Released on the new neo-vintage Sport Classic line as an homage to the 1970s green-framed racer made famous by Paul Smart at Imola, the Paul Smart Limited Edition was an instant hit for Ducati. Offering all of the reliable torque, thump and grunt of the redoubtable Pantah-based, 2-valve L-twin, the Paul Smart treatment brought with…
Always a welcome find on the pages of RSBFS, the ultra unique, ultra Italian, ultra rare Bimota Tesi 1D is a Ducati-powered masterpiece. Designed as a replacement for the traditional, telescopic front fork, the hub-center steering works in conjunction with a forward-facing swingarm to isolate braking forces from regular suspension duties. The effect, while visually…
Continuing Ducati’s impressive form in WSBK racing, the 996 model picked up where the 851 and 916 dropped off. Largely marketed as a bigger bore evolution of the revolutionary 916, the 996 was actually a pretty comprehensive update to the overall package. Now 20+ years on, the 996 is well into collector status and continues…
Narrowly missing out on a Track Day Tuesday slot due to the lights and registration status, today’s 1987 Ducati F1 is a great example of a race bike for the street. Already a legend in stock format, the F1 was a Pantah-motored, pre-Supersport race replica, devoid of any of the bells, whistles or comforts usually…
Near Toronto, Canada, just above the Great Lake of Ontario, comes this pretty Italian supermodel. The 851 is fabled for bringing together the trifecta of liquid cooling, fuel injection and four-valve desmo heads together in one fantastic package. So good was this bike that it set Ducati on a dominant streak in the WSBK racing…
The Ducati Sport Classic lineup was an innovative approach to take the tried and true – in this case the tried and true, air-cooled, two valve standard Desmo mill heavily utilized in the Supersport and Monster offerings – but in a different platform called the Sport Classic. That platform was built on nostalgia, and different…
Original 1st generation Ducati 916 models are solidly in collector cross hairs. If you were around when these rocket-powered works of art were released back in ’94 and you didn’t score one, chances are good you remain nostalgic for Tamburini’s beautifully carved block of bologna (see what I did there?). The time to get in…
Jumping back across the pond, today we find a very nicely equipped 2002 Ducati 748R. This iconic design, penned by Massimo Tamburini back in the mid 1990s for the launch of the 916, is completely timeless. And while the smaller motor may lack some of the “I’m gonna kill you” grunt of the bigger bike,…