We are mad about the Ducati and proud of it! Here’s a bit of Ducati history for those of you who share our passion for this Italian masterpiece.
Ducati was co-founded in the 1920s in Italy by Antonio Cavalieri Ducati. His three sons – Adriano, Bruno and Marcello – joined the family business. In the 1920s, they worked on short-wave radio transmission equipment, and in the 1930s one of their most popular products was the Ducati radio. It wasn’t until the 1940s that the first Ducati motorcycle – the Cucciolo – rolled off the production line. The factory was bombed during World War 2, but fortunately production restarted immediately after the war. In 1949 the first real complete motorcycle, the Ducati 60, was manufactured.
In 1954 the design and engineering genius Fabio Taglioni joined the company and developed the Ducati Gran Sport. They smashed 46 speed records in 1956 with the Ducati Siluro, thanks to the introduction of the Desmodromic system. Thanks to this success, the production range was widened. 1968 saw the introduction of the Ducati Scrambler, which was hugely popular in Italy. Fabio Taglioni then developed the first Ducati with the L engine configuration, the Ducati Apollo, in 1963
Ducati’s first maxi-motorcycle, the 750 GT, appeared in the 1970s. This was an era of win after win on the tourist circuit in Europe. The pinnacle was Marco Lucchinellis’ win in the 1988 Superbike World Championship, racing a Ducati 851. The latest Desmodromic engine was also released in the 1980s.
Ducati’s Monster was released in 1993, followed quickly by the beautifully designed Ducati 916. In the 2000s, Ducati debuted in the MotoGP. Troy Bayliss took out three consecutive World Superbike Titles and really put Ducati on the map as a speed and performance machine. Casey Stoner’s win at the 2007 MotoGP World Championship clinched the deal.
2010 saw Ducati’s entry into the cruiser market with the Ducati XDiavel, and the Ducatia Multistrada is released. And in a blast from the past, the Ducati Scrambler was renewed and reintroduced to a new generation of Ducati fans worldwide.
Why not be part of the Ducati story with a few days of touring North Queensland’s magnificent Atherton Tablelands on one of our rental motorcycles? Just a little over 1 hour from Cairns but a world away from the grind of the city, you’ll escape the heat of the coast for the cool of the Tablelands with its rolling hills, winding roads and open vistas. Contact us today to discuss accommodation, rental and hire options.