De legende van Ducati

Looking back, the history of Ducati motorcycles could be compared to a mountain road racing
course among the highest peak in the Dolomites: ever onward, ever upward, with many twists and
turns along the way.

Beginning in a suburb of Bologna, Italy in 1926, the three Ducati brothers, Marcello, Adriano and
Bruno, set about manufacturing small electrical appliances. (Remember, Marconi invented the
radio in Bologna.)

Then in 1946, they pointed the company in a new direction. The brothers concluded that what Italy
needed most was inexpensive private transportation.

The Cucciolo (that's "puppy" in Italian), was no more than a small 48cc four-stroke engine bolted
to a bicycle frame. In the ensuing years, over a quarter million Cucciolos would populate the
streets of nearly every town in Italy.

By the early 1950s, the brothers Ducati had retired and new management decided that larger
motorcycles would be the company's calling.

Beginning with a modest 98cc ohv single, the quest was begun.

It was at that time that a young engineer named Fabio Taglioni joined the company and Ducati set
forth on a journey that would not only change the company, but the motorcycle industry itself, for
all time.

Taglioni's greatest contribution is undoubtedly the desmodromic valve gear, a method by which
cam driven valve control is used to eliminate valve springs and improve both engine efficiency and
power output. The Desmodromic system is found in every Ducati to this day.

Along with his genius in engineering, Taglioni had a love of competition and thus racing became an
integral part of the Ducati culture.

Names like Bailbero, Diana, Darmah, Pantah and Paso entered the lexicon of motorcycle
nomenclature, as the Ducati mark became synonymous with racing and winning.

Even in the early days, you did not purchase a Ducati because you wanted to show off on Main
Street or polish chrome plating in your driveway, you bought it to ride, in the purest sense of the
word.

That fact has never been more true than it is now. Today, Massimo Bordi, a gifted engineer in his
own right, carries the tradition forward as Ducati continues to set new records.

On the track, Ducati has claimed six of the last eight World Superbike Championships.

For the road, Ducati offers a range of the most highly sophisticated and highly sought after sport
motorcycles ever created.

It was at that time that a young engineer named Fabio Taglioni joined the company and Ducati set
forth on a journey that would not only change the company, but the motorcycle industry itself, for
all time.

Taglioni's greatest contribution is undoubtedly the desmodromic valve gear, a method by which
cam driven valve control is used to eliminate valve springs and improve both engine efficiency and
power output. The Desmodromic system is found in every Ducati to this day.

Along with his genius in engineering, Taglioni had a love of competition and thus racing became an
integral part of the Ducati culture.

Names like Bailbero, Diana, Darmah, Pantah and Paso entered the lexicon of motorcycle
nomenclature, as the Ducati mark became synonymous with racing and winning.

Even in the early days, you did not purchase a Ducati because you wanted to show off on Main
Street or polish chrome plating in your driveway, you bought it to ride, in the purest sense of the
word.

That fact has never been more true than it is now. Today, Massimo Bordi, a gifted engineer in his
own right, carries the tradition forward as Ducati continues to set new records.

On the track, Ducati has claimed six of the last eight World Superbike Championships.

For the road, Ducati offers a range of the most highly sophisticated and highly sought after sport
motorcycles ever created.

Perhaps there's a Ducati waiting for you.

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