://www.dainese.com.

6. Edelweiss Tour of the Alps, $7,500

For some people, travelling across the ocean to watch other people riding motorcycles is enjoyable enough, but others would prefer an experience you can actually do, and not just watch. If the spirit for adventure moves you, consider a motorcycle touring trip in the Alps with Edelweiss Bike Travel.

Edelweiss offers an eight-day riding tour through the Alps, covering 1,410 miles. Tours begin and end in Innsbruck, Austria, and circle through Northern Italy and back, with about 155 to 235 miles of riding each day. You’ll ride through famous alpine passes like the snaking 9000-foot-high Passo di Stelvio and stay in cozy mountain-top inns nestled between giant glaciers.

Prices range from $2,170 to $3,350 per person, depending on accommodations and whether you want to ride solo or two-up. Pricing also depends on what kind of motorcycle you want to rent from Edelweiss’ stable. The company offers has a selection of different motorcycles from naked roadsters like the Ducati Monster 696 to adventure-tourers like the BMW R1200GS. Airfare is not included however, so the total price will be somewhere around $7,500 if you include round-trip tickets to Innsbruck.

For more information, visit http://www.edelweissbike.com.

5. Bimota BB3, More than $21,000

Take a 190-hp German engineered engine and wrap it up in pure Italian exoticism and what do you get? The answer is the Bimota BB3. With the BMW S1000RR’s 999cc inline-Four mounted in a steel trellis frame, the BB3 is the latest from the house of Bianchi, Morri and Tamburini.

Add in some Ohlins suspension, Brembo brakes, ABS, traction control, electronically-assisted shifting and an ample supply of carbon fiber, and you’ve got a sexy European sportbike to show off at your next track day.

Bimota hasn’t announced pricing for the BB3, but expect a hefty premium over the S1000RR HP4’s $20 – 25k sticker price.

4. Bonneville Performance Street Tracker, $26,500

If you’ve been around for awhile, you likely have fond memories of the glory days of dirt-tracking. Elbow banging while flinging dirt conjures up memories of gladiators like Jay Springsteen, Kenny Roberts and Gary Nixon. You can make your dirt-track dreams come true if you order up a Street Tracker from Bonneville Performance.

The BP Street Tracker isn’t just a dirt-track-inspired street motorcycle, it’s a bona fide dirt racer with the minimum of street equipment necessary to ride it on public roads. All Street Trackers are powered by Triumph-sourced parallel-Twins in various displacements, from the 995cc configuration used in the racebike to a thumping 1191cc bone shaker.

Claimed to weigh just 351 pounds with its puny 2.4-gallon tank full, the Street Tracker is a riot to aim down a twisty public road. It thumps and it wheelies and it carves like no other streetbike we’ve ridden. Look for a full ride review in the near future, or if you want to place your order today, click over to the Bonneville Performance website.

3. Mission R, $42,499

For the environmentally-minded person on your gift list, we’ve got something to park in the garage beside the Tesla Model S. San Fran-based Mission Motorcycles has been working on its Mission R for a while, and it’s now ready for the public.

Mission’s InifiteDrive powertrain claims an output of 160 hp with a whopping 120 ft-lb. of torque available on the first rpm. According to Mission, this is enough to propel the electric sportbike to a top speed of 150 mph.

For $42,499, you get the 17-kWh battery which Mission claims offers a range of 140 miles while travelling at a highway-worthy speed of 70 mph. The Mission R also qualifies for a $2,500 federal tax break. Of course, you could also put that towards the $2,750 tech package which adds an HD camera, GPS navigator and wireless helmet HUD support.

2. Brough Superior SS100, About $67,800

In recent years, the legendary Brough Superior brand was probably best known for the high six-figure prices vintage models have received at auction. But that’s about to change, with the new Brough Superior SS100 revealed at EICMA.

A mix of contemporary performance and classic styling, the SS100 is powered by a 997cc 88-degree V-Twin engine claiming 100 hp and 88 ft-lb. The chassis consists of a steel and titanium tubular trellis frame with a Duolever-like Fior fork design. The brakes are also unique, featuring four small-diameter front brake discs made of an aluminum-ceramic composite and designed to resemble a classic drum.

Unfortunately, the SS100 won’t be ready for production until 2015, but that should give you enough time to save up for the next holiday season. Company reps tell us to expect a price tag approaching $70,000. That might sound like a lot until you price out an original Brough, which sell well into the six-figure range.

1. Ducati 1199 Panigale Superleggera, About $70,000

The Ducati 1199 Panigale is the gift that keeps on giving. First came the base model along with the higher-spec Panigale S, and then came the even more impressive Panigale R. And now comes the Ducati 1199 Panigale Superleggera for those with a taste for the truly uber-exotic.

Boasting 200 horses in a tight 390-pound package, Ducati claims the Superleggera has the highest power-to-weight ratio of any production motorcycle. This was achieved by a liberal use of carbon fiber and titanium and a magnesium monocoque frame.

And don’t forget the Superleggera’s alphabet soup of electronic features: Ducati Traction Control (DTC), Engine Brake Control (EBC), Ducati Quick Shift (DQS), Ducati Data Analysis (DDA) and Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC). If all those letters are confusing, you only need to know four: S, E, X and Y.

Pricing is rumored to be about $70,000, but you better act fast. Ducati is only producing 500 units, and about 75% have already been scooped up.

Dennis Chung
Dennis Chung

Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.

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