The Italian motorcycle brand Ducati was founded in 1926 and has been part of the Volkswagen Group
since 2012. The company’s reputation is based on its legendary success on the racetrack. It produces
top-of-the-range motorcycles in Bologna. The models Ducati launched in 2019 include the Panigale V4
R, the Monster 821 Stealth, two versions of the Multistrada and four upgraded members of the Scrambler
family. In 2020 Ducati will launch the Streetfighter V4 and the Streetfighter V4 S in addition to three new
modelHistory
In 1926 Antonio Cavalieri Ducati and his three sons, Adriano, Marcello, and Bruno, founded Società
Scientifica Radio Brevetti Ducati in Bologna to produce vacuum tubes, condensers and other radio
components. In 1935 they had become successful enough to enable construction of a new factory in the
Borgo Panigale area of the city. Production was maintained during World War II, despite the Ducati
factory being a repeated target of Allied bombing. It was finally destroyed by around 40 Consolidated
B-24 Liberators on 12 October 1944 as part of the United States Army Air Forces's Operation Pancake,
which involved some 700 aircraft flying from airfields in the Province of Foggia.[3]
Ducati Factory
Ducati "Cucciolo", 1950
Meanwhile, 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," in reference to the distinctive exhaust sound) to the
public. 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.
In 1950, after more than 200,000 Cucciolos had been sold, 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), and had a 15 mm carburetor (0.59 in)
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".
Ducati 175 Cruiser, 1952
Ducati Brio 100, 1968[4]
Ducati Mach 1
When the market moved toward larger motorcycles, Ducati management decided to respond, making an
impression at an early-1952 Milan show, introducing their 65TS cycle and Cruiser (a four-stroke motor
scooter). Despite being described as the most interesting new machine at the 1952 show, the Cruiser was
not a great success, and only a few thousand were made over a two-year period before the model ceased
production.
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. Dr. Giuseppe
Montano took over as head of Ducati Meccanica SpA and the Borgo Panigale factory was modernized
with government assistance. By 1954, Ducati Meccanica SpA had increased production to 120 bikes a
day.
In the 1960s, Ducati earned its place in motorcycling history by producing the fastest 250 cc road bike
then available, the Mach 1.[5][6][7] In the 1970s Ducati began producing motorcycles with
large-displacement V-twin engines, which Ducati branded as "L-twin" fort their 90° angle, and in 1973,
introduced their trademarked desmodromic valve design. In 1985, Cagiva bought Ducati and planned to
rebadge Ducati motorcycles with the "Cagiva" name. By the time the purchase was completed, Cagiva
kept the "Ducati" name on its motorcycles. Eleven years later, in 1996, Cagiva accepted the offer from
Texas Pacific Group and sold a 51% stake in the company for US$325 million; then, in 1998, Texas
Pacific Group bought most of the remaining 49% to become the sole owner of Ducati. In 1999, TPG
issued an initial public offering of Ducati stock and renamed the company "Ducati Motor Holding SpA".
TPG sold over 65% of its shares in Ducati, leaving TPG the majority shareholder. In December 2005,
Ducati returned to Italian ownership with the sale of Texas Pacific's stake (minus one share) to
Investindustrial Holdings, the investment fund of Carlo and Andrea Bonomi.
Ducati 899 Panigale
In April 2012, Volkswagen Group's Audi subsidiary announced its intention to buy Ducati for €860
million (US$1.2 billion). Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piëch, a motorcycle enthusiast, had long
coveted Ducati, and had regretted that he passed up an opportunity to buy the company from the Italian
government in 1984. Analysts doubted a tiny motorcycle maker would have a meaningful effect on a
company the size of Volkswagen, commenting that the acquisition has "a trophy feel to it," and, "is driven
by VW's passion for nameplates rather than industrial or financial logic". Italian luxury car brand
Lamborghini was strengthened under VW ownership.[8][9] AUDI AG's Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.
subsidiary acquired 100 percent of the shares of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. on 19 July 2012 for €747
million (US$909 million).[2]
Ownership
Since 1926, Ducati has been owned by a number of groups and companies.
