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Ducati

Coordinates: 44°31′03″N 11°16′03″E / 44.51750°N 11.26750°E / 44.51750; 11.26750
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the parent group, see Ducati (company). For the company-affiliated racing team that's commonly known as "Ducati", see Ducati Corse. For other uses, see Ducati (disambiguation).
Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryMotorcycle manufacturing
FoundedJuly 4, 1926; 98 years ago (1926-07-04)
Founders
  • Antonio Cavalieri Ducati
  • Adriano Cavalieri Ducati
  • Bruno Cavalieri Ducati
Headquarters
Bologna
,
Italy
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Claudio Domenicali (CEO)
ProductsMotorcycle
Production output
61,562 units (2022)
RevenueIncrease €731 million (2016)[1]
61,000,000 Euro (2021) Edit this on Wikidata
ParentLamborghini
DivisionsDucati Corse
Websiteducati.com
Footnotes / references
[2]

Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A (Italian pronunciation: [duˈkaːti]) is an Italian motorcycle manufacturing company headquartered in Bologna, Italy.

History

[edit]
Main article: Ducati (company)
Ducati Factory
Ducati "Cucciolo", 1950

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 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[3]
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 the 1960s, Ducati earned its place in motorcycling history by producing the fastest 250 cc road bike then available, the Mach 1.[4][5][6]

In the 1960s and 1970s, Ducati produced a wide range of small two-stroke bikes, mainly sub-100 cc capacities.

Ducati's old logo used from 1997 to 2008[7]

Product history

[edit]
See also: Ducati Museum

1950s

[edit]
Main article: Ducati singles

1960s

[edit]
Main article: Ducati singles
See also: Ducati Apollo

In addition to manufacturing two-wheelers, Ducati also assembled Triumph Heralds for sale in the Italian market in their Borgo Panigale plant beginning in early 1963.[8]

1970s

[edit]
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.[9]

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.[10] 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.[11]

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.[12]

1980s

[edit]
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.[citation needed] 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

[edit]

In 1993, Miguel Angel Galluzzi introduced the Ducati Monster,[13] 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,[14] 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

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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.

Ducati TK01RR 2021 at Sredniy Peninsula (Russia)
Test ride of Ducati DesertX in Barcelona

Current lineup

[edit]
Ducati Hypermotard
Ducati Desmosedici RR
Ducati 1098 S Tricolore
Ducati Multistrada 950 S, Scrambler Desert Sled, Multistrada 1260 Enduro have conquered Kola, Rybachiy & Sredniy peninsulas, Russia
Monster[16][17]
  • Monster
  • Monster+
  • Monster 821
  • Monster 821 Stealth
  • Monster 1200
  • Monster 1200 S
Multistrada[18]
  • Multistrada 950
  • Multistrada 950S
  • Multistrada V4
  • Multistrada V4 S
  • Multistrada V4 S Sport
  • Multistrada 1260 Enduro
Diavel[19]
  • Diavel 1260
  • Diavel 1260 S
  • Diavel 1260 Lamborghini
  • XDiavel
  • XDiavel S
  • XDiavel Black Star
Panigale[20]
  • Panigale 899
  • Panigale 959
  • Panigale 1199
  • Panigale 1299
  • Panigale V2
  • Panigale V4
  • Panigale V4 S
  • Panigale V4 SP
  • Panigale V4 R
  • Superleggera V4
Streetfighter[21]
  • Streetfighter V4
  • Streetfighter V4 S
  • Streetfighter V2
SuperSport[22]
  • SuperSport
  • SuperSport S
Hypermotard[23]
  • Hypermotard 950
  • Hypermotard 950 SP
  • Hypermotard 950 RVE
Scrambler[24]
  • Scrambler 1100 Pro
  • Scrambler 1100 Sport Pro
  • Scrambler 1100 Dark Pro
  • Scrambler Nightshift
  • Scrambler Full Throttle
  • Scrambler Café Racer
  • Scrambler Desert Sled
  • Scrambler Icon
  • Scrambler Icon Dark
  • Scrambler Sixty2

Product design

[edit]

Ducati is best known for high-performance motorcycles characterized by large-capacity four-stroke, 90° V-twin engines,[25] with a desmodromic valve design.[26]

Designer

[edit]

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.

Taglioni used the Cavallino Rampante (identified with the Ferrari brand) on his Ducati motorbikes. He 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.[27]

Engine

[edit]

Ducati has produced several styles of motorcycle engines, including varying the number of cylinders, type of valve actuation and fuel delivery.

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.

