INSIDE BOLOGNA ‘DUCATI CUT THEIR OWN GEARS – FROM THE 125’S TRANSMISSION TO THE 750’S CAM-DRIVE BEVELS’
DUCATI’S ENTRY into the superbike market has succeeded in turning a lot of heads. The overhead-cam, 750cc, 90° V-twin engine, the rakish styling, and the 1-2 win at Imola, from a marque which had been floundering in America, aroused my curiosity to the point of visiting Ducati while in Europe this autumn.
After getting thoroughly lost in the rather interesting city of Bologna, we finally found the gate of Ducati Meccanica, where we were met by Mr Bruno de Prato. Being both a PR man for Ducati and a motorcycle journalist, Mr de Prato was quite well versed in colloquial English and motorcycles. And as a cordial host and guide, he made our tour quite informative and interesting.
Until recently, all of Ducati was housed in an old brick factory. Today, adjoining the old works, is a brand-new structure. Although it is not yet completed, production is going on in the new quarters. The new plant has many advantages. It’s light and airy, and the machines are spaced so that everyone has enough room to work.
Most of the factory’s machines, such as the one that matches the 750’s engine cases, are brand new. All the old machines are being replaced. The floor has a special plastic coating which keeps dust out of the air, to the advantage of both workers and motorcycles. A completely automated parts retrieval system is being installed, in which the operator simply dials the parts number and quantity to get what he needs.
As we walked around the plant, we learned quite a bit abut Ducati. For example, Ducati, unlike other motorcycle manufacturers, cut their own gears. This includes everything from the 125’s transmission to the 750’s cam-drive bevels. And besides motorcycles, Ducati also builds a line of outboard motors, as well as the world’s first all-aluminium diesel industrial motor.
At one point in our tour, we saw a woman inserting main bearings into the engine cases of a 750. Observing her was a group of men. Pointing to the tallest, Mr de Prato said to us: “That’s The Wizard!” He was referring to Fabio Taglioni, the man responsible for the design of the new 750 and, for that matter, most of Ducati’s other products.
Mr de Prato, who once turned down a high offer from another motorcycle manufacturer to work under Taglioni, spoke reverentially of the man. “His design and engineering genius are unequalled. Do you know, he can even operate a lathe? It was his spirit and strength that kept Ducati going in the bad years... and the new designs!”
That spirit is reflected in the newest version of the 750 – the 750 Sport. This model has a hotter engine (lightened, compression ratio up to 9.5:1 32mm Dell’orto carbs), dual disc brakes up front, single disc at the rear, clip-ons, rearsets, a special tank and seat, and an attitude and appearance that are definitely Italian.
A worker was putting the final touches on a new 750 Sport. He then wheeled it out for some pictures. It is a beautiful machine, well designed and superbly executed. The engine, which looks so strange at first, begins to make sense once you’re used to it, and by the time I got through photographing the bike I was up for a test ride. But a heavy and persistent thunderstorm put a damper on that.
The last room in the new plant contained some different versions of the 750 GT, with new tanks, side covers and paint combinations in an effort to refine the styling of the 750. Future cosmetics will include some engine paint, too. Also in this room were quantities of the other machines Ducati makes. There were 450R/TS, 450 café racers, plus 350, 250 and 125cc street and trail machines, which were the mainstay of Ducati till now. Compared to Honda or Kawasaki, Ducati is very, very small. The management of Ducati knows, however, that it is not their role to compete with these heavies and their mass-produced, mass-appeal motorcycles. Instead they will continue in the tradition of hand-building special motorcycles for the individualist. In a cookie-cutter world, it is unusual for a business to adopt this approach, much less succeed at it. That is the spirit of Ducati, expressed by the people who work there, embodied in the new 750.
Our tour was drawing to a close. First a visit to Mr de Prato’s boss, who proudly showed us a safety award from Transportation Secretary John Volpe. On the way to the gate, more info: Taglioni is working on a 750 small enough for a dirt bike... production of the 750 is going from 2500 this year to 5000 next... Then there are warm goodbyes and we drive off into the rainy Italian evening, me left wondering how I am going to get one of those lovely 750 Sports...