What makes ducati different

And while their radio factory was amazingly advanced for the period, after WWII Italy needed transportation, not radios. So, Ducati switched to bikes. At first, its products really were bicycles. Only they were fitted with a tiny motor licensed from another Italian firm, Siata.

With only 1. After producing more than 25, of these bikes per year, Ducati developed its own motorcycles, starting in Feel kind of geeky going to both Ferrari and Ducati Museums. If Moto Guzzi was closer, we would have gone there, too. I sure love the beauty of these machines. What a fantastic display this is.

Basically, races were like the Instagram influencers of the 50s and 60s. Thus, setting up the close relationship Ducati motorcycles have with racing. However, because early springs were made of poor-quality metal, at high speeds, they would either fail or break. Taglioni solved this by replacing the springs with solid arms and lobed cams. This is the Desmodromic system. One of the biggest draw backs seen in the past with the Desmo system was the need to perform frequent valve clearance inspections.

In the race world, engines are disassembled and reassembled every race, so valve clearances are adjusted constantly for optimal performance. Since , though, Ducati has brought engine redesign to the production motorcycles that are less intensive on the maintenance schedules, understanding that the common consumer is not running the motorcycle on a MotoGP track.

Through advances in technology and modern materials it has advanced greatly to increase the service intervals and still maintain a high-performance machine. Instead of the 10, km valve adjustment requirement, the newer engines are now 24, km to 30, km intervals which makes the bike much more attractive and cost effective from a maintenance perspective.

Ducati will not be giving up on the unique Desmodromic system anytime soon. Historically, these bikes were quite expensive and for a very select group of people. Now anyone can have a piece of the Ducati experience!

With our easy financing plans, learn more about your options. About Us Careers. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. This coupled with the L-Twin configuration makes it tremendously easy to identify the roar of a Ducati engine, even sight unseen from several blocks away. The manufacturer has historically implemented technologies and systems from its race machines onto its road-going production models.

And more than years after releasing its first motorcycle, this fact remains as true today as ever. If you buy a Ducati today, you can genuinely expect it to fire up for you each and every morning.

It is still worth noting that the running costs of a Ducati do typically exceed that of their Japanese competitors. In addition to the actual motorcycle itself being more expensive, insurance is more, registration is more, aftermarket parts and accessories are more expensive, and, just like with owning an expensive car, having it serviced is almost always a more exorbitant affair — an area furthered by the unique valve setup.

Plus, even with a modern electronics suite, big bikes are far less than forgiving of things like jerky throttle control and abrupt handlebar inputs. In fact, learning to ride on the road is a skill in and of itself. When you start out on a smaller bike you can also learn to better control the thing, develop solid muscle memory, and safe, responsible riding habits.

Since Ducati introduced its first sophisticated electronics systems in the mid-aughts, the brand has increasingly outfitted its motorcycles with an array of cutting-edge features and rider assists. These are typically denoted through acronyms that can mean very little to the uninitiated. These systems are intended for on-track use. This unit allows the rider to shift up or down through the gears without having to work the clutch or close the throttle, eliminating the brief periods where the rider is letting off the gas to shift and thereby affording quicker lap times around the race track.

This can also be adjusted or turned off, too. DSP Ducati Safety Pack: Rather than being a single feature, this refers to different suites of electronics packages that enhance rider safety.

It monitors speed, lean-angle, and riding conditions to optimize rebound and damping, independently adjusting the fork and mono-shock as needed in real-time. The DTC system is also adjustable. DWC Ducati Wheelie Control: As its name suggests, this is a front-wheel-lift mitigation system that prevents the front wheel from lifting off the tarmac under hard acceleration.

Great for track use , but not the most conducive to developing proper throttle control. EBC Engine Braking Control: This is a system that allows you to adjust the amount of engine braking on a bike to better fine-tune corner-entries.

IMU Inertial Measurement Unit: This is a six-axis sensor that measures movement, acceleration, lean, angle, and several other factors to help regulate other electronics elements such as antilock brakes and traction control. The system activates the rear brake and then releases it if the system senses acceleration. Considering you can just use your rear brake, this is admittedly a fairly superfluous feature, but can be helpful for new riders.