Ducati is best known for its 90° V-twin engine, used on nearly all Ducatis since the 1970s. Ducati brands its engine as "L-twin", emphasizing the 90° V angle, to create product differentiation from competing V-twin motorcycles. As one cylinder is vertical while the other is horizontal, it looks like the letter "L"

Past variations

[edit]

Ducati has also made other engine types, mostly before the 1970s.

Those engines had one, two, three, or four cylinders; operated by pull rod valves and push rod valves; single, double and triple overhead camshafts; two-stroke and even at one stage manufactured small diesel engines, many were used to power boats, generators, garden machinery and emergency pumps (for example, for fire fighting).

The engines were the IS series from 7 to 22 hp (5.2 to 16.4 kW) air-cooled and the larger twin DM series water- and air-cooled. The engines have been found in all parts of the globe. Wisconsin Diesel even assembled and "badge engineered" the engines in the USA. They have also produced outboard motors for marine use.

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").

Currently, Ducati makes no other engines except for its motorcycles.

Desmodromic valve

[edit]

Ducati is also famous for using the desmodromic valve system championed by engineer and designer Fabio Taglioni, though the firm has also used engines that use valve springs to close their valves.

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.

On current Ducati motors, except for the Desmosedici and 1199 Panigale, the valves are actuated by a standard valve cam shaft which is rotated by a timing belt driven by the motor directly. The teeth on the belt keep the camshaft drive pulleys indexed.

Past variants

[edit]

On older Ducati motors, prior to 1986, drive was by solid shaft that transferred to the camshaft through bevel-cut gears. This method of valve actuation was used on many of Ducati's older single-cylinder motorcycles — the shaft tube is visible on the outside of the cylinder.

In the early days, Ducati reserved the desmodromic valve heads for its higher performance bikes and its race bikes. These valves do not suffer from valve float at high engine speeds, thus a desmodromic engine is capable of far higher revolutions than a similarly configured engine with traditional spring-valve heads.

Dry clutches

[edit]

While most other manufacturers use wet clutches (with the spinning parts bathed in oil)[28] 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.

Others

[edit]

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.

Marketing

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As of 2009, Ducati was still pursuing the "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" business model and spending 10% of company revenues, 40 million, on its racing business.[29][30]

Enthusiasts groups

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A key part of Ducati's marketing strategy since the 1990s has been fostering a distinct community identity in connection with branding efforts including online communities and local, regional, and national Ducati enthusiast clubs.

In the USA

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There are more than 400 Ducati clubs worldwide and 20,000 registered users of the Ducati Owners Club web site and 17,000 subscribers to the racing web site.[31] Enthusiasts and riders are informally referred to in the motorcycling community as Ducatista (singular) or Ducatisti (plural).

In North America there are several Ducati enthusiasts organizations with varying degrees of factory sponsorship, such as the Bay Area Desmo Owners Club (BADOC) located in and around the city of San Francisco, CA. Ducati Riders of Illinois (DRILL) located in Chicago, IL. DESMO, the Ducati Enthusiast Sport Motorcycle Organization, is a North American group affiliated with the factory Desmo Owners Club.[32]

Some groups are focused on vintage Ducatis[33] while several are based primarily or entirely on email discussion lists or web forums.[34]

Merchandising

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Ducati has a wide range of accessories, lifestyle products and co-branded merchandise bearing their logos and designs.

The company has a licensing agreement with Tumi Inc., launching a collection of eight co-branded luggage pieces in 2006, sold through both of the brands' retail outlets.[35]

Racing

[edit]
Main article: Ducati Corse
A Ducati racing motorcycle from 1968

Ducati has rejoined Grand Prix motorcycle racing in 2003, after a 30-year absence.[36]

On 23 September 2007, Casey Stoner clinched his and Ducati's first Grand Prix World Championship. And 15 years later, Bagnaia became the Italian manufacturer's second-ever MotoGP champion[37].

Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi rode for Ducati Corse for 2011 and 2012.[38][39][40]

Year Champion Motorcycle
2007 Australia Casey Stoner Ducati Desmosedici GP7
2022 Italy Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Desmosedici GP22
2023 Ducati Desmosedici GP23

Aside from MotoGP, Ducati has also deployed teams in various motorcycle racing competitions.

