Ducati is as Italian as Ferrari or Lamborghini, pasta or Roman historical past and, for the reason that early Nineteen Seventies, the bikes from Bologna have additionally been recognized for his or her velocity, because of the long-lasting 90° V-Twin engine. Ducati sports activities bikes have all the time had three issues in widespread: they’ve virtually all the time been purple, they’ve been quick they usually’ve been very horny.

Modern Ducati sports bikes are some of the best and most technological bikes on the planet, they usually’ve additionally been vastly profitable in racing, whether or not in World Superbikes or in MotoGP. On the eve of a second consecutive MotoGP World Championship, it’s time to look again on the quickest Ducati fashions.

In order to provide the newest and correct info attainable, the info used to compile this text was sourced from Ducati and different authoritative sources. The fashions on this record had been organized chronologically, in accordance with their manufacturing years.

10 Ducati 750 Super Sport

Production Years: 1974 – 1975

Following the introduction of the 750GT mannequin, which was the primary to obtain the brand new 90° V-Twin Ducati engine, Ducati entered a modified racing model into the 1972 Imola 200 race and promptly gained, bringing large publicity to the small Italian producer. To construct on this success, the corporate launched the 750 Super Sport mannequin, full with a small ‘bikini’ fairing and a transparent, unpainted stripe on the glass fiber petrol tank, so the gasoline degree might be seen at a look.

This bike was one of many most important motorcycles Ducati has ever made. The engine produced 70 horsepower and 52 pounds-feet of torque and the mannequin introduced Ducati as a producer of sports activities superbikes. Only 400 had been inbuilt ’round-case’, desmodromic kind, making them vastly uncommon and collectible at the moment.

Ducati 750 Super Sport Specifications

9 Ducati 900 Super Sport

Production Years: 1975 – 1981

The original 750cc Super Sport model of 1974 set Ducati on the trail to constructing uncompromising sports activities bikes for the street. The engine was enlarged to 864cc for 1975 and the 900 SS was one of the vital single-minded sporting superbikes that ever took to the street.

Essentially a street-legal manufacturing racer, it was quick, uncooked, and uncompromising, with glorious dealing with and braking, a bellowing soundtrack from the Conti mufflers, and a prime velocity of 135mph. A comparatively lengthy wheelbase made it supremely steady, and it was merely one of the vital fascinating bikes of the Nineteen Seventies.

Ducati 900 Super Sport Specifications

8 Ducati 851

Production Years: 1986 – 1989

While there have been Ducati V-Twin sports activities bikes earlier than the 851, it was this bike that may be seen as the daddy of the fashionable Ducati sports activities bike idea. In the early Eighties, Ducati was struggling financially and the buy-out by Cagiva gave Ducati not solely renewed cash for R&D but additionally entry to four-valve expertise that had been developed for the Cagiva Desmoquattro.

When the cylinder heads from that engine had been grafted onto the Ducati Pantah engine, with its belt drive for the camshafts relatively than the bevel gear drive of earlier Ducati V-twins, the resulting 851 model made Ducati as soon as once more aggressive in racing, with Raymond Roche taking Ducati’s first World Superbike title in 1990, ending runner up in ’91 and ’92.

Ducati 851 Specifications

7 Ducati 888

Production Years: 1991 – 1994

In 1991, Ducati increased the displacement of the 851 to create the 888 because of the fixed quest for a greater unfold of energy and torque and, subsequently, additional racing success. In this, they had been profitable as, whereas Roche was ending second in each 1991 and ’92 in World Superbikes, American rider Doug Polen took the championship title in each these years with the 888.

The racing was good and this was mirrored within the success of the 888 within the showrooms, the street model of the 888 being little or no totally different from the racing model. Losing the title to Kawasaki compelled Ducati again to the drafting board, creating one of many best motorbike designs of all time.

Ducati 888 Specifications

6 Ducati 916

Production Years: 1994 – 1998

Frequently described as one of the most beautiful motorcycles of all time, the 916 was designed by Massimo Tamburini and was bodily smaller than the 888. While the engine produced much less energy than the four-cylinder Japanese rivals, it had a wider unfold of torque, serving to acceleration. However, it was the aesthetic design of the 916 that basically set it aside from the competitors.

