Closes for a bit
Bolgna is minus one museum. But not for long, a major refurb is underway…
HESE ARE THE last photographs of Ducati’s museum in Bologna. Days after they were taken, the priceless race bikes were wheeled into storage and the museum doors closed as a huge modernisation project gets underway. Ducati are being cagey about their plans, only saying that the new museum will be bigger, contain all the significant road bikes (at the moment it’s dominated by race bikes) and have more multi-media displays. We think that means tellies. For Ducati fans, this is a big deal because the old museum was bloody lovely. As you walked in you could study Ducati’s first ever bike, the 1946 Cucciolo, and then wander round in a huge circle absorbing Ducati’s history through the medium of racing. Everything was there – from Paul Smart’s 1972 Imola 200-winning 750 to Dovi’s 2015 Motogp Desmosedici with all the Hailwood, Foggy, Bayliss, Stoner and Rossi machinery in between.
TAnd if you fancied a little diversion you could amble into various side rooms and see gems such as the drawing board where Fabio Taglioni drew Ducati’s first V-twin, complete with his actual blueprints (they’re massive – they were drawn actual size, 1:1). ‘If you are into Ducatis this is like a child visiting Willy Wonka’s factory,’ the museum’s curator, Livio Lodi, tells Bike. ‘You look here at this Motogp bike, with over 250bhp and 155kg, maximum speed of 220mph and if you turn your head you can see a small auxiliary engine fitted on a bicycle where it all began.’ So why change it? ‘My priority is to explain Ducati’s heritage to the younger generation. It should be enjoyable like a ride on a motorcycle. We will have more multi-media and new toys that will hopefully convince people to listen to the stories of Ducati.’ The new museum opens briefly in July as part of Ducati’s 90th anniversary celebrations, and then fully in September.