R-Spec: This letter denotes a model is a Race version. Desmodromic: Developed by Dr. Ducati has always produced a decidedly different breed of V-Twin engine than its American-made competitors, though , the brand tossed its hat in the cruiser ring with the Diavel.

A truly unique take on the cruiser segment , the base model Diavel is an incredibly powerful motorcycle that highly-unlikely to ever be mistaken with anything else. If the Diavel represented Ducati dipping its toes into cruiser waters, the XDiavel saw the Italian brand full-on dive into the segment. Though they admittedly look very similar, the XDiavel falls much more squarely into the cruiser category, getting a completely redesigned steel trellis frame that utilizes the engine — which has been detuned for more laid-back power delivery — as a stressed member, along with a lower seat height at And, in typical cruiser fashion, the XDiavel has a belt-driven final drive.

Rather than being performance-oriented, the XDiavel S adds a few aesthetic tweaks. The S-spec is treated to machined aluminum mirrors, a premium seat, and glossy-black engine covers with machined timing belt covers.

As manufacturers like Suzuki stepped up to meet the demand with turnkey factory supermoto offerings like the DRZSM, Ducati opted to take a different route, calling on Pierre Terblanche to pen something of a supermoto-inspired sportbike that managed to capture the high-octane-appeal of the road-going MXers. This pretty wonderfully sums up this model, as it really is a wildly versatile, insanely fun ride, right at home on the freeways, city streets, or backroads.

Lastly, the SP is only available in a Ducati Corse-inspired white and red livery. Aside from the addition of a multidirectional quick-shifter, the only difference between the regular and the RVE is the special livery. This sporty naked roadster offers the perfect balance of thrills, practicality, and utility to make it a best seller for the brand for a cool quarter of a century.

The Monster Stealth is a special edition version of the that is essentially just a unique livery. The classic Ducati red — which is the only color the current base model is available in — is replaced by a black-on-black scheme with silver and red accents throughout. Suspension duties go to a 43mm inverted Kayaba fork and a Sachs mono-shocked linked to an aluminum single-sided swing-arm.

A true high-performance S-spec model, this top-shelf version of the Monster gets all the same high-end bells and whistles as the base model while gaining fully-adjustable Ohlins suspension front and back. Like its fully-faired counterpart, the SF V4 generates north of horsepower, more than 90ft-bs of torque, and boasts MotoGP-style aerodynamic winglets that generate a cool 75lbs of downforce at around mph or 20lbs at 93mph. All or so Italian horses are kept in check via a state-of-the-art electronics system, too.

You also get the full track-ready electronics suite, minus the Ducati Data Analyzer, and Ducati Multimedia System, though the bike comes prewired ready for those last two features. Built to cover long miles, the Multistrada base model is still a plenty competent motorcycle, with a cutting-edge engine that benefits from cornering ABS, traction control, multiple ride modes, and vehicle hold control.

With a few add-ons such as luggage or a taller windscreen, this model can also easily be adapted to better lend itself to more specific uses. The right upgrades will also transform the base model into a high-performance off-roader. The Multistrada S Spoked variant is an upgraded version of the base model that, like its monicker suggests, is outfitted with spoked hoops, making this model more conducive to off-road use.

Other goodies on this up-specced model include standard cruise control, a TFT display, and self-canceling indicators. Ducati also sells a regular S-spec of the Multistrada , with the same upgrades, minus the spoked rims and all-terrain tires. With the exception of slide control, the features pretty much every Ducati rider aid. Like the spec, the boasts 6.

In recent years, Ducati has utilized the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb as a stage and proving grounds for several of its high-performance models, including the Multistrada, which was ridden to first place on the American mountain road course in Active suspension offering 7. Tire pressure monitoring, heated grips , auxiliary LED spotlights, touring seat and touring pillion , hard cases and top case, and a taller windscreen all make the Grand Tour ready to eat up endless miles.