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Ducati- History, Engines and Products

Ducati
Ducati is a Italian motorcycle manufacturer know for sport bikes and street bikes using L-Twin engines. Ducati has achieved prominence in the motorcycle industry and in motorcycle racing. The Ducati Company was founded in 1926 by the three brothers, Adriano, Marcello and Bruno Ducati, founded Societa Scientifica Radio Brevetti Ducati in Bologna to produce vacuum tubes, condensers and other radio components, becoming successful enough by 1935 to construct a new factory in the Borgo Panigale area of the city. The company’s Italian holdings were decimated during World War II bombings and like other famous European marques, Ducati rose out of the ashes to its current stature.

History of Ducati
Ducati motorcycle production began post-war first as motors attached to bicycles. Ducati known at first for its sporty line of lightweight single-cylinder bikes, Ducati hit its stride in the early 1970s with its V-Twin sport bikes that were the pinnacle in their era. Ducati currently produces several desirable racing-inspired motorcycles. It also has a rich racing history with particular dominance in World Superbike competitions. Ducati offers sophisticated bikes in various distinct market segments: Superbike, Super-Sport, Monster, Multistrada, Sport Classic and Hypermotard. In the early 50’s the firm was producing stand-along motor scooters, but by the end of the decade Ducati was making its name in the racing world.

In 1954 Fabio Taglioni, an engineer, is hired to design a much higher-performance line of bikes. He gets to work on 100 and 125cc four-strokes. The ‘60s and ‘70s saw racing success for Ducati, building the Italian firm’s prestige as a racing marque. In 1973, Ducati commemorated its 1972 win at the Imola 200 with the production model green frame Ducati 750 SuperSport. In 2006, the retro-styled Ducati PaulSmart1000LE was released, which shares styling cues with the 1973 750 SuperSport (itself a production replica of Paul Smart’s 1972 race winning 750 Imola Desmo), as one of a SportClassic series representing the 750 GT, 750 Sport, and 750 SuperSport Ducati motorcycles and the 1978 Isle of Man TT triumph of Mike Hailwood, who came out of retirement to racing the 900cc Supersport Twin. Ducati was purchased in 1983 by the Castiglioni family and merged with the Cagiva Group. And in 1993, Miguel Angel Galuzzi introduced the Ducati Monster, a naked bike with exposed trellis and engine.

Off the track, Ducati expanded its sales line. The Ducati 916 evolved to the controversially-styled 999, then the 1098 and now the current 1198. A high-spec 1098R is Ducati’s Superbike racer, sporting production traction control. Ducati’s middleweight sportbike bumped up from the 749 to the 848. But the most impressive Ducati sportbike remains the Desmosedici RR, a production version of the firm’s GP racer. The Monster family remains a top seller, the Monster accounts for almost half of the company’s worldwide sales. The Monster, which has been out since 1994, has undergone the most changes of any motorcycle that Ducati has ever produced. In 2006, SBK: Troy Bayliss wins on the 999, but the bike’s a lame duck. Ducati is committed to a larger-than-1000cc displacement for their flagship and in 2008 The 1098 gets a baby brother, the 848. After more than a decade of manufacturing, Ducati continues to create innovative changes to this classic motorcycle. Other Ducati motorcycles are the Multistrada and Sportclassics.

Ducati Engines
• Desmodue: Desmodromic two valve air cooled, 40° included valve angle, (800SS, Multistrada 620, Monster 620 695 696 803 992)

• Desmodue Double Spark: Desmo two valve , air cooled, 40° included valve angle, (1000DS, Multistrada 1000, 1000S, Monster S2R 1000, SportClassic GT 1000, Sport 1000, 1000S, Hypermotard 1100, 1100S)

• Desmotre Double Spark: Desmo three valve, liquid cooled, 40° included valve angle, (ST3)

• Desmoquattro Testastretta: Desmo four valve, liquid cooled, 25° included valve angle, (999, 749, Monster S4R, S4RS)

• Testastretta Evoluzione: Desmo four valve, liquid cooled, 25° included valve angle, (848, 1098, 1198)

Ducati’s Products or Motorcycles
2000s
• ST2, ST3, ST4
• Paul Smart 1000LE
• SuperSport 750, 900, 1000
• 748, 749
• 996, 998, 999

Monster
• 696
• 1100
• 1100S
• Monster 620, S2R, S4R

Multistrada
• 1100
• 1100S

SportClassic
• GT 1000
• GT 1000 Touring
• Sport 1000 S

Superbike
• 848
• 1198
• 1198 S
• 1098 R
• 1098 R Bayliss Limited Edition

Hypermotard
• 1100
• 1100 S

Streetfighter
• Streetfighter
• Streetfighter S

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