Ducati is a motorcycle maker headquartered in Bologna, Italy. The company was formed in 1926 by the 3 Ducati brothers Bruno, Adriano and Marcello. It has gone through several changes in ownership, and is currently owned by Performance Motorcycles. The firm mostly produces large-displacement, powerful sport bikes, but also some street bikes.
The company is today known for the combination of both style and high performance in its products. Indeed, it is often compared to Ferrari as its counterpart in the motoring world. In the 1960’s Ducati produced the fastest 250 cc road motorbike the world had ever seen, the Mach1.
Nowadays one of their signature features is a visible trellis steel frame, earning the company’s bikes a ‘very fast scaffolding’ running gag. One of the most famous bikes with this design is the Monster. This bike was designed by Miguel Angel Galuzzi and introduced in 1993, and today it alone accounts for almost half of all Ducati sales. Ducati continue to spare no expense to update this bike to continually keep it fresh and relevant. The Ducati 916 was designed by highly-regarded designer Massimo Tamburini, one of the founders of fellow Italian motorcycle maker Bimota.
Ducati’s current lineup in New Zealand is kicked off by the 1000R, the 1098 Tricolore, the Monster and SportClassic ranges, the StreetFighter and StreetFighter S, the Strada and MultiStrada, and the HyperMotard. The favoured engine choice for most of Ducati’s bikes is an “L-Twin” four cylinder engine. The company also occasionally releases special-edition bikes usually named after famous racers, for example the 1000R Mille Mike Hailwood and the Paul Smart IE.
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