At some point, you may get to thinking, “These modern sport bikes are going to kill me.” It’s a pretty logical conclusion. It’s bad enough we have to dodge car drivers on cell phones, off-leash dogs, deer, moose, apparently coyotes… We have to watch out for road debris, sand, rocks, wet leaves, and sometimes discarded…
The Ducati 750 Sport was an interim model introduced in 1988 that followed on the heels of the F1. Ducati owners Cagiva hoped to capture the spirit and style of the vaunted 750SS, but buyers weren’t having it, and the bike was replaced by the long-running 900SS of the early 1990’s. The F1 was relatively…
Around the corner from the Ducati factory in Borgo Panigale, NCR founders Nepoti, Caracchi, and Rizzi began to modify and race Ducatis in 1967. Their lightweight chassis and race team became a presence in endurance racing, winning the Isle of Man TT in 1978 with Mike Hailwood aboard. Early in the trellis-frame’s development, Pantah-based 600cc…
The Pantah is a watershed moment in the long and storied history of Ducati. Designed as a replacement to the bevel-gear model, the new “rubber-band” motor utilized toothed rubber belts to drive the valve action – a feature that lives on to the current day. The Pantah, as a replacement to the older round case…
A bike with skinny tires and a wide powerband, the Fabio Taglioni-designed Ducati TT2 bears a passing resemblance to the roadgoing F1, but was tuned to perfection, utilizing a philosophy that resulted in a lightweight, very nimble package with a broad spread of useable power that made it ideal for roadcourses. Displacement was up slightly…
Update: Last posted in Jan of 2014 by Ian, it’s back and the buy-it-now is now set at $37500 but offers are being accepted – Marty/Dallaslavowner Ians post Do we have any Monty Python fans that can give me a wink, wink; nudge, nudge, that this is just an average Ducati. All I can say…
In 1992, Ducati introduced a limited-edition of their air/oil-cooled 900SS called the Superlight that featured distinctive Marvic composite wheels, cast-iron front rotors, a vented clutch cover, bits of carbon fiber bodywork, a solo tail section, and high-mount pipes to increase cornering clearance. Unfortunately, there was no engine performance increase as delivered. Available in yellow or…
Okay, so here’s the thing: all of my early opinions about the 750 F1 were informed by Mick Walker’s Illustrated Ducati Buyer’s guide where the bike got one freaking star. I’m not sure where I put my copy, so don’t crucify me if I got that bit wrong, or if you have an updated edition…