1926–1950 – Ducati family
1950–1967 – Government Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI) management
1967–1978 – Government EFIM management (control over day-to-day factory operations)
1967–1973 – Headed By Giuseppe Montano[10]
1973–1978 – Headed by Cristiano de Eccher[11]
1978–1985 – VM Group
1985–1996 – Cagiva Group
1996–2005 – Texas-Pacific Group (US-based) ownership and going public
Headed by CEO Federico Minoli, 1996–2001; returning for 2003–2007
2005–2008 – Investindustrial Holdings S.p.A.
2008–2012 – Performance Motorcycles S.p.A.[12]
An investment vehicle formed by Investindustrial Holdings, BS Investimenti and Hospitals of Ontario
Pension Plan
19 July 2012 – present – Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.[2]
AUDI AG acquired 100% of the voting rights of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. via Audi's Automobili
Lamborghini S.p.A. subsidiary
Ducati's old logo used from 1997 to 2008[13]
From the 1960s to the 1990s, the Spanish company MotoTrans licensed Ducati engines and produced
motorcycles that, although they incorporated subtle differences, were clearly Ducati-derived. MotoTrans's
most notable machine was the 250 cc 24 Horas (Spanish for "24 hours").
Motorcycle designs
2006 Ducati PaulSmart 1000 LE
Ducati is best known for high-performance motorcycles characterized by large-capacity four-stroke, 90°
V-twin engines,[14] with a desmodromic valve design.[15] Ducati branded his configuration as L-twin
because one cylinder is vertical while the other is horizontal, making it look like a letter "L". Ducati's
desmodromic valve design is nearing its 50th year of use. Desmodromic valves are closed with a separate,
dedicated cam lobe and lifter instead of the conventional valve springs used in most internal combustion
engines in consumer vehicles. This allows the cams to have a more radical profile, thus opening and
closing the valves more quickly without the risk of valve-float, which causes a loss of power that is likely
when using a "passive" closing mechanism under the same conditions.
While most other manufacturers use wet clutches (with the spinning parts bathed in oil)[16] 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 a trellis frame, although Ducati's MotoGP project broke with this tradition by
introducing a revolutionary carbon fibre frame for the Ducati Desmosedici GP9.
Product history
See also: Ducati Museum
The chief designer of most Ducati motorcycles in the 1950s was Fabio Taglioni (1920–2001). His designs
ranged from the small single-cylinder machines that were successful in the Italian 'street races' to the
large-capacity twins of the 1980s. Ducati introduced the Pantah in 1979; its engine was updated in the
1990s in the Ducati SuperSport (SS) series. All modern Ducati engines are derivatives of the Pantah,
which uses a toothed belt to actuate the engine's valves. Taglioni used the Cavallino Rampante (identified
with the Ferrari brand) on his Ducati motorbikes. Taglioni chose this emblem of courage and daring as a
sign of respect and admiration for Francesco Baracca, a World War I fighter pilot who died during an air
raid in 1918.[17]
1950s
Main article: Ducati singles
1960s
Main article: Ducati singles
See also: Ducati Apollo
[icon]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2009)
1970s
Main article: Ducati L-twin engine
In 1973, Ducati commemorated its 1972 win at the Imola 200 with the production model green frame
Ducati 750 SuperSport.
Ducati also targeted the offroad market with the two-stroke Regolarità 125, building 3,486 models from
1975 to 1979, but the bike was not successful.[18]
In 1975, the company introduced the 860 GT, designed by noted car stylist Giorgetto Giugiaro. Its angular
lines were unique, but raised handlebars made for an uncomfortable seating position at high speeds and
also caused steering issues.[19] The 860GT's angular styling was a sales disaster, and it was hurriedly
re-designed for the 1976 season with a more rounded fuel tank.[20]
In 1975 Ducati offered hand-built production racers, the 'square case' 750SS and later 900SS models, built
in limited numbers. Sales of the 900SS proved so strong, and sales of the 860GT/GTE/GTS so weak, that
production of the 900SS was ramped up, and it became Ducati's #1 selling model.[21]
1980s
Main article: Ducati Desmoquattro engine
Ducati's liquid-cooled, multi-valve 90° V-twins, made from 1985 on, are known as Desmoquattro
("desmodromic valve four"). These include the 851, 916 and 996, 999 and a few predecessors and
derivatives.
