Bob Peters loves Ducatis

Some vehicle collections have fewer wheels than others. Take the one owned by Bob Peters, for example.

 Peters, of Prairie Village, has a garage full of motorcycles surrounded by walls full of motorcycle memorabilia. There’s even a small oriental rug on the floor.

 Leather jackets hang on racks, helmets sit on shelves and a collection of gas tanks rings the ceiling. Peters’ space feels like a clubhouse, and in many ways it’s the perfect hangout. He and his wife, Shelley, even once used it to host a cocktail party.

 Peters’ first two-wheeler was a Doodlebug in 1950. Doodlebugs are tiny scooters. However, like most teenagers, Peters turned to cars and his interest in scooters and motorcycles went dormant. By the 1960s, however, he rediscovered a fascination with bikes.

 “I bought a Honda and thought I died and went to heaven,” he said. Soon thereafter came a succession of English bikes, including a Dunstall Norton and a BSA Lightning.

 In the mid-1990s, Peters was bitten by the lure of Italian bikes, Ducatis in particular. A Ducati is like a two-wheeled Ferrari: fast, exotic and bursting with energy. One of his first was a 1962 125 Bronco, but then he fell for a black 1974 350 Mark 3, the last of the single-cylinder models. His “Black Duck” oozes vintage Italian class. Polished engine cases contrast nicely with the dark paint.

 Peters also owns a 1964 250 Diana Mark 3, a delicate little bike that came from the factory stripped of all but the barest of essentials and built for club racing.

 Two other Ducatis, a 620 Monster and a 900 Super Sport, have been joined by a 1989 Honda CB1 and a 1990 Honda GB500.

 Even though Peters’ garage is his Ducati shrine, the depth of his bike interest is evident in his house. A rare 1975 350 Moto Morini Sport sits next to the table in his dining room.