Ducati is an Italian motorcycle brand, famed for its innovative design, reliability, and high performance. With its high-performance motorcycles, the brand has strengthened its foothold on the racing track over time. It is renowned for its record-breaking success in motorsports in the racing world.
In this guide, we will reveal some interesting facts about Ducati that have been a part of its legacy and are not unknown to commoners.
Ducati History and Facts
Ducati did not originally start as a motorcycle manufacturer, rather it was initially involved in making radios, condensers, and vacuum cleaners. However, over the decades, Ducati has experienced many major changes that have been the reason for its success.
Let’s find out the interesting facts about Ducati and know more about how this motorcycle manufacturer evolved over the years.
1. Foundation of the Company
Ducati was founded in Bologna, Italy in 1926. It was founded by Cavalieri Ducati and his three sons, namely Marcello, Adriano, and Bro Cavalieri. The company was initially named ‘Societa Scientifica Radio Brevetti Ducati’ with its original portfolio consisting of radios, vacuum cleaners, radio parts, and other electronic appliances only.
At that time, the founders did not have any vague idea that the company would soon emerge as one of the pioneering motorbike manufacturers. To date, there is a factory of Ducati in Bologna, and the company’s headquarters is also located there.
2. Factory Destruction in World War II
Another fact about Ducati is that its factory in Bologna was destroyed by the airforces, during World War II. This is undoubtedly a sad fact that the company prefers not to remember.
However, this sad state of affairs made Ducati reinvent itself and start anew from the fallen ashes as a motorcycle manufacturer.
3. Evolution of the Ducati Logo
The logo history of Ducati has seen a drastic change over the years due to changes in the company’s portfolio. At first, the logo was quite simple, a white circle with a black outline having two crossed wires, a lightning bolt, and a Latin inscription saying ‘Radio Brevetti Ducati’.
Whereas, when Ducati started manufacturing motorcycles its logo changed to a circle, having the letter ‘D’ on the right side with a laurel wreath on the left side. The circle had two overlapping wings on it with the ‘Ducati Meccanica Bologna’ inscription.
The modern Ducati logo looks like an inverted white triangle with a red outline. The triangle has a ‘Ducati’ inscription with a curved line in the middle, which indicates that the motorcycles of Ducati are designed for speed.
4. Bucatti Cucciolo – First Motor by Ducati
Initially, Ducati developed a moped engine, intended for motorised push bikes, named Ducati Cucciolo. This engine allowed the bike to reach speeds of up to 40 mph and was available as a separate piece that could be attached to the bicycle’s frame at home.
Nevertheless, the Cucciolo got so famous that Ducati sold more than 200,000 of these engines by 1950.
5. The First Motorcycle
The success with Cucciolo boosted the confidence of Ducati and they expanded their operations into making the first actual motorcycle in 1950. This motorcycle was also named Cucciolo.
The first motorcycle, Cucciolo, was more of a bike with a 48 cc engine, and 15 mm carburettor, delivering a top speed of 40 mph, and weighing almost 98 pounds. However, not long after some improvements in the design, the name Cucciolo was dropped and two distinct models i.e. 55M and 65TL were launched.
6. Ducati Launched Scooter in Milan
Since the Ducati Cucciolo was a hit, the company wanted to expand the motor scooter portfolio even further. However, the trend in that era was more inclined toward heavier motorcycles, to which Ducati responded exceptionally well.
However, Ducati surprised everyone by launching two bikes at the Milan show in 1952. Along with the already launched 65TS bike, a classic four-stroke motor scooter was launched, named Cruiser. The Cruiser by Ducati was regarded as the most interesting new machine at the Milan show, but it was not a great hit due to which Ducati ceased its production.
7. The Split of Ducati
Another one of the Ducati history facts is that in 1953, the Ducati management realized that the company is having two broad sections that need to be split up. The electronics section of Ducati was already well-established and the motorcycle section was growing exponentially too.
