Ducati Motorcycles

About ducati

Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. is an Italian company that designs and manufactures motorcycles. Headquartered in Bologna, Italy, Ducati is owned by Audi through its Italian subsidiary Lamborghini.

In 1926 Antonio Cavalieri Ducati and his three sons, Adriano, Marcello, and Bruno Cavalieri Ducati; founded Societa Scientifica Radio Brevetti Ducati in Bologna to produce vacuum tubes, condensers and other radio components.

At the small Turinese firm SIATA (Societa Italiana per Applicazioni Tecniche Auto-Aviatorie), Aldo Farinelli began developing a small pushrod engine for mounting on bicycles. Barely a month after the official liberation of Italy in 1944, SIATA announced its intention to sell this engine, called the "Cucciolo" (Italian for "puppy"). The first Cucciolos were available alone, to be mounted on standard bicycles, by the buyer; however, businessmen soon bought the little engines in quantity, and offered complete motorized-bicycle units for sale.

So in 1950, in collaboration with SIATA, the Ducati firm finally offered its own Cucciolo-based motorcycle. This first Ducati motorcycle was a 48 cc bike weighing 98 lb (44 kg) with a top speed of 40 mph (64 km/h) had a 15 mm carburetor giving just under 200 mpg-US (1.2 L/100 km; 240 mpg-imp). Ducati soon dropped the Cucciolo name in favor of "55M" and "65TL". The chief designer of most Ducati motorcycles in the 1950s was Fabio Taglioni

In 1952 Ducati introduced 65TS cycle and Cruiser (a four-stroke motor scooter).

In 1953, management split the company into two separate entities, Ducati Meccanica SpA and Ducati Elettronica, in acknowledgment of its diverging motorcycle and electronics product lines.

In the 1960s, Ducati earned its place in motorcycling history by producing the fastest 250 cc road bike then available, the Mach 1.

In the 1970s Ducati began producing large-displacement V-twin motorcycles and in 1973, released a V-twin with the trademarked desmodromic valve design.

In 1973, Ducati commemorated its 1972 win at the Imola 200 with the production model green frame Ducati 750 SuperSport.

In 1993 Monster model appeared, a bike with exposed trellis and engine. It makes about half of all sales.

Ducati is best known for high performance motorcycles characterized by large capacity four-stroke, 90° V-twin engines, featuring a desmodromic valve design. Ducati refers to this configuration as L-twin because one cylinder is vertical while the other is horizontal, making it look like a letter "L". Modern Ducatis remain among the dominant performance motorcycles available today partly because of the desmodromic valve design, which is nearing its 50th year of use.

While most other manufacturers utilize wet clutches (with the spinning parts bathed in oil) Ducati previously used multiplate dry clutches in many of their motorcycles. The dry clutch eliminates the power loss from oil viscosity drag on the engine even though the engagement may not be as smooth as the oil bath versions but the clutch plates can wear more rapidly. Ducati has converted to wet clutches across their current product lines.

Ducati also extensively uses the Trellis Steel Frame configuration, although Ducati's MotoGP project broke with this tradition by introducing a revolutionary carbon fibre frame for the Ducati Desmosedici GP9.

Moto blog

2025 Ducati Panigale V4S Review Gallery

2025 Ducati Panigale V4S Review Gallery | Motorcycle.com Join Now My History Account Settings Log out Specs Classifieds Bike Reviews Product Reviews Best Motorcycle Cameras Best Motorcycle Earplugs Best Motorcycle Oil Best Leather Jackets Best Winter Gloves Best Sportbike Tires GPS Buyers Guide Gear Deals Types Adventure Touring Cruiser Electric Off-Road On-Off-Road Other Scooter Sport-Touring Sportbikes Standard Touring Touring Scooter Track Youth Brands Aprilia BMW CFMoto Ducati Energica Gas-Gas Harley-Davidson Honda Husqvarna Indian Kawasaki KTM Kymco Moto Guzzi MV Agusta Piaggio Royal Enfield Suzuki Triumph Vespa Yamaha Zero Resources New Rider's Hub Dealers Safety Forums Videos Insurance Specs Classifieds Bike Reviews Product Reviews Best Motorcycle Cameras Best Motorcycle Earplugs Best Motorcycle Oil Best Leather Jackets Best Winter Gloves Best Sportbike Tires GPS Buyers Guide Gear Deals Types Adventure Touring Cruiser Electric Off-Road On-Off-Road Other Scooter Sport-Touring Sportbikes Standard Touring Touring Scooter Track Youth Brands Aprilia BMW CFMoto Ducati Energica Gas-Gas Harley-Davidson Honda Husqvarna Indian Kawasaki KTM Kymco Moto Guzzi MV Agusta Piaggio Royal Enfield Suzuki Triumph Vespa Yamaha Zero Resources New Rider's Hub Dealers Safety Forums Videos Insurance Join Now My History Account Settings Log out Edit & Post 2025 Ducati Panigale V4S Review Gallery Coming in at $33,895 for the S model ($25,995 for standard versions), the 2025 Ducati Panigale V4 S ain’t cheap. But that’s the price you pay for leading edge superbike tech. Should you have the cash (and the proper skillset), you’ll be rewarded with supercar-levels of performance that will give you everything you need to become a better rider.

