Ducati

Ducati is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer famous in the international racing circuit for their expansive line of high-performance sportbikes. The company was founded in 1926 by three brothers Marcello, Adirano and Bruno Ducati. The family business, originally centered around the production of radio components and vacuum tubes. It was an immediate success and grew steady over the next two decades.

The company’s factory was destroyed in 1944 during World War II. During their rebuilding, an engineer named Aldo Farinelli began to sell a new engine – the "Cucciolo" – expressly for creating motorized bicycles. The news caught the interest of the Ducati family, and they immediately went to work on their first motorcycle, the Ducati 60. Carrying a Cucciolo engine, the 60 went on sale in 1950.

It would be a few years before their bikes became successful. An early model, the Cruiser, failed to impress within the large-sized bike market in 1952. However, the company split into two divisions in 1953 – one to focus on electronics, and the other motorcycles. The investment paid off, and within their first year Ducati Meccanica SpA was rolling out 120 motorcycles a day.

Ducati began winning Italian races in 1955, showing themselves able to manufacture some of the fastest bikes on the market. In 1960, the company’s Mach 1 bike was declared the fastest available in its engine class.

The Ducati brand has changed owners many times over the decades since its inception, including a long stint under government control from 1950 to 1978. During this period, Ducati was not under the same pressure as its competitors to make a profit. Without these restrictions, Ducati was able to create one of the best-designed motorcycles of the 1970’s – the 750. Although anticipation of the bike was high, the cost to produce it meant it was only on the market for three years.

Ducati began to focus more on engine production in the 1980’s, but eventually swung back into motorcycles in the 90’s with the release of the Ducati Monster. The Monster’s naked design style has been tweaked and retooled in the years since its debut, and is responsible for almost half of Ducati’s international sales.

Today, Ducati has four divisions – one for motorcycle production (Ducati Motor Holding,) one for its racing program (Ducati Cors,) and two others that manage the manufacture of its continuing line of electronic components. Additionally, Ducati has been able to strengthen its brand through extensive merchandising and the creation of Ducati enthusiasts’ organizations all over the world.

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Products
Ducati Hypermotard 1100 SP Younger, cheaper, and lighter than Hypermotard 1100 Minimalism and functionality Tubular steel trellis frame		Ducati Hypermotard 796 Extreme interpretation of the Hypermotard concept White backlit dash Lightweight 5-spoke black Marchesini spoke alloy wheels
Ducati Monster 1100 Bare-bones design and styling Air-cooled Dual Spark L-Twin Desmodue 696 cc engine Lightweight 3-spoke aluminum alloy wheels		Ducati Monster 696 Cross between the user-friendly 696 and the sporty 1100 Extremely lightweight aluminum alloy 5-spoke wheels 31.5-inch sitting height for better control
Ducati Monster 796 1078 cc engine Ducati Traction Control Lightweight aluminum alloy 10-spoke wheels		Ducati Multistrada 1200 Riding mode selector Hands-free ignition system Onboard computer system with two LCD panels
Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Sport Innovative riding mode selector 4-in-1 motorcycle Liquid-cooled L-Twin cylinder		Ducati Streetfighter Muscle-power performance Liquid-cooled L-Twin cylinder 2-1-2 routing exhaust system
Ducati Streetfighter S Radical technical specifications Liquid-cooled L-Twin cylinder Elliptical throttle bodies		Ducati Superbike 1198 Liquid-cooled L-Twin cylinder 94 x 61.2 mm bore and stroke Ducati's signature features
Ducati Superbike 848 Ducati Traction Control Strong and lightweight trellis frame Lightweight 10-spoke wheels