Ducati Monster Motorcycles in Houston, page #31

Moto blog

Not everyone loves Rossi

The town of Casinina is only a few miles away from Tavullia, where Valentino Rossi grew up. Judging by these T-Shirts, not everyone who's Italian or into their Ducatis loves Mr Rossi by default. The T-shirt says: 'For the love of god, go!'.

Panoramic from WDW2012

Never in my life have I seen so many Ducatis, but then that's hardly surprising as I took this photo at World Ducati Week 2012, in Misano, last week. Although I knew it was going to be packed from wall-to-wall with the Bologna-made bikes, I never realised there would be so many Panigales there. Of all of the big-cc sportsbikes, I reckon one in five was a Panigale.

MotoGP Lifts Rookie Rule, Caps Factory Prototype Entries and Adjusts Other Regulations

As expected, MotoGP organizers have officially lifted the rule barring rookies from racing for factory teams, but the Grand Prix Commission also tweaked some other regulations including a cap on factory prototype machines. We’ve discussed the lifting of the rookie rule already, with the main impetus being to allow a manufacturer such as Honda to sign up-and-coming Moto2 star Marc Marquez when he is expected to move up to the premiere class next season. As of Jan.

Bayliss Retires from Motorcycle Testing

Retired World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss announced he is retiring once again, this time from his duties as a test rider for Ducati. Bayliss, who retried from racing after winning his third WSBK title in 2008, had been working with Ducati, most notably as a test rider for the Ducati 1199 Panigale. Bayliss tweeted (@TroyBaylisstic) his intention to no longer test on June 23, just hours after beating Valentino Rossi in the finals of the Diavel drag race at World Ducati Week 2012.

World Ducati Week 2012 Draws 65,000 Fans

Ducati announced a record 65,000 fans attended its World Ducati Week 2012 celebration, with fans from around the world gathering in the Misano Circuit to celebrate the Italian brand. The record crowd took in the entertainment including test rides, live music and feted Ducati’s MotoGP and World Superbike racers. One highlight was the drag race featuring some of Ducati’s current racers and retired WSBK Champion Troy Bayliss.

Bayliss Beats Rossi in World Ducati Week Diavel Drag Race

Former World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss out-dueled MotoGP star Valentino Rossi in a highly-anticipated showdown to win the Diavel drag race on the Misano Circuit‘s starting straight as part of World Ducati Week 2012 celebrations. Bayliss and Rossi faced off in the final round after getting through the preliminary rounds which also featured Rossi’s MotoGP teammate Nicky Hayden, reigning WSBK Champion Carlos Checa, Jakub Smrz, Sylvain Guintoli, Niccolò Canepa and Lorenzo Zanetti. The final between the two multiple-time World Champions saw Bayliss getting off to a clean start while Rossi’s Diavel wheelied off the ground a couple of times.

Carlos Checa Tests Superbike-Spec 2013 Ducati 1199 Panigale at World Ducati Week

Revellers at 2012 World Ducati Week got a surprise treat with defending World Superbike Champion Carlos Checa completing an unscheduled test of the WSBK-spec Ducati 1199 Panigale. The Althea Ducati racer has ridden the production version of the Panigale but this marked his first test of the WSBK-spec version. His maiden ride of the WSBK Panigale was supposed to take place at Mugello but instead Checa and Ducati decided to give the Ducatisti a treat at the Misano circuit for WDW.

2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale Recall Expands to US

As we expected, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a recall for the 2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale following a similar recall in Canada. The recall affects all versions of the sportbike, including the base 1199 Panigale, 1199 Panigale S and the 1199 Panigale S Tricolore. Ducati is recalling the Panigale because a “non-compliant” screw may have been used to attach the rear suspension linkage to the swingarm.

2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale Recalled in Canada – US Recall Likely to Follow

Transport Canada has issued a recall notice for the 2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale due to an incorrect screw used in the rear suspension. At this point, the recall is only in Canada and the U.S.’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not yet issued a similar recall, but considering Ducati North America operates in both countries, a U.S. recall is likely to follow in the next week.

New Spy Photos of 2013 Ducati Hypermotard/Multistrada 848

New spy photos have emerged of what appears to be either a Ducati Hypermotard 848 or perhaps an 848 version of the Multistrada. Photos of the new liquid-cooled Ducati emerged last month but these new images show the motorcycle in motion and from the left side. At this point, we’re still not sure if this is Ducati‘s new Hypermotard or Multistrada.