Main article: Ducati Paso
1993 Ducati 907 i.e.
The Ducati Paso was introduced in 1986 with the Paso 750, followed in 1989 with the Paso 906. The final
version came in 1991 with the 907IE (Iniezione Elettronica), now without the name "Paso". The design
was from the hand of Massimo Tamburini, who also designed the Ducati 916 and MV Agusta F4. The
Paso was a typical "you love it, you hate it" bike. However, at that time it looked like that all-enclosed
bodywork would be the future for all motorcycles. The Paso design was copied for the Moto Morini Dart
400 and Cagiva Freccia 125. Together with Tamburini's Bimota DB1, they were enormously influential in
terms of styling.
1990s
In 1993, Miguel Angel Galluzzi introduced the Ducati Monster,[22] a naked bike with exposed trellis and
engine. Today the Monster accounts for almost half of the company's worldwide sales. The Monster has
undergone the most changes of any motorcycle that Ducati has ever produced.
In 1993, Pierre Terblanche, Massimo Bordi and Claudio Domenicali designed the Ducati Supermono. A
550 cc single-cylinder lightweight "Catalog Racer". Only 67 were built between 1993 and 1997.
In 1994, the company introduced the Ducati 916 model designed by Massimo Tamburini,[23] a
water-cooled version that allowed for higher output levels and a striking new bodywork that had
aggressive lines, an underseat exhaust, and a single-sided swingarm. Ducati has since ceased production
of the 916, supplanting it (and its progeny, the 748, 996 and 998) with the 749 and 999.
2000s
In 2006, the retro-styled Ducati PaulSmart 1000 LE was released, which shared 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.
Monster: 620, 695, 696, 750, 796, 900, S2R, S4R[24]
Streetfighter S[24]s from the Panigale family, among others. The Icon Dark model will also expand the
Scrambler family.
The Italian motorcycle brand Ducati was founded in 1926 and has been part of the Volkswagen Group
since 2012. The company’s reputation is based on its legendary success on the racetrack. It produces
top-of-the-range motorcycles in Bologna. The models Ducati launched in 2019 include the Panigale V4
R, the Monster 821 Stealth, two versions of the Multistrada and four upgraded members of the Scrambler
family. In 2020 Ducati will launch the Streetfighter V4 and the Streetfighter V4 S in addition to three new
modelHistory
In 1926 Antonio Cavalieri Ducati and his three sons, Adriano, Marcello, and Bruno, founded Società
Scientifica Radio Brevetti Ducati in Bologna to produce vacuum tubes, condensers and other radio
components. In 1935 they had become successful enough to enable construction of a new factory in the
Borgo Panigale area of the city. Production was maintained during World War II, despite the Ducati
factory being a repeated target of Allied bombing. It was finally destroyed by around 40 Consolidated
B-24 Liberators on 12 October 1944 as part of the United States Army Air Forces's Operation Pancake,
which involved some 700 aircraft flying from airfields in the Province of Foggia.[3]
Ducati Factory
Ducati "Cucciolo", 1950
Meanwhile, 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," in reference to the distinctive exhaust sound) to the
public. 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.
In 1950, after more than 200,000 Cucciolos had been sold, 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), and had a 15 mm carburetor (0.59 in)
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".
Ducati 175 Cruiser, 1952
Ducati Brio 100, 1968[4]
Ducati Mach 1
When the market moved toward larger motorcycles, Ducati management decided to respond, making an
impression at an early-1952 Milan show, introducing their 65TS cycle and Cruiser (a four-stroke motor
scooter). Despite being described as the most interesting new machine at the 1952 show, the Cruiser was
not a great success, and only a few thousand were made over a two-year period before the model ceased
production.
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. Dr. Giuseppe
Montano took over as head of Ducati Meccanica SpA and the Borgo Panigale factory was modernized
with government assistance. By 1954, Ducati Meccanica SpA had increased production to 120 bikes a
day.