For this reason, the company split into ‘Ducati Elettronica’ covering the electronics product lines, while ‘Ducati Meccanica SpA’ owned the manufacturing of different types of motorcycles. Ducati Meccanica was led by Dr Giuseppe Montano, who modernised the factory to fulfil the high demand for motorcycle production.
8. Hand-made Ducati Motorcycles
One of the most interesting facts about Ducati is that its motorcycles are assembled by hand in Italy. During the assembling of motorcycle parts, the skilled line workers proceed to the next stage only after thorough checking and signing off the necessary documentation of the previous stage. Therefore, every Ducati motorcycle that leaves the factory has its documentation.
Moreover, being exclusively handmade with precise details, these magnificent Ducati beasts retail at a higher price.
9. Ducati’s Assembly Line for the US
Among the many facts about Ducati, one is that it has separate assembly lines dedicated to the United States. Apart from the factory located in Italy, there are two more factories of Ducati located in Thailand and Brazil.
These two factories assemble the Ducati motorcycles which are bound to be sold solely in the United States. While the Ducati factory in Italy assembles motorcycles that are sold across the globe.
10. Ducati Museum
The legacy of Ducati that unveils in Bologna in 1926, has been recounted in the famous ‘Ducati Museum’. The Ducati Museum is located within the factory of Ducati and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Bologna.
The museum displays many artefacts related to the motorcycle production process. Also, it represents the many challenges and successes of Ducati through its legendary 90-year journey in the form of its magnificent range of motorcycles.
11. A Quieter Version of Ducati in Japan
Another interesting fact about Ducati is that Ducati motorcycles in Japan are relatively much quieter than the regular models. The difference is due to the strong implementation of noise level rules in Japan.
The Ducati motorcycles in Japan are forced to be fitted with an exhaust system that does not roar when the power kicks in upon acceleration.
12. Ducati Racing History
Ducati has long been involved in all the biggest motorsport events globally since they first stepped on the racing tracks in 1956. The first pioneers and the later models of Ducati were all driven by some of the renowned professional riders of all time.
The Ducati’s victory board states that to date Ducati has received 18 constructor titles and 15 rider titles. Moreover, Ducati motorcycles have participated, and continue to do so, in almost all the championship events worldwide. The Ducati motorcycles have so far won 407 races.
13. Audi Acquired Ducati
One of the unique facts about Ducati that most people are unaware of, is that Audi acquired Ducati in 2012, through its Italian subsidiary Lamborghini. Audi is a German automotive manufacturer and is part of the Volkswagen Group.
The chairman of Volkswagen Group, Ferdinand Piech, a motorcycle enthusiast, had his eyes set on Ducati for a long time. After acquiring 100% of the shares of Ducati Motors, Ferdinand now owns the Ducati company.
14. Ducati Official Club
Representing the essence of Italian style through their striking motorcycle designs, Ducati bikes have dominated the dreams of motorcycle enthusiasts. For motorcycle enthusiasts and Ducati fans, there are many Ducati Official Clubs worldwide with thousands of registered members. One of the Ducati fun facts is that these members of the Ducati Official Clubs are called Ducatisti.
The official members of Ducati Official Clubs receive patches, pins, and other gadgets as part of the membership kit, promising many other advantages ahead.
15. Hiring by Ducati Increased Exponentially
Ducati has expanded rapidly over the years, which is quite evident by the increase in the hiring rate of employees over the years. Ducati began its operations with only a handful of people, however, by 1936 Ducati had over 1200 employees.
Among many interesting Ducati facts, one is that its production line has an overall percentage of 14% of female employees.
This concludes our guide on the exciting facts about Ducati. Ducati has undoubtedly established itself as one of the top-notch competitors in the motorcycle industry. Nevertheless, if you are searching for an exclusive motorcycle with reliable features, then you can consider buying one from the listing of new or used used motorcycles for sale in the UAE or you can visit the popular motorcycle showrooms in the UAE to find your ideal motorcycle.
Stay tuned to the UAE’s top auto blog for more interesting facts about your favourite automotive brand.
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