“That’s all I need to hear”

Last week while on a foray to the so-called elitist country-club to walk our dogs, I heard the unmistakable hum of an inline truck-six being loaded.
We had already completed one-half (the West-Pond Trail), and were starting the remainder (the East-Pond Trail).
Truck-sixes often power other things beside trucks. I remember the right-side wheel-rim of a rusty ‘50 Chevy sedan hooked up to a circular-saw by a belt. An old man cut lumber with it. He had a cable to control the throttle on the Stovebolt.
My first thought was paving-equipment. We were not far from Boughton Road (BOW-tin), and there were signs up. Out here in the sticks they don’t pave much. The roads don’t get much use.
Usually they coat the road with hot tar, then top it with a thin layer of pebbles.
There was also a quiet background whirring coupled to the engine-speed. All we could think of was Jack: “That’s all I need to hear.”
There also was the buzzing of tiny two-strokes, but they sounded like string-trimmers, not chain-saws.
As we descended the defile, I noticed the orange of an Asplundh truck between the trees, and suddenly there was the sound of a chipper chewing up brush.
Of course; the six was powering a chipper.

A couple days later we were in back-yard, and heard the unmistakable sound of a Ducati coming down 65 from the traffic-light.
Actually there are a couple Ducatis out here; one a black Monster, and the others red sport-bikes.
“Here comes the Ducati,” I said. “That’s all I need to hear.”
Nothing sounds like a Ducati. The inline-four sport bikes sound like dentist-drills, and the Harleys like motorized farts. Often I’ve mistaken a high-winding inline-four as a siren.
Cranked on, my old 900SS, the bike I never should have traded, sounded like a ‘Vette; a resonant bellow.
Ducatis are 90° V-twin, so sound somewhat like an American V8, but not enough jugs to sound like a car. Car-V8s bellow too, but don’t rev like a Ducati.
The only time I heard a car- V8 rev like a Ducati is in the Trans-Am race series for pony-cars.