Ducati

Lore & Background

Ducati is best known for high-performance motorcycles characterized by large-capacity four-stroke, 90° V-twin engines, with a desmodromic valve design. The chief designer of most Ducati motorcycles in the 1950s was Fabio Taglioni. His designs ranged from small single-cylinder machines to large-capacity twins of the 1980s. Taglioni used the Cavallino Rampante on his Ducati motorbikes as a sign of respect for Francesco Baracca, a World War I fighter pilot.

Reader's Guide

Ducati has produced several styles of motorcycle engines. It introduced the Pantah in 1979; its engine was updated in the 1990s in the Ducati Supersport 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, branded as 'L-twin'. Past engine variations include one, two, three, or four cylinders; pull rod and push rod valves; single, double, and triple overhead camshafts; two-stroke; and small diesel engines used for boats, generators, garden machinery, and emergency pumps.

Did You Know?

• Ducati earned its place in motorcycling history in the 1960s by producing the fastest 250 cc road bike then available, the Mach 1.
• In 1973, Ducati commemorated its 1972 win at the Imola 200 with the production model green frame Ducati 750 SuperSport.
• The Ducati Monster, introduced in 1993, accounts for almost half of the company's worldwide sales.