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

Rain Puts a Damper on Ducati MotoGP Test

Wet conditions limited Ducati factory riders Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden to just 18 laps each on the second of three days of MotoGP testing in Malaysia. Though there is a lot of work to be done for Ducati to be competitive, the heavy rainfall plus Hayden’s still-recovering shoulder limited track time for both riders. They used what time they did have to work on the Ducati Desmosedici GP12‘s electronics including new traction control software.

Hayden and Rossi Back on Track Following Surgeries

Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden returned to the track to test their Ducati Desmosedici GP12 racebikes mere weeks after both undergoing surgery. Rossi had a rod removed from his right leg, a remnant from the 2010 crash that broke his tibia. Hayden meanwhile is still recovering from surgery to repair a shoulder injured in a training crash.

Stoner Tops Day One of Sepang Test – Video

It’s been about a month since Casey Stoner last tested the Honda RC213V racebike at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit but the defending World Champion remains the man to beat, setting the fastest lap at the first day of MotoGP’s February Sepang test. Heavy rain limited teams’ testing and Stoner only completed 16 laps but still managed to set a time of 2:01.761. Stoner was the only rider to lap under 2:02, though his Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa came close with a time of 2:02.005 while completing 36 laps.

WSBK: 2012 Phillip Island Results – Video

Max Biaggi won the opening race to the 2012 World Superbike Championship while defending champion Carlos Checa came back from a high-speed crash in the first race to win the second at Australia’s Phillip Island circuit. Reigning champion Checa of Althea Ducati had a stunning high-side crash while leading on the sixth lap of Race One. The WSBK paddock was already in shock with the death of 17-year-old Oscar McIntyre in the Superstock 600 race the day before but thankfully Checa was not seriously injured.

848 build blog : 42 days to go

With just 42 days until the British Superbike season starts and the 2012 848 Challenge riders head to Brands for the first of eight rounds, I thought you'd like to see the lastminute.com preparations and hard graft going into my bike to get it ready for the season ahead. Instead of ending the season in one piece, I highsided in Race 1, buggering the bike and busting my shoulder. The bike and I have been feeling very sorry for ourselves ever since.

The Hound: XJR1200 Cafe Racer

Not sure if I've ever seen an XJR given the Cafe Racer treatment? Well, until now that is. Created by Italian motorcycle builders, Emporio Elaborazioni, 'The Hound' is based on an XJR1200.

Effenbert-Liberty Racing Tests Ducati 1199 Panigale Superstock Race Bike

Our own Kevin Duke is in Abu Dhabi this week to test the 2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale, but elsewhere in the world, the Panigale was receiving another shakedown test in Australia. The Effenbert-Liberty race team was at Australia’s Phillip Island circuit to prepare for the 2012 World Superbike Championship and Superstock 1000 Cup. While WSBK racers Sylvain Guintoli and Jakub Smrz tested their Ducati 1198 Superbikes, Superstock racers Brett McCormick and Federico Sandi got their first chance to ride their 1199 Panigale racebikes.

Ducati Recalls Monster and Hypermotard Models for Fuel Line Flaws

Ducati is issuing a recall on its entire 2012 Monster and Hypermotard lineups due to internal cracking of fuel lines. According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Ducati‘s quality control department discovered micro-cracking on the four-layer extruded fuel lines. The cracks occured on the inner surface of the line that comes in contact with fuel.

2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale Pre-Test

Ducati‘s upcoming 1199 Panigale is the most exciting new sportbike in years. The outgoing 1198 was one of the most highly regarded sportbikes on the market, but the Panigale immediately demotes it to has-been status. It’s especially noteworthy for its monocoque chassis design that eschews a traditional frame for a structure built only around its new Superquadro engine.

Superstock Panigale porn

It's just a Panigale, in Superstock trim: brushed ally tank, larger screen, race map, Termignoni full system, Supercorsa SC2 tyres. 2011 848 Challenge winner, Leon Morris will be running one with JHP Ducati Coventry in British Superstock 1000. Can't wait to see him on that.