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

Ducati: World’s Fastest Spider?

According to a report in The Vancouver Sun, a fast little spider was recently discovered in the high-elevation Flathead Valley of southeastern British Columbia. Measuring only three millimeters in length, the Apostenus ducati is so small and fast it is nearly impossible to catch, says Robb Bennett, the Royal B.C. research associate responsible for helping name the arachnid.

2014 Ducati Monster 1198 Spied

The Ducati Monster celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, but it looks like year 21 will be just as important, with the introduction of a new model powered by Ducati‘s liquid-cooled Testastretta 1198cc engine. No less than three different publications have released spy photos of the new 2014 Ducati Monster today, though the simultaneous timing of article from MCN, Moto.it and Motociclismo.it would indicate some coordination from Ducati’s PR machine. Official details are, of course, unavailable, but the photos do provide quite a bit of information.

Ducati Expands to Argentina, Assembly Plant in Brazil Now Fully Operational

Ducati has extended its South American operations, signing a new import and distribution agreement for Argentina. The deal follows the opening of Ducati‘s new show room in São Paulo, Brazil, and the new assembly plant in Manaus, Brazil, reaching full operation of Complete Knock Down kits of the Diavel and Monster 796. The South American expansion really kicked off last October, when Ducati established its own Brazilian subsidiary following the collapse of its previous importing partner, the Izzo Group.

Mamola crashes the two-seater Ducati Desmosedici

For years now, at every MotoGP, Ducati have taken VIP guests out on track with Randy Mamola giving them a glimpse of what a MotoGP bike can do. But as we all know: the difference between being on the edge and being over it are smaller than we'd like, especially if you've got a pillion adding another dimension of complexity to the physics you're already battling with. In short: sometimes even ex-GP winners get it wrong.

Lightning-Mounted Carlin Dunne Fastest Motorcycle In Pikes Peak Practice, Beating Gas Bikes

Carlin Dunne and Lightning electric motorcycles are making a strong case for e-bike supremacy at the 91st running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. During the last five days of practice at the mountain, Dunne set the fastest times. With the course split into two halves, Dunne recorded a 4:34.03 on the bottom section, 14 seconds quicker than the nearest competitor, Greg Chicoine, on a 450cc Supermoto.

Max Biaggi Testing the Ducati Desmosedici GP13 MotoGP Racer

Max Biaggi has completed his first day of testing on Ben Spies‘ Pramac Racing Ducati Desmosedici GP13 at Italy’s Mugello circuit. No lap times were released so we don’t know how the recently retired two-time World Superbike Champion fared compared to the lap times posted by MotoGP racers at the same track at last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix. What do have are these images of Biaggi on a GP racebike for the first time since 2005 when he raced for Honda.

Andrea Iannone Could Wear Your Helmet Design At The Indianapolis Grand Prix

Are you a creative type that likes MotoGP racing? Have you ever thought how cool it would be to have one of the world’s best motorcycle racers wear your design on their helmet? Well, here’s you chance.

Max Biaggi to Test Ben Spies’ Ducati Desmosedici GP13 MotoGP Racer

Retired four-time 250cc Grand Prix Champion and two-time World Superbike Champion Max Biaggi will be returning to the track this week to ride a Ducati Desmosedici GP13 at MotoGP test at Italy’s Mugello circuit. Biaggi will be riding in place of Pramac Racing‘s Ben Spies who continues to rehab his shoulder and pectoral muscle injury. With Spies’ on-going injury problems and a star like Biaggi on tap, some might hope this change may be a more permanent arrangement but Pramac is careful to state Biaggi will only be testing the Desmosedici with Ducati test team rider Michele Pirro continuing to race in Spies’ absence.

Lightning Motorcycles To Field Current Lap Record Holder Carlin Dunne At Pikes Peak

Lightning Motorcycles, has announced today that it has just signed Carlin Dunne to compete at this year’s Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb in June. Dunne is the current lap record holder on a motorcycle, and the two-time and defending class champion. This marks a historic moment, as Dunne will switch from the gas-powered Ducati Multistrada he rode to his past victories to the all-electric Lightning superbike.

Turn Your Gen-1 Ducati Monster Into A Flat Tracker

Have a first generation Ducati Monster and want to re-live the magic of “On Any Sunday”? Earle Motors has just the kit for you. Alex Earle was in just this same situation, and when it came time to spruce up his Monster, he decided to go radical.