10 Most Stunning Ducati Bikes Ever Made
Ducati has this knack for designing bikes that make us, hardened bikers, really feel issues. And since we do not wish to really feel issues, we’re at all times skeptical of the Italian builder. We take it out on them by saying issues like ‘oh they’re unreliable’ and ‘wait ‘until you need to do the desmodromic valve service.’ However we all know, deep down in our V-twin (sorry, L-twin) hearts that each one these issues do not actually matter. They’re actually lovely machines with engines which have heaps of character. Using a Ducati is to be one with the highway. Each shift, spin of the dry clutch and pull of the throttle reminds us why we love bikes.
However we’re visible creatures at the start, and if we’re being trustworthy with ourselves, we, typically, are inclined to make break up second selections primarily based on seems to be alone. Which is why all of these tasty driving traits can be moot, if Ducati bikes did not seem like works of arts. Historical past is riddled with bikes that had been superb to journey, however had been esthetically divisive and unpopular. However Ducatis are sculptures, seemingly created by a grasp artist. What’s extra, they’re shifting sculptures, an artwork kind that we are able to all comprehend and expertise first hand.
10 Ducati 999
Bike standing in darkish room.
Generally you need to take an enormous swing. Generally it is a homerun. And different occasions it is a swing and a miss. Ducati is type of recognized for making huge swings of their design language. Such was the case with the 999. It solely lasted three measly years. That ought to let you know one thing about its reputation, however artwork is subjective, and will problem those who expertise it.
The 999 got here after the very talked-about vary of Ducati bikes, specifically the 916, 996 and the 998, which had been designed by Massimo Tamburini and had been beloved the world over. However the controversy over the 999 styling can probably be attributed to the way in which ahead-of-its-time headlight design. And in case you take a look at what Suzuki is doing with their GSX-8S and Yamaha with MT-09, maybe now’s the time to offer the 999 some overdue credit score.
9 Ducati TT2 600
Classic pink bike on stand.
This racing bike, primarily based on the Ducati Pantah, seems to be prefer it means enterprise. The fairing, the display, the livery and the seat cowl all have a really genuine early 80s design. There’s the pink paint, after all, indicative of it being a Ducati, however the retro Ducati emblem, together with the racing quantity and yellow accents, give this beast a troublesome however delicate brutalist look that is half Terminator, half supermodel. And we’re not totally positive how Ducati managed to drag that off.
8 Ducati 1199 Panigale
Bike on stand on avenue.
When Ducati designed the Panigale, they in some way had been capable of make it look minimalist with all of that busy work beneath the fairing, and it’s maybe the fairing that’s the reason. It creates this very engaging, shiny pink wedge that’s instantly pleasing to the attention.
Even in case you’re not a fan of bikes, you’ll be able to see that nice thought was put into the design of it. And the very best piece of the bike is the upswept rear seat which seems to be paper-thin. The only swing arm additionally cleans up a variety of the rear wheel space. It was one in all Ducati’s most deceptively easy designs that instantly set it other than its Japanese opponents.
7 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled
Bike standing in white room, going through proper.
Ducati’s Scrambler line of bikes was so common, they spun it off into its personal model. There at the moment are a number of fashions, with various engines and kinds, however the very best wanting needs to be the Desert Sled. Right here, Ducati embraced the scrambler esthetics wholeheartedly by elevating the suspension and the entrance fender. It additionally gave it the very best colour schemes in the complete lineup. The entire package deal seems to be prefer it was totally thought-out, and the knobby tires, single spherical headlight and the upswept seat produce an undeniably engaging silhouette.
6 Ducati 500 Sport Desmo
Basic Bike Standing in white room on stand going through proper.
This classic Ducati ought to look acquainted to anybody with even a floor data of flat monitor racing. No, it did not actually race on filth, nevertheless it positive seemed like flat monitor racers from the 70s. Particularly conspicuous was the raised seat cowl. Add to that the white racing stripe, and also you had your self a enjoyable avenue bike that stood out within the crowd of typical Japanese requirements and American cruisers. It wasn’t significantly common and did not final very lengthy, however its DNA might be seen in lots of different Ducatis over time, together with one in all their best-selling ones, the Monster.
