A Sad Day Indeed… Massimo Tamburini Retires

It is a sad, sad day for motorcyclists everywhere now that word has officially hit the streets that the greatest motorcycle designer of all time has announced his retirement.

Sad because as of December 31st there will be a gigantic void standing at the absolute pinnacle where art and function meet.

Massimo Tamburini has been more then just a ‘designer’ — He didn’t just build bikes for riders around the world — Rather he has been a sculptor who has repeatedly crafted fantasies that we as consumers didn’t even know we wanted. Over the years what his pen has produced has been universally revered as simply being magnificent, yet to only acknowledge his brilliance based solely on the bikes he’s been responsible for doesn’t do him justice.

Instead one has to look at the direct connection that his ideas have had on every other sportbike manufactured by the more mainstream motorcycle brands. His visions have been the baseline inspiration for every other designer out there and while others have jumped from one fad to the next or been constrained by dollars & sense, he has quietly continued to refine his dream and with each minor revision pushed his bikes one step closer to perfection…