2025 Ducati Panigale V4S Review – First Ride

Ducati’s flagship is the beneficiary of MotoGP input Photos by Alex Photo MotoGP has been called the Ducati Cup in recent years because the brand takes up a third of the grid – and they’re all usually at the front. Granted, I suppose the kind of criticism is warranted if you like a little variety with your racing, but the reason behind all those bikes is more nuanced than just wanting to steal the show. Ostensibly, team boss Gigi D’alligna’s job was to bring Ducati back to the top.

2024 Ducati DesertX Rally Review – First Ride

Rallying the troops for a rip through Morocco Photos by Alex Photo. Not having children of my own, nor many in my close circle for that matter, I forget how seeing the unadulterated enthusiasm and joy from a child can brighten up one’s entire day. Of course, when it’s due to a group of motorcycles roaring through their small town in the desert outside Marrakech, that joy makes an incredible experience that much more memorable.

2024 Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono Review – First Ride

Watch out KTM – Ducati’s coming for you Photo: Alex Photo KTM, consider yourself on watch because Ducati is coming for you, and it’s coming for you with this: the 2024 Hypermotard 698 Mono. One look and you can tell the Hyper Mono is aimed squarely at the KTM 690 SMC R, the supermoto inspiration is obvious to all, and now there’s suddenly an arms race in a category that’s been one-sided for years. Sure, the street-legal supermoto scene may be a small niche, but we all know it’s a recipe for getting your license taken away in no time – all with a giant smile on your face.

2023 Ducati Streetfighter V2: 5 Things You Need To Know

Don’t sleep on the baby Streetfighter – here are 5 important details about it When Ducati first introduced its original Streetfighter with the 1098 engine in 2009… I hated it. Other than being nice to look at, the riding characteristics were horrible. Oddly enough, when the 848 version was introduced, somehow it was a little more enjoyable to ride.

EXCLUSIVE: 2024 Ducati Multistrada V4 RS Review – First Ride

A Panigale wrapped in Multistrada clothing – and we're one of only three in the world to ride it. Photo/Video: Alex Photo The arc of the aging sportbike rider goes a little something like this: In their youth, going fast and taking chances is the name of the game. Sportbikes are the status symbol that fulfills this desire and is the closest thing to a two-wheeled land missile they can get their hands on.

Ducati DesertX: 5 Things You Need to Know

Your Partner-in-Crime The more I ride the Ducati DesertX, the more I like it. There are so many excellent choices in the middleweight adventure bike segment these days that any ADV-curious motorcyclist should be able to find themselves a compatible match. The DesertX is like that one friend you know is always down for some sort of mischief – more partner-in-crime than just a partner.

2023 Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally Review – First Ride

Ready to trot the globe Adventure bikes were made to unlock possibilities, to transport you from your garage to places unknown. As the category has evolved it has become more segmented to better suit the needs of the intrepid pilots looking to explore the furthest reaches of their abilities – whatever that may mean to said pilot. The new Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally was built to be the best long-haul ADV steed the Italian firm has ever built.

2023 Ducati Scrambler Icon Review – First Ride

Reinventing an Icon The Iberian Peninsula has had its struggles through the past some hundreds of years. From folks mastering the silk trade, to those who wanted the money made from it, any region that’s been populated for so long is bound to have a history of its people standing up against encroaching armies wanting to take what’s not theirs. The kind folks who invited me to such a place have a history of perseverance in the face of adversity, too.

2023 Ducati Streetfighter V4S - Video Review

Reading is overrated. Videos by Alex Photo. Edited by Ray Gauger.