5 Ducati 916
Three bikes on stands in white Ducati museum room.
The 916 is a real basic. It was designed by the legendary Massimo Tamburini, who was an vital element of the Bimota bike model. He ultimately wound up at Ducati and the remaining was historical past. And his creation, the 916, must be thought-about an actual murals, by means of and thru.
There are some genius touches on this mannequin, beginning with the body breaking apart the pink of the tank, aspect panels and seat from the decrease fairing. The tank and the seat have fantastically sculpted shapes and all of the ugly guts of the bike are tucked away from sight, together with the exhausts which had been positioned below the seat. There’s simply the minimalist white lettering and an enormous slab of attractive pink. A easy but considerate execution.
4 Ducati Sportclassic 1000 S
Inventory studio picture of a pink 2007 Ducati SportClassic Sport 1000 S cafe racer bike going through left on a black background.
Earlier than MVAgusta’s Superveloce and Triumph’s Velocity Triple 1200 RR, there was the Ducati Sportclassic 1000 S. In 2005, Ducati as soon as once more discovered themselves forward of time. This fashion of “trendy basic” would not actually turn into common till the subsequent decade was in full swing. Sure, Café Racers had been coming into trend even again then, with Triumph spearheading the revival, nevertheless it was nonetheless very a lot a distinct segment market. Nonetheless, it was one breathtaking machine, made solely higher with the addition of the entrance fairing. It seemed sufficiently retro to play on nostalgia coronary heart strings, although it was a contemporary bike beneath.
3 Ducati Monster 696
Bike on aspect stand going through proper.
Ducati has a variety of common bikes, equivalent to their ever-expanding lineup of Scramblers. However none could also be extra common than the Monster. Ducati has not too long ago made headlines by utterly redesigning their prized bare roadster, and never everybody was pleased with what they’d give you (#NotOurMonster!). And although we do suppose that the brand new model in the end seems to be fairly darn good, there’s simply one thing in regards to the funky seems to be of the 696 that we will not get out of our heads.
Perhaps it is the pink trellis body or the chunky raised exhausts that made the 696 seem like nothing else available on the market on the time. It seemed like scaffolding that was about to fold in, and we beloved it. Industrial, mechanical and analog in all the very best methods potential, the 696 seemed prefer it was lovingly inbuilt somebody’s storage out of the very best Ducati spare elements.
2 Ducati Streetfighter V4 Lamborghini
Bike standing subsequent to sport automobile in darkish room.
This was a gimmick. We knew it. You knew it. Everybody knew it. However that did not cease Ducati from sticking the touchdown like a boss. The Streetfighter is a putting bike to start with. Add to that the insane colour scheme that made you consider the opposite loopy Italian automaker, Lamborghini. There are solely 630 fashions made for most people and an extra 63 items reserved particularly for Lamborghini homeowners.
Merely put, it’s beautiful. The ‘Citrea Inexperienced’ paint is similar used for the Huracán STO, and it seems to be supremely additional. We urge you to go to the Ducati official web site the place you’ll be able to rotate the Streetfighter round 360 levels, and see for your self what the designers had been capable of obtain. And in case you had the cash, however did not know this existed, you are out of luck. This dangerous boy is not in manufacturing, although you might be able to discover one up for public sale, in case you’re very affected person and really fortunate.
1 Ducati Desert X
Ducati DesertX open air static shot
There’s nothing else on this checklist just like the Ducati Desert X. Perhaps the Scrambler Desert Sled, however even that has a very completely different look to it. The Desert X is a brand new machine. And though Ducati has an journey bike within the type of the Multistrada V4, this was their try to get into the ADV market in earnest. Ever since they revealed the primary photographs of the unique idea again in 2019, the biking world waited with bated breath when Ducati would unveil the ultimate model.
Fortunately, the ultimate type of the bike wasn’t too far off from what everybody had fallen in love with. And it is attention-grabbing to notice how completely different this mannequin is from all the things else that Ducati has produced up till now. Gone was the reliance on pink. Round twin lights had been added, and the general form recalled the easiest of the old fashioned Dakar racers. And but the design did not lean into the fashionable retro traits, like Royal Enfield did with the Himalayan. It’s a distinctive, good-looking and chic design that solely Ducati might ever probably conceive.
