Ducati Motorcycles

Ducati began life in Bologna in 1926 not as a motorcycle company at all, but as Società Scientifica Radio Brevetti Ducati, a radio-components manufacturer founded by Antonio Cavalieri Ducati and his three sons, Adriano, Marcello, and Bruno. It was Adriano's early work on long-distance radio transmission that gave the family firm its start. The company's move into powered two-wheelers came after the Second World War, with the 1946 Cucciolo, a small four-stroke auxiliary engine designed to be fitted to an ordinary bicycle - a practical, affordable answer to Italy's post-war transport shortage, and Ducati's first product built at its now-famous Borgo Panigale plant. From that modest bicycle-engine beginning, Ducati grew into one of the most storied names in performance motorcycling, particularly known for its desmodromic-valve V-twin (and later V4) engines and a long, decorated history in World Superbike racing.