ducati

The automotive world is certainly changing. Riders are getting older yet bikes are getting bigger. Adventure bikes and touring bikes are getting bigger and we've more or less seen the demise of the litre sports bike. 

The government tell us that by 2030 there will be no more <50cc petrol motorcycles and by 2040, no more petrol bikes. 

In this increasingly regulated world, I’ve gotta say the Ducati Hypermotard Mono is a breath of fresh air. 

Ducati is a brand close to my heart. They are one of the most recognisable and aspirational brands in the world. They have achieved incredible success in both motorsport and on the showroom floor, creating some of the best and most beautiful bikes ever to grace the highways and byways. 

I was recently given the opportunity to ride the Desert X and Hypermoto Mono at a Ducati media day, That’s an invitation I’m not going to turn down.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you put a V4 superbike engine into an adventure bike chassis? 

Ducati has done exactly this with the Multistrada V4 and its derivatives. 

I had the pleasure of Ducati's Multistrada V4 S’s company recently for a couple of weeks, and when I say it was a pleasure, I mean it. 

Powerful engines, unmistakable design, innovative technologies and a burning passion for motorcycles: That is the credo of Ducati, the most desirable brand for powerful two-wheel products.

I was recently lucky enough to taste some of Ducati's delicious offerings for a couple of hours on a press day. One of the delights was the Panigale V2, named after the district of Borgo Panigale, home of Ducati.

When Ducati first released details of the Desert X, I presumed it would be a styling exercise based on an existing platform; Multistrada perhaps. How wrong was I?

I’ve only managed a brief 45-minute ride so far, so this is just my initial thoughts and some technical details.

Ducati’s Diavel has been with us for over 10 years now. 

In those 10 years I'venever ridden one, it's a bike that hasn't particularly caught my eye much, but I recently had the chance to have the new 1260 S on test so I thought I’d give it a go and see what all the fuss was about. All of the reviews I read have praised the Diavel so I must be missing out, let's see what it's all about. 

In the car world, manufacturers spend huge amounts of money trying to design cars that will appeal to everyone and offend no one, in an effort to capture as many sales as possible. The end result is a sea of anonymous SUV’s that all look broadly similar and have very few stand out characteristics. They are little more than white goods. 

Ducati’s Scrambler is cool. Ducati designed it to be cool, creating a Scrambler sub-brand in the Ducati lineup from its introduction in 2015. Scrambler is a lifestyle choice, more than just a motorcycle. “Ducati Scrambler is the essence of motorcycling and a world filled with freedom, joy and self-expression.”

With 158bhp on tap, Ducati’s Multistrada 1260S is a fast bike. It blurs the boundary between an adventure bike and a sports tourer, and I love it.

The Multistrada 1260 uses the 1262cc engine is a Diavel-derived motor with new mapping and exhaust. What a great engine this is, characterful and bags of power and torque, making 85% of its 130Nm torque from just 3500rpm. 

With the decline is sports bike sales, manufacturers have had to look elsewhere. They have had to find more creative ways to sell motorcycles and one of the ways has been to develop categories such as adventure and retro bikes. That's brilliant for me, I love both.