As you walk into the Pro Italia motorcycle shop in North Glendale, you can’t help but feel that you have been magically transported to an exotic European motor event with colorful flags, bright lights, and trumpeting horns announcing the next high stakes competitive racing event. Every motorcycle in the Pro Italia shop looks shiny and brand new, even when you are certain some of them must be years old. There is an exotic Ducati motorcycle whose manufacturer teamed up with Lamborghini to complete production and other motorcycles that look alternately fast, dangerous, and seductive. A first time visitor to Pro Italia cannot help but imagine that these fast, elegant machines will transfer some of their allure to whoever is lucky enough to shift from casual observer to lucky rider.
Pro Italia Motorcycles was founded in 1987 by William “Bill” Nation in central Glendale. Earl Campbell was an early partner when the new company first focused on fabricating parts for Ducati motorcycles. The motorcycle parts the company first made were for hard to find Ducati brand Italian motorcycles. The demand for these parts made the company viable and foreshadowed its future success. Pro Italia was an early adopter of internet retailing where Ducati enthusiasts searched for parts unavailable from Italy. As Pro Italia evolved over the years, it moved from motorcycle parts fabrication to being a full-fledged Ducati Dealer with a robust service department and facilities to maintain over ten different manufacturer’s brands.
The Covid-19 pandemic hit the company hard in 2020 when Bill Nation was forced to lay off several employees. For a while, the company was unsure if it could weather the storm as demand for motorcycles and service slowed to a standstill. Fortunately, the federal government’s programs for small businesses and payroll protection managed to save the day and made a big difference in helping the company stay in business.
Over the years, Bill Nation has built up a long list of industry contacts, and these are quite valuable for cultivating the used motorcycle side of the business. Auto and motorcycle dealers from all over the Western United States keep in touch with Pro-Italia whenever they see a used motorcycle in great condition. Mr. Nation gets a call and often acquires these bikes for his customers. “The emphasis is always on be back customers; we want to provide excellent value and service to encourage these folks to be life-long customers.” It doesn’t take too many looks at the Pro Italia showroom to see why Mr. Nation’s customers keep coming back.
It is impossible not to notice the 2021 Ducati Diavel 1260 prominently displayed in the Pro Italia window. There is no doubt or surprise when one learns the Ducati Diavel 1260 was inspired by the Lamborghini Sian FKP 37. Both look like miraculous machines that are dangerously fast, the Diavel 1260 arguable the fastest motorcycle cruiser on the planet. The cycle is aptly placed on a pedestal in the Pro Italia window. Visitors to Pro Italia will also find the Aprilia brand motorcycle, another Italian import, priced closer to the $8,000 to $13,000 sweet spot that Mr. Nation said most of his customers were aiming at. For the environmentally-conscious cycle enthusiasts, Pro-Italia carries the Energica Ego and Ego+, the highest performance electric motorcycles on the planet. The Energica has 169 horsepower, a top speed of 150 miles per hour, and 0-60 acceleration in 2.6 seconds. The Energica is also imported from Italy, and this renewable energy motorcycle line nicely rounds out the Pro-Italia lineup.