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

FIM Updates Superbike Racing Homologation Lists for 2013

The International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) has released an updated list of motorcycles homologated for the 2013 Superbike, Supersport, and Superstock racing season. Notable additions include the new BMW S1000RR HP4, the MV Agusta F3 and the Superbike-spec Ducati 1199 Panigale R. To qualify a production-based racebike for FIM homologations, manufacturers have to meet certain production thresholds.

Ducati Releases 2013 Hypermotard “License To Thrill” Video

Next week, I’ll be headed to the Ascari Circuit in Southern Spain, as Ducati is set to launch the all new 2013 Hypermotard to the world’s motorcycle press. To get everyone excited about the event, the boys from Bologna decided to have a little fun. Together with its factory MotoGP pilot, Nicky Hayden, and a cameo by Ruben Xaus, Ducati has filmed an exciting video to showcase what the bike can do.

Ducati 848 bits and bobs for sale

Calling all 848, 1098 and 1198 owners: I'm havig a garage clearout and these are a few parts I'm selling. They came off a standard 2009 848 during the process of converting it into an 848 Challenge bike. I'm on 07889 091 239 and based in SW London, UK.

Alstare Reveals 2013 Ducati 1199 Panigale R WSBK Livery

The Ducati Alstare team revealed the livery for its Ducati 1199 Panigale R superbike which will make its racing debut in the 2013 World Superbike Championship. The Panigale R replaces the highly successful 1098R as Ducati‘s premiere production-based racebike. Riding the 1199 for Ducati Alstare are Ayrton Badovini and Carlos Checa who won the 2011 WSBK title on the 1098R.

2012 US Motorcycle Sales Results – Industry Reports 2.6% Increase

The Motorcycle Industry Council reported a 2.6% increase in motorcycle sales in the U.S. market for 2012. According to the industry group’s figures, American consumers purchased 452,386 motorcycles in 2012 compared to 440,899 motorcycles in 2011.

Natural Habitats

SAM Christmas has been a professional photographer for the last 3 years and is the man behind Natural Habitats, a collection of photos covering the growing UK custom scene, showing bikes and their builders at home.    Sam's clients include the likes of Honda, Dainese, Google, Polo Jeans and Edwin denim but Natural Habitats is a personal project that took one and a half years to complete. I got to meet Sam when the exhibition opened in Shoreditch on Thursday evening.

Ducati Desmosedici GP13 Specs Revealed

Ducati has revealed technical specifications on its Desmosedici GP13 MotoGP racer. The information is understandably vague in some areas, as manufacturers are hesitant in revealing too much information, and of course subject to change as the 2013 season progresses. The GP13 specifications revealed aren’t too far off of the specifications revealed for the Desmosedici GP12 this time last year ahead of the 2012 MotoGP season.

2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Dolomites’ Peak Edition Revealed

(Update: Ducati has clarified the Dolomites’ Peak Edition is just a one-off created for Wrooom.) Ducati has revealed a one-off variant of its Multistrada 1200 S Pikes Peak Edition as part of the Wrooom 2013 celebrations at Italy’s Madonna di Campiglio ski resort. With the mountains of northeast Italy as the backdrop, MotoGP factory riders Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden pulled the covers of the new Multistrada 1200 S Dolomites’ Peak Edition. The Dolomite’s Peak Edition is essentially the same as the Pikes Peak Edition, a replica of the Ducati Multistrada S that won the motorcycle class races at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb three years in a row.

Ducati Reports Sales Record for North America in 2012

Ducati North America set a new sales record in 2012, selling 10,883 motorcycles in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The 2012 sales represent a 21% increase over its 2011 results in a time where industry-wide sales have flat-lined. The growth further cements the U.S.

Troy Bayliss Hosting All-Star Flat Track Race

Troy Bayliss is hosting a dirt track race in Australia featuring 24 current and former racing stars. The inaugural Troy Bayliss Classic takes place Jan. 19 at the three-time World Superbike Champion’s home town of Taree, Australia.