The Ducati Superlight is one of the bikes that defined the mystique of the Italian brand. An interesting – if not revolutionary – offshoot to the popular Supersport line, the Superlight added lightness to the package via some specially chosen components, and weight to the legend via a sequential number plaque that ensured exclusivity. The…
In the twisted family tree that is the Italian motorcycle community, there are many merges and branches. One interesting area is the history of Cagiva and their relationship with Ducati. While Cagiva owned Ducati in the mid-eighties, they were initially a customer as they purchased engines & transmissions to create their own bikes. Today’s Cagiva…
Behold the wonderous, the cutting edge (while at the same time, archaic) modern interpretation of the new Ducati era. The Pantah represented the next evolution of the already legendary Ducati L-twin, and would being the new phase of the rubber band motor era. Replacing the bevel drive with a toothed belt to drive the desmo…
In the early days before serious motorcycle marketing, companies offered up “racer replicas” that often sported the race livery or the team colors of the manufacturer. These replicas were often quite anonymous, and did not utilize the star power available from team riders. Even the marketing juggernaut Ducati – who probably led the way with…
The early 1980s were a bad time for speed. With a very few exceptions, cars had spent the previous decade becoming wheezy, lumbering and compromised. Motorcycles were yet to fully cross the Rubicon from being either quirky runabouts or the steeds of tattooed heathens to the mounts of true enthusiasts. And then in 1981, Kawasaki…
When Honda introduced the legendary CBX in the late 1970s many people did not realize that they were not the first to ship a production six-cylinder motorcycle. That trophy already went to Benelli, who introduced the original Sei (Italian for the number six) at motoring shows way back in 1973. Given, the original 750cc six…
By the late 1970’s, Ducati’s 900 Supersport leaned heavily on its Taglioni heritage, but had several worthwhile updates. This Connecticut example has a very original look but has been refreshed in some important areas. 1979 Ducati 900SS for sale on eBay Ducati’s Supersports have a markedly similar feel over the course of the decade, with…
Back after a short break, Moto Guzzi’s Le Mans returned with a raft of updates from the Mk. II. This Bay State native has been carefully kept in red, and has a couple of nice nods to reality. 1983 Moto Guzzi Le Mans III for sale on eBay Though del Lario was never tempted by…
