One of the most collectible Ducatis of all time, the Supermono isn’t even a v-twin. It is, as the name implies, powered by a single-cylinder engine. If you’re a bit confused by this and thinking, “Hmmmm… I don’t remember there being any Ducati singles in the 90s…” you’re not actually crazy. There weren’t any Supermono…
If “916” were the punchline, the joke would surely start out with: “These two Italians walk into a bar….” And while it is true that the 916 was the love child of Massimo Tamburini’s striking design and Massimo Bordi’s shrieking new v-twin, the 916 was no joke. This was a watershed bike for Ducati –…
I appreciate simplicity. Simple HVAC knobs on a car’s center stack. Black coffee. Bikes like the Ducati 900SS FE. Modern technology is great, but if you’ve seen the new Ducati Panigale V4 with the bodywork removed, you realize that the cost is massive complexity and the knowledge that, if something goes wrong once the bike…
The Ducati 999 series has something of a mixed reputation, wrapping a widely panned design around a chassis and engine that the press universally said was the best package on the road when it debuted. The praise was followed by three World Superbike championships in its production run. 2007 Ducati 999S Parts Unlimited for sale…
The 1990’s were a heady time for Ducati, with the 851, Paso, 888, Supermono, and 916 all realizing their potential. Meanwhile, the sporty-on-a-budget 750 Sport that helped keep the company afloat in the late ’80s is all but ignored. This eastern Duc has been ridden extensively but probably not much lately. It has the early…
Troy Bayliss won the Superbike World Championship for Ducati three times between 2001 and 2008, on three different generations of desmoquattro superbike. Ducati saluted his career with a great special edition -R in 2009, with his race number and Aussie flag livery. Fittingly for a homologation special, number 106 of 500 has been improved for…
In -R trim, the Ducati 1098 was actually a homologation special with the new 1198cc engine. In a win-win for the dealerships’ best customers, Ducati ceded some trackside modifications to get increased displacement, meaning that the showroom -R came with equipment that the racers would need, and street riders normally could just dream about. 2008…
After the relative failure of the 999 series of superbikes, Ducati needed a win, badly, and they got one with the 1098. The design was much more conservative than the Terblanche-penned 999, but it shared stylistic elements with the 916 and had a recognizable “face.” But for serious riders, the changes under the skin were…