Out of all the Italian motorcycle companies that have come and gone over the years, one stands tall as a fan favorite right up until today. Ducati's history is far from perfect though, after experiencing several ups and downs they have only recently experienced some form of stability as a subsidiary of the VW Group. One thing that makes them stand out from the crowd is the fact that they are still making their bikes by hand. It is an expensive, time-consuming, and error-prone process, a process that injects a certain soul into their machines, too.
Their bikes will never be perfect as long as they remain hand made, but it is the only way to infuse the “character” we all fall in love with.
10 900 MHR
During one of the brand's several “comeback” periods, they made the exceptionally good 750 and 900 Super Sport bikes.
Although the 750 didn’t experience much sales success, the 900 did, and it was a 900 that Mike “The Bike” Hailwood famously rode to an Isle of Man TT victory in what was a comeback story of his own. That replica lives on as one of Ducati’s greatest bikes ever made while they were still an independent manufacturer.
9 Desmosedici RR
Up until the early 00s, MotoGP bikes remained completely inaccessible. As far as the general public were concerned, they were basically small spacecraft. In fact, some spacecraft were actually cheaper…
Until Ducati gave us this machine at the perfect moment. Although it had been in development, or de-homologation if you will, it came out the year Casey Stoner won the one and only MotoGP riders' championship title Ducati have ever won. Although it cost $70,000 new, they had no trouble shifting the 1,500 bikes. A not-so-limited edition.
8 1199 Panigale R
Early bikes usually have their teething issues, case in point being any new Ducati V4. But the 1199 was a tried and tested powerplant, which made these Panigale bikes some of the most reliable Ducatis ever made.
That is a relative statement, because even the worst Japanese manufacturer would not be caught dead selling these machines.
7 Hypermotard
Large displacement motards/supermotos have seemingly gone out of fashion these days, with Aprilia discontinuing the Dorosoduro and nobody else offering anything new.
Ducati continues to offer the Hypermotard for good reason, though, it has one purpose and one purpose only; to have fun. It is one of the few bikes unashamed of what it is, and that is what makes it one of the best new Ducatis money can buy.
6 MH900e
In commemoration of the famous Hailwood victory, Ducati used a brand-new tool to market and sell their new, limited edition bike; the internet. Back in 2000 the internet was still a fairly new, untested concept, but their idea worked so well they sold the first 1,000 bikes designated for 2001 delivery in half an hour.
The other 1,000 designated for 2002 were also sold in a matter of weeks, this ploy was so successful that they tried to make a full range of retro bikes in the early 2000s, unfortunately for them the market was not ready for this, and they flopped rather spectacularly.
5 Multistrada 1260 Enduro
The old V-twin Multistrada went out with a bang, the Enduro version was also the pick of the bunch, bringing a new element to what was traditionally looked at as a more on road oriented sport tourer.
It turned out to be their first real, large displacement Adventure bike, and although the V4 that replaced it is also very good, to get it to that Adventure bike spec you will need to fork out close to $30,000.
4 Streetfighter V4S
Another $30,000 bike we would argue is actually worth every dollar is the new Streetfighter. It might seem a little biased that we include a second new Ducati on the list, but in years to come we may well reflect on this being a golden era for the brand.
It was a bold move for them to make a V4, and a move that has not been without its drawbacks, but if you are willing to put up with the excessive heat, and the odd reliability foible, this really is one of the best motorcycles out there at the moment.
3 Monster S4
The Monster line that came out in the 90s single-handedly saved Ducati as a company. At the time, Cagiva were toying with the idea of just badging this as a Cagiva, which in all likelihood would have sunk the brand for good.
As it happens it went the other way, and then we got this incredible version further down the line, which got the beating heart of their outgoing 916 sportbike.
2 999
In so many ways, the 999 was actually better than the 916/996/998 it replaced. Unfortunately, in appearance, it wasn’t, and it was judged on that polarizing appearance.
Today the design has actually aged pretty well, no sane person will tell you it looks better than the 916, but that was a once in a lifetime design. The 999 is far more usable, with more manageable power delivery, and proved to be significantly more reliable over time.
1 916
Although it only made around 110 horsepower, it had unequal racing pedigree, dominating the SBK championship through the 90s.
Not only was it a proven race winner, but it looked like one too. It is still arguably the best-looking sportbike ever made.