If you bought a Ducati Monster, Supersport, or XDiavel in the past few years, you may have gotten hosed…rear brake hosed, that is.
Affecting 5,909 motorcycles, Ducati North America is recalling the Monster 797 (2017-2020), Monster 821 (2018-2020), Monster 1200 (2017-2020), Supersport (2017-2020), and XDiavel (2016-2020) models because their rear brake hose line may allow air into the braking system.
As predicted, Audi has dropped its Q1 2021 financials report, which means we get a glimpse into Ducati’s first quarter results for the year – and more specifically, which segments in Ducati’s lineup are performing (or not).
As we teased earlier this week, sales are strong for the Italian brand. Ducati is posting a 33% gain over 2020’s dismal numbers, but more importantly, Ducati still managed to show a 2% gain against the first quarter of 2019.
Episode 202 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this show covers the on-track action from the Spanish GP, as well as the fallout after the checkered flag waved.
On the mics, we have Steve English, Neil Morrison, David Emmett, and Adam Wheeler, as the trio discusses the MotoGP action from Jerez.
The next iteration of an Italian legend, the Ducati Monster sees a clean-slate design enter the very hot middleweight-twin category for the 2021 model year.
The Monster faces steep competition in this space, with plenty of stout offerings coming from European brands, which aggressively balance features against price.
Ducati has given us a strong offering though, with the new Monster making 110hp and costing south of $12,000 – right in line with the other heavy-hitters in the segment.
But what about what is not included in the spec-sheet? Well, that is why we are in San Francisco today, riding the 2021 Ducati Monster on a fun coastal route to see how it rolls in the real world.
At the end of this week, Audi will release its official Q1 report for investors, which means that on Friday, we will get to see a fairly detailed view of how Ducati Motor Holding has fared in 2021 thus far.
Why wait until the end of the week though? A&R has an advanced look at those numbers now, with the Bologna brand touting a 33% increase in worldwide sales, compared to Q1 2020.
When it comes to iconic motorcycles, the Ducati Supermono ranks high on the list. Only a handful of these unique single-cylinder machine exist, and they fetch a pretty penny when they come on the market.
The man behind the machine is equally renowned, as Pierre Terblanche has been responsible for designing and creating no shortage of highly coveted and unique motorcycles, the most famous of which came during his time at Ducati (the Hypermotard, Multistrada, MH900E, 999 Superbike, and of course the Supermono).
Sitting down with Brian Case, a well-known motorcycle designer in his own right, and one of the founding partners of Motus Motorcycles, we get today’s video interview.
The Ducati Multistrada V4 has been making waves in the adventure-touring space since its debut last month, but for some unlucky owners, that fun is about to come to a stop.
This is because Ducati has found quality issues with the valve guides on some of the V4 Granturismo motors, which could lead to excessive wear and could cause the engine to lose power and ultimately fail at the head.
Episode 192 of the Paddock Pass Podcast is out, and this one is a special show with the Ducati Corse factory MotoGP team riders, Jack Miller and Pecco Bagnaia.
Joining the Ducati boys on the mics, we have Steve English, David Emmett, and Neil Morrison, and they provide some analysis to what Miller and Bagnaia have to say during their interviews.
It was strange to see another press release from Ducati Motor Holding about the 2020 sales year – you would think that the Italian brand would like to forget about the 9.7% sales drop it reported for last year.
Like virtually every other motorcycle brand in the industry, last year was tough on unit sales, though there were some very promising trends later in the season. As such, everyone is trying to spin the events and put their best foot forward – Ducati included.
So while it is at least strange to see the Bologna brand touting its cash flow results for 2020, one can at least understand why they are doing so.
What is more interesting though are some of the tidbits Ducati released in the process, which shows an insight into the company’s operations and trends.
Episode 57 of the Brap Talk motorcycle podcast is out with another weekly episode, for your two-wheeled listening pleasure.
Things start off with a conversation about automatic gearboxes on motorcycles, as Jensen continues to play with the DCT version of the Africa Twin 1100 Sport ES, and we wonder why we don’t see more DCT/automatics in the motorcycle industry.
I often feel like the Ducati SuperSport 950 is the forgotten model in the Italian brand’s lineup of machines. Maybe it’s the Panigale-esque styling, maybe it’s the diminutive 108hp (81 kW) rating, or maybe the crossover sport bike with touring bags thing.
Whatever the case may be, the handsome little motorcycle is an interesting niche in Ducati’s range of motorcycles, and for the 2021 model year, it gets a welcomed refresh.
With a bevy of photos coming from its European launch, I thought it worth some time to talk about this odd duck from Borgo Panigale.