The single-sided swing arm, under-seat exhausts, twin squared-off headlights, and placing fairing all mixed to create a particular however stunning motorbike. Even extra considerably, the 916 gained the World Superbike Championship 4 instances, in 1994, ’95, ’96, and ’98, three titles going to Carl Fogarty and one to Troy Corser.

Ducati 916 Specifications

5 Ducati 996

Production Years: 1999 – 2002

A development of the 916, with a bigger displacement engine and a bunch of refinements to the 916 package deal, together with inner engine adjustments, modified chassis, lighter wheels, higher brakes, and absolutely adjustable suspension. From 1999, there have been three totally different fashions of the 996: a base, or Biposto; the 996S with Ohlins suspension; the 996SPS (Sports Production Special, Europe solely) which had a extra highly effective engine and fewer weight because of some titanium and carbon fiber elements. The 996 continued the World Superbike success, with a fourth title for Carl Fogarty in 1999 and Troy Bayliss in 2001.

Ducati 996 Specifications

4 Ducati 998

Production Years: 2002 – 2004

The ultimate variation of the 916 idea. The 998 was powered by the Testastretta V-Twin engine, which was fully new from the crankshaft up however the principle change was to the cylinder heads: Testastretta means ‘narrow head’ and the valve angle was decreased from 40° to 25°. Both horsepower and torque elevated because of this.

The typical vary of fashions, from the ‘base’ Strada to the 998R and the 998S. Uniquely for a Ducati sports activities bike, it had no vital World Superbike success and, regardless that it was a 996 that was used within the movie The Matrix Reloaded, the next restricted version replicas, finished in dark green, were actually 998 models.

Ducati 998 Specifications

3 Ducati 999

Production Years: 2003 – 2006

A complete re-design by Pierre Terblanche, which met with blended critiques, largely as a result of stacked entrance headlight design, which was necessitated by U.S laws that stated a motorbike headlight needed to be at a sure peak. The engine remained largely unchanged, aside from some tweaking to extend horsepower and torque. It was – and nonetheless is – acknowledged as one of many most interesting dealing with sports activities bikes of its time.

MCN journal of the U.Okay. known as it “simply the best V-Twin on the planet”, and “the most desirable, most exciting road bike on the planet.” Three extra World Superbike titles got here Ducati’s approach: one every for Neil Hodgson, James Toseland, and Troy Bayliss. Interestingly, the 999 had a double-sided swing arm which, in accordance with Terblanche, was a lot stiffer for a given weight than a single-sided swing arm.

Ducati 999 Specifications

2 Ducati 1098

Production Years: 2007 – 2009

The 999 was getting a bit of breathless in comparison with rivals from Japan and Ducati argued that preserving the 999 aggressive can be too costly. With that in thoughts, Ducati lobbied the FIM, the world legislative physique for motorbike sport, for a change within the guidelines allowing twin-cylinder engines to have an higher displacement restrict of 1200cc, relatively than 1000cc that the inline fours had been restricted to, threatening to withdraw if this was not granted.

The 1098 shares extra design components with the 998 than the visually unloved 999, marking a return to twin side-by-side headlights and a single-sided swing arm, largely resulting from buyer calls for and never for any sensible motive. It truly made some of us search inspiration from older models in complete customizations. At the time of its launch, the 1098R, with a 1198cc engine, had the very best torque-to-weight ratio of any manufacturing sport bike ever made, with 99.1 pounds-feet pushing alongside 407 kilos of weight.

Ducati 1098 Specifications

1 Ducati 1199 Panigale

Production Years: 2012 – 2014

The first Ducati sports activities bike to have a reputation in addition to a quantity. Borgo Panigale was the district of Bologna, Italy, the place the Ducati manufacturing facility is located and the Panigale title was adopted to have a good time this truth. At the time of its launch, Ducati claimed that the 1199 Panigale was the world’s most powerful production twin-cylinder engine motorcycle, with 195 horsepower at 10,750 rpm, and 98.1 pounds-feet of torque at 9000 rpm.

With a claimed curb weight of 414 kilos, Ducati stated the 1199 had the very best power-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratios of any manufacturing motorbike. The engine was used as a confused member of the body, which allowed the Panigale to be smaller and lighter than the outgoing 1198.

Ducati 1199 Panigale Specifications

Sources: Ducati, Motorcycle.com, Motorcyclenews.com, Cycleworld.com