My 2009 Trip to the Ducati Factory
Scrolling through old pictures is something I'm sure we all do. At some time or another, we are all going to look back and relive some moments from the past. Well by accident, I found myself doing just that on yet another rainy day. Let's go back to 2009... I had a friend who traveled to Bologna, Italy, for a 4-month internship. It was the perfect opportunity for me to visit Europe since I had never been there! I had an amazing trip, exploring Venice, Florence, Rome and of course Bologna. Playing tourist is so much fun, and exploring new places is absolutely amazing.
At that time, I was fresh out of school so it had been a while since I had been on a bike. There was a period of time that I was 'sans bike' and I think I lost myself a bit during that time! Then, my friend made a wonderful suggestion towards the end of my trip - "let's go check out the Ducati factory". And so, us two young ladies in our early twenties ventured to the Ducati factory and museum in Italy and opened our eyes to a whole new world.
Our fabulous tour guide took us through a detailed trip through time. We ventured through room after room that highlighted over 50 years of Ducati history, including items that were made by the infamous Ducati brothers before they ventured into making motorcycles in 1946.
The tour took us from the Ducati's of the 50's - we're talking the Marianna 100 and 125 Gran Sports, to the tri-camshaft racing twin, and then we were looking at single cylinder bikes, and then v-twins (stop to wipe drool here). All of this was before I was even born!
Finally, we entered another room that highlighted motorcycles manufactured in my era - the 80's. I learned how the four-valve Desmodromic engine revolutionized the modern Ducati, and how Ducati had a pivotal role in the World Superbike Championship. As the only twin-cylinder motorcycle racing in the series when it was created in 1988, Ducati's unsurpassed technology combined with their tubular chassis contributed to the brand dominating the series starting in the 90's.
Walking past rows of bikes, I saw the 851's, 888's, and 961's that ultimately contributed to history using exceptional technology combined with the excellent racing skills of their riders, Lucchinelli, Roche, Polen, Fogarty, Corser, Bayliss to name a few.
I thought the tour was over after we entered the last room, highlighting Ducati's return to Moto GP in 2003, but we then continued to the factory to see how the bikes were manufactured and produced. The tour was amazing, overwhelming, and life altering. Within a year, I purchased my first road bike, and although it wasn't a Ducati, I made sure it had a v-twin engine!
At that time, I was fresh out of school so it had been a while since I had been on a bike. There was a period of time that I was 'sans bike' and I think I lost myself a bit during that time! Then, my friend made a wonderful suggestion towards the end of my trip - "let's go check out the Ducati factory". And so, us two young ladies in our early twenties ventured to the Ducati factory and museum in Italy and opened our eyes to a whole new world. Our fabulous tour guide took us through a detailed trip through time. We ventured through room after room that highlighted over 50 years of Ducati history, including items that were made by the infamous Ducati brothers before they ventured into making motorcycles in 1946. The tour took us from the Ducati's of the 50's - we're talking the Marianna 100 and 125 Gran Sports, to the tri-camshaft racing twin, and then we were looking at single cylinder bikes, and then v-twins (stop to wipe drool here). All of this was before I was even born!
Finally, we entered another room that highlighted motorcycles manufactured in my era - the 80's. I learned how the four-valve Desmodromic engine revolutionized the modern Ducati, and how Ducati had a pivotal role in the World Superbike Championship. As the only twin-cylinder motorcycle racing in the series when it was created in 1988, Ducati's unsurpassed technology combined with their tubular chassis contributed to the brand dominating the series starting in the 90's.
Walking past rows of bikes, I saw the 851's, 888's, and 961's that ultimately contributed to history using exceptional technology combined with the excellent racing skills of their riders, Lucchinelli, Roche, Polen, Fogarty, Corser, Bayliss to name a few.I thought the tour was over after we entered the last room, highlighting Ducati's return to Moto GP in 2003, but we then continued to the factory to see how the bikes were manufactured and produced. The tour was amazing, overwhelming, and life altering. Within a year, I purchased my first road bike, and although it wasn't a Ducati, I made sure it had a v-twin engine!
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