Guzzi boss Roberto Colaninno  is seeing Red with this rumour.

An Italian wire service says a merger between Ducati and Piaggio could be in the making, though Piaggio flatly denies it.

MF, the news wire service, says a consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, has been hired to look at the benefits of joining the two motorcycle groups.

Immsi S.p.a., which owns the Piaggio Group — which includes the Vespa, Gilera and Derbi brands as well as Aprilia and Moto Guzzi — says assumptions about "possible integration of the Piaggio Group and other industry groups" are "baseless."

A merger could potentially provide Canadians with more reliable access to Moto Guzzi and Aprilia motorcycles through Ducati North America.