DUCATI MOTOR CYCLES

Known at first for its sporty line of lightweight single-cylinder bikes, Ducati hit its stride in the early 1970s with its V-Twin sportbikes 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, Supersport, Monster, Multistrada, SportClassic and Hypermotard.

Ducati is a name that is well known to motorcycle enthusiasts. The other brands of motorcycles created by other manufacturers are more well known to the public at large, but Ducati is a name that usually only rings a bell with people who know and love motorcycles.

Whereas most other motorcycle manufacturers have their roots in the automotive industry and their bikes are simply a natural branching out from this, Ducati’s main line of products deals exclusively with motorcycles. And not just any motorcycles, but ones built with sheer speed and aggression in mind.

It’s beginnings were humble enough, and the company’s actual history is one of the more complex and amusing in automotive and motorcycling history, involving repeated transfers of ownership of the company and even international mergers, until the company finally moved its base of operations to the United States and stabilized into what it is today.

One thing that sets Ducati apart from it’s competition is that it gained it’s name and reputation without having to resort to huge media blitzes and flooding the public with advertisments. It got it’s reputation the hard way: on the race track. Ducati motorcycles have entered and either placed highly or won motorcycle racing competitions for years, and even it’s civilian releases of motorcycle models are usually barely street legal in terms of sheer power under the hood.

Ducati’s specs run with high durability in mind, but places a much greater emphasis on a high power to weight ratio between their motors and the bike weight. This is supported by a design approach that adds excellent braking and handling on top of the power of the bike itself. Ducati owners are fewer in number perhaps than owners of the other more well-known models of motorcycles, but their bikes are all about quality over quantity.

Ducati clubs have been known to host a few rallies for displaying their bikes, but have also been known to arrange challenge matches against other racing clubs which run using other models of motorcycle. More often than not, in the hands of a competent pilot, the Ducatis win.

On an aesthetic note, I personally find Ducati motorcycles to be the most impressive I’ve ever seen. While other racing motorcycles look sleek and fast, Ducatis in my opinion not only look fast, but intimidating and aggressive. The lines and contours of these motorcycles don’t speak of fun joyrides. They give the impression that they’re out to do only one thing. Kick someone’s butt on the racetrack. And that’s exactly what they’re built for.