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Ducati Group: nel 2015 vendite, fatturato e risultato in crescita" [Ducati Group: sales in 2015, sales and earnings growth] (in Italian). Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. 3 March 2016. Archived from the original on 18 March 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  2. ^ "Audi Interim Financial Report 2012" (PDF). AUDI AG. 23 July 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2012. Effective July 19, 2012, the Audi Group acquired 100 percent of the voting rights in the motorcycle manufacturer Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A., Bologna (Italy) via Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., Sant'Agata Bolognese (Italy), a subsidiary of AUDI AG for a purchase price of EUR 747 million.
  3. ^ "1968 Ducati Brio 100". Classic Motorcycles by Sheldon's Emu. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Mach 1". ducati.com. Archived from the original on 19 September 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
  5. ^ "DUCATI MOTOR HOLDING SPA, Form 20-F, Annual and Transition Report (foreign private issuer), Filing Date Jun 30, 2004". secdatabase.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  6. ^ "History of the Motorcycle". mecossemi.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
  7. ^ Lodi, Livio (2009). "History of the Ducati Logo: The 1990s and beyond". Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. Archived from the original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
  8. ^ "Le straniere montate in Italia" [The Italian-assembled foreigners], Galleria Ruoteclassiche, Le fuoriserie 1956-1970. Il meglio di Quattroruote (in Italian), 4: 1962-1963 (57), Editoriale Domus S.p.A. (published May 2013): 66, December 1962, ISBN 9788872127704
  9. ^ Alan Cathcart (January–February 2011). "Ducati Regolarità 125". Motorcycle Classics. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  10. ^ Roland Brown (July–August 2011). "1975 Ducati 860GT". Motorcycle Classics. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  11. ^ Salvadori, Clement (7 January 2016). "Retrospective: Ducati 860 GT and GTE: 1974–1975 | Rider Magazine". Archived from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  12. ^ Walker, Mick (2002), Illustrated Ducati Buyer's Guide (3rd ed.), MotorBooks/MBI Publishing Company, p. 148, ISBN 978-0760313091
  13. ^ "Desmo 2 Valve History". monsta.at. Archived from the original on 17 February 2005. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
  14. ^ "Ducati Official History (The 916)". Ducati Motor Holdings. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h "Previous Model Years". Ducati Motor Holding SpA. 2009. Archived from the original on 19 September 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
  16. ^ "Monster". Ducati Motor Holding SpA. 2021. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  17. ^ "Monster". Ducati Motor USA. 2021. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  18. ^ "Multistrada". Ducati Motor Holding SpA. 2021. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  19. ^ "Diavel". Ducati Motor Holding SpA. 2021. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  20. ^ "Panigale". Ducati Motor Holding SpA. 2021. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  21. ^ "Streetfighter". Ducati Motor Holding SpA. 2021. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  22. ^ "SuperSport". Ducati Motor Holding SpA. 2021. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Hypermotard". Ducati Motor Holding SpA. 2021. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  24. ^ "Scrambler". Ducati Motor Holding SpA. 2021. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  25. ^ "History of the Two-Valve Twin". Ducati.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
  26. ^ "Desmo for Dummies". Ducati.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
  27. ^ "Fabio Taglioni: a Legend". ducati.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
  28. ^ "What is in an oil". yamaha-motor.ca. Archived from the original on 17 November 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
  29. ^ Boland, Vincent (12 August 2009), "Ducati cuts production and salaries" (General OneFile), Financial Times, p. 12, archived from the original on 22 August 2009, retrieved 17 June 2012
  30. ^ Radosta, John S. (5 April 1970), "Auto Manufacturers Keep One Eye on the Track and the Other on Consumer", The New York Times (ProQuest), p. 414, There's an old saying in the auto world: Win on Sunday, sell on Monday
  31. ^ Jelassi, Tawfik; Leenen, Stefanie (27–29 June 2001). "EMBARKING ON E-BUSINESS AT DUCATI MOTORCYCLES (ITALY)" (PDF). Bled, Slovenia: Global Co-Operation in the New Millennium The 9th European Conference on Information Systems. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2011.
  32. ^ "Desmo Owners Club". Ducati Motor Holding. 2009. Archived from the original on 2 July 2009.
  33. ^ "Vintage Ducati Club Homepage". www.ducativintageclub.com. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  34. ^ Duglin Kennedy, Shirley (2005). The Savvy Guide to Motorcycles. Indy Tech Publishing. p. 186. ISBN 9780790613161.
  35. ^ "Tumi Time: Tumi+Ducati Collection". Business Week. 24 January 2007. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2009.
  36. ^ "2003 Ducati MotoGP Team". ducati.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
  37. ^ "MotoGP champion Bagnaia: 'I recognised that I had a problem, ups and downs...'". Crash. 6 November 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  38. ^ Ducati (15 August 2010). "Rossi to ride for Ducati in 2011 (press release)". MotoGP.com Official Website. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  39. ^ Fiat Yamaha (15 August 2010). "Yamaha and Valentino Rossi to part company at end of 2010 (press release)". MotoGP.com Official Website. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  40. ^ Ducati And Rossi To Part Ways At End Of 201, Motorbike News, 10 August 2012, archived from the original on 3 September 2015
[edit]
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