Motorcycle Makers: Ducati
From 3 Brothers and a Vacuum Tube to Motorcycle Manufacturing
Ducati, like many other motorcycle manufacturers, did not start out making motorcycles. Find out why Ducati is as different as they come, and how they got there.
Ducati Motorcycles Start Out Making Vacuum Tubes
Ducati was founded in Bologna, Italy by Adriano, Bruno and Marcello Ducati. The purpose of the company was about as far away from motorcycles as any we’ve seen. The Ducati Patented Wireless Company was created to manufacture vacuum tubes and condensers for electronic applications.
Like several other of today’s prominent motorcycle companies, World War II was a turning point for Ducati. Ducati, like other companies, started bolting engines on to bicycles after the war. Ducati was essentially taken over by the Italian government after the war, and the brothers Ducati received very little for their efforts afterwards. They left Italy and went to Argentina, and severed their ties with Ducati.
The Italian Government Quacks Like a Duc
Ducati was making mopeds called the Cuddiolo, and it only took about a year before Ducati had almost 50% of the moped market share. Ducati engineer Giovanni Fiorio changed the design of the original Cuddiolo engine and mounted it in a bigger frame, and the Ducati 60 was born.
Ducati started racing the 60, and from then on, racing has been the bread and butter of Ducati. On one of their new engine designs, they used the desmodromic valve control. In this design the engine used compression to seat the valves instead of springs. While not an original idea, it was new to motorcycles and proved to be a powerful engine for racing.
Ducati started to die on the vine and in 1985 Cagiva bought controlling interest. The Italian government eventually sold the entire holding to Cagiva, who in 1996 sold controlling interest to the Texas Pacific Group.
Ducati in Today's Motorcycle Racing Circuit
Ducati has been involved in racing for a very long time, and they are pretty good at it. They have acquired 12 Superbike World Championships (SBK) since the Superbike Championship Series was introduced back in 1988. While they won two championships in the AMA Superbike Series, they have since withdrawn from that series. Ducati Motorcycles have won seven British Superbike Series. The MotoGP (World GP) series is not new to Ducati, but they went for 30 years without racing in that series. They returned a few years ago and got a lot of attention as Casey Stoner is well on his way to winning the 2007 MotoGP World Championship (The world's premier motorcycle racing series) on a Ducati.
Ducati’s Current Line-up
Monster:
- 620 Dark
- 620
- 1000S
- S2R Dark
- S2R
- S4R
Multistrada:
- 620 Dark
- 620
- 1000 DS
- 1000S DS
Sporttouring:
- ST3
- ST4S
- ST4S ABS
Superbike:
- 749 Dark
- 749
- 749S
- 749R
- 999
- 999S
- 999R
Supersport:
- 1000 DS
- 800
Sportclassic:
- GT1000
- Smart 1000LE
- Sport 1000
