Ducati – why V-twins?

Play word association with a group of motorcyclists and say Ducati and see what the first words they say will be… In the UK, they’ll most likely be ‘red’, ‘V-twin’ and ‘Foggy,’ probably in that order. But Ducatis weren’t always V-twins. And they weren’t always red either.

During the 1950s, Ducati built a raft of single cylinder models – and they were good too, spawning racers which were still performing credibly into the late 1960s, against supposedly vastly ‘superior’ machinery. But superb though these Desmodromic twovalvers were, with their bevel driven overhead camshaft, by the 1970s the market was changing and something new was needed. But what to do? While across the frame fours were what was in vogue, Ducati went and did its own thing – a V-twin, although more of an L-twin, really.

It was actually based on an aborted 500cc GP racer, a model that made a couple of appearances, before the reality that a four-stroke V-twin didn’t have a prayer against the incoming wave of two-cylinder multis. And really, the roadgoing Ducati shouldn’t have had a hope, either.

Thing was, though, right from the off they were superb and soon attracted a loyal following. Awesome model followed awesome model; the stylish GT, the beautiful original 750SS and then, in 1978, Mike Hailwood (by then an old man with a dodgy leg but actually, whatever hyperbole wants to tell you about Rossi and his GOAT status, Hailwood was the GOAT) only went and won (ironically, what Vale wasn’t able to do, win on a Ducati…) a TT on one of the things. Remarkable. Legend status was assured all round. Ducati were now V-twin makers.