In the 1960s, Ducati earned its place in motorcycling history by producing the fastest 250 cc road bike
then available, the Mach 1.[5][6][7] In the 1970s Ducati began producing motorcycles with
large-displacement V-twin engines, which Ducati branded as "L-twin" fort their 90° angle, and in 1973,
introduced their trademarked desmodromic valve design. In 1985, Cagiva bought Ducati and planned to
rebadge Ducati motorcycles with the "Cagiva" name. By the time the purchase was completed, Cagiva
kept the "Ducati" name on its motorcycles. Eleven years later, in 1996, Cagiva accepted the offer from
Texas Pacific Group and sold a 51% stake in the company for US$325 million; then, in 1998, Texas
Pacific Group bought most of the remaining 49% to become the sole owner of Ducati. In 1999, TPG
issued an initial public offering of Ducati stock and renamed the company "Ducati Motor Holding SpA".
TPG sold over 65% of its shares in Ducati, leaving TPG the majority shareholder. In December 2005,
Ducati returned to Italian ownership with the sale of Texas Pacific's stake (minus one share) to
Investindustrial Holdings, the investment fund of Carlo and Andrea Bonomi.
Ducati 899 Panigale
In April 2012, Volkswagen Group's Audi subsidiary announced its intention to buy Ducati for €860
million (US$1.2 billion). Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piëch, a motorcycle enthusiast, had long
coveted Ducati, and had regretted that he passed up an opportunity to buy the company from the Italian
government in 1984. Analysts doubted a tiny motorcycle maker would have a meaningful effect on a
company the size of Volkswagen, commenting that the acquisition has "a trophy feel to it," and, "is driven
by VW's passion for nameplates rather than industrial or financial logic". Italian luxury car brand
Lamborghini was strengthened under VW ownership.[8][9] AUDI AG's Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.
subsidiary acquired 100 percent of the shares of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. on 19 July 2012 for €747
million (US$909 million).[2]
Ownership
Since 1926, Ducati has been owned by a number of groups and companies.
1926–1950 – Ducati family
1950–1967 – Government Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI) management
1967–1978 – Government EFIM management (control over day-to-day factory operations)
1967–1973 – Headed By Giuseppe Montano[10]
1973–1978 – Headed by Cristiano de Eccher[11]
1978–1985 – VM Group
1985–1996 – Cagiva Group
1996–2005 – Texas-Pacific Group (US-based) ownership and going public
Headed by CEO Federico Minoli, 1996–2001; returning for 2003–2007
2005–2008 – Investindustrial Holdings S.p.A.
2008–2012 – Performance Motorcycles S.p.A.[12]
An investment vehicle formed by Investindustrial Holdings, BS Investimenti and Hospitals of Ontario
Pension Plan
19 July 2012 – present – Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.[2]
AUDI AG acquired 100% of the voting rights of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. via Audi's Automobili
Lamborghini S.p.A. subsidiary
Ducati's old logo used from 1997 to 2008[13]
From the 1960s to the 1990s, the Spanish company MotoTrans licensed Ducati engines and produced
motorcycles that, although they incorporated subtle differences, were clearly Ducati-derived. MotoTrans's
most notable machine was the 250 cc 24 Horas (Spanish for "24 hours").
Motorcycle designs
2006 Ducati PaulSmart 1000 LE
Ducati is best known for high-performance motorcycles characterized by large-capacity four-stroke, 90°
V-twin engines,[14] with a desmodromic valve design.[15] Ducati branded his configuration as L-twin
because one cylinder is vertical while the other is horizontal, making it look like a letter "L". Ducati's
desmodromic valve design is nearing its 50th year of use. Desmodromic valves are closed with a separate,
dedicated cam lobe and lifter instead of the conventional valve springs used in most internal combustion
engines in consumer vehicles. This allows the cams to have a more radical profile, thus opening and
closing the valves more quickly without the risk of valve-float, which causes a loss of power that is likely
when using a "passive" closing mechanism under the same conditions.
