Ducati - A Brief History
by Carl Getta.
Date: 01 April 2010
Three brothers from Bologna in Italy started a company that was to become one of the most world famous producers of motorbikes ever; Ducati.
Ducati in the early years
Adriano, Bruno and Marcello Ducati founded the Societa Scientifica Radio Brevetti Ducati in 1926. Initially the firm went to work on making parts for radios and they proved so successful in this field that just nine years later they were to open another factory in Bologna.
The onslaught of WWII did not deter the brothers from continuing to run their business and despite their factories being targeted by allied bombing missions they came out the other side relatively unscathed.
Motorised bicycles?
The first contact the Ducati brothers would have with motorbikes came not long after Italy's liberation. The Ducati's decided they would purchase small engines in bulk and sell readymade bicycles with engines attached to them.
Over the next five years the firm sold 200,000 bicycles fixed with SIATA engines mounted on them and shortly after this the world welcomed the birth of the Ducati motorbike.
The year was 1950 and the bike was named the Ducati Cucciolo (Italian for puppy), later changing its name to 55M and 65TL. It had a 60CC engine and was capable of reaching speeds of 40mph.
Ducati's in the 50s and 60s
As the customer appetite for bigger bikes grew, Ducati stepped out at the 1952 Milan Show and unveiled their first cruiser.
It had similar looks to a Vespa scooter and was heralded as the most interesting bike at the show.
However, this same success was not to be accomplished in the sales market and only a few thousand ever hit the streets before production ceased.
The following year the company decided it was best to divide the interest of electronics and motorbikes into two separate ventures and the Ducati Meccanica SpA was created.
The factory in Bologna was brought up-to-date and in just a couple of years it was producing 120 bikes each day. It was around this time that the need for Ducati motorbike insurance became fierce as bikes grew faster and more deadly.
In the late 1960s the firm made the history books by producing the Mach 1. It was an awesome 250CC motorbike that took the honour of fastest road bike when it won the Isle of Man TT and clocked a speed of 107.2mph.
This was the start of the love affair that would continue with Ducati bikes and Ducati bike insurance was by this time a must.
More recent times
Nowadays, Ducati's boast a desmodromic valve design that allows the engines to produce more power with less flat spots. In the past 20 years, Ducati's have won no less than 13 Superbike World Championships, showing after more than 80 years in the business they are still going strong.