While most other manufacturers use wet clutches (with the spinning parts bathed in oil)[16] 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 a trellis frame, although Ducati's MotoGP project broke with this tradition by
introducing a revolutionary carbon fibre frame for the Ducati Desmosedici GP9.
Product history
See also: Ducati Museum
The chief designer of most Ducati motorcycles in the 1950s was Fabio Taglioni (1920–2001). His designs
ranged from the small single-cylinder machines that were successful in the Italian 'street races' to the
large-capacity twins of the 1980s. Ducati introduced the Pantah in 1979; its engine was updated in the
1990s in the Ducati SuperSport (SS) series. All modern Ducati engines are derivatives of the Pantah,
which uses a toothed belt to actuate the engine's valves. Taglioni used the Cavallino Rampante (identified
with the Ferrari brand) on his Ducati motorbikes. Taglioni chose this emblem of courage and daring as a
sign of respect and admiration for Francesco Baracca, a World War I fighter pilot who died during an air
raid in 1918.[17]
1950s
Main article: Ducati singles
1960s
Main article: Ducati singles
See also: Ducati Apollo
[icon]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2009)
1970s
Main article: Ducati L-twin engine
In 1973, Ducati commemorated its 1972 win at the Imola 200 with the production model green frame
Ducati 750 SuperSport.
Ducati also targeted the offroad market with the two-stroke Regolarità 125, building 3,486 models from
1975 to 1979, but the bike was not successful.[18]
In 1975, the company introduced the 860 GT, designed by noted car stylist Giorgetto Giugiaro. Its angular
lines were unique, but raised handlebars made for an uncomfortable seating position at high speeds and
also caused steering issues.[19] The 860GT's angular styling was a sales disaster, and it was hurriedly
re-designed for the 1976 season with a more rounded fuel tank.[20]
In 1975 Ducati offered hand-built production racers, the 'square case' 750SS and later 900SS models, built
in limited numbers. Sales of the 900SS proved so strong, and sales of the 860GT/GTE/GTS so weak, that
production of the 900SS was ramped up, and it became Ducati's #1 selling model.[21]
1980s
Main article: Ducati Desmoquattro engine
Ducati's liquid-cooled, multi-valve 90° V-twins, made from 1985 on, are known as Desmoquattro
("desmodromic valve four"). These include the 851, 916 and 996, 999 and a few predecessors and
derivatives.
Main article: Ducati Paso
1993 Ducati 907 i.e.
The Ducati Paso was introduced in 1986 with the Paso 750, followed in 1989 with the Paso 906. The final
version came in 1991 with the 907IE (Iniezione Elettronica), now without the name "Paso". The design
was from the hand of Massimo Tamburini, who also designed the Ducati 916 and MV Agusta F4. The
Paso was a typical "you love it, you hate it" bike. However, at that time it looked like that all-enclosed
bodywork would be the future for all motorcycles. The Paso design was copied for the Moto Morini Dart
400 and Cagiva Freccia 125. Together with Tamburini's Bimota DB1, they were enormously influential in
terms of styling.
1990s
In 1993, Miguel Angel Galluzzi introduced the Ducati Monster,[22] a naked bike with exposed trellis and
engine. Today the Monster accounts for almost half of the company's worldwide sales. The Monster has
undergone the most changes of any motorcycle that Ducati has ever produced.
In 1993, Pierre Terblanche, Massimo Bordi and Claudio Domenicali designed the Ducati Supermono. A
550 cc single-cylinder lightweight "Catalog Racer". Only 67 were built between 1993 and 1997.
In 1994, the company introduced the Ducati 916 model designed by Massimo Tamburini,[23] a
water-cooled version that allowed for higher output levels and a striking new bodywork that had
aggressive lines, an underseat exhaust, and a single-sided swingarm. Ducati has since ceased production
of the 916, supplanting it (and its progeny, the 748, 996 and 998) with the 749 and 999.
2000s
In 2006, the retro-styled Ducati PaulSmart 1000 LE was released, which shared 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.
Monster: 620, 695, 696, 750, 796, 900, S2R, S4R[24]
Streetfighter S[24]s from the Panigale family, among others. The Icon Dark model will also expand the
Scrambler family.
