Ducati to enter motorcross

[slopes]

Apparently Ducati are going to enter the Italian Motocross championship next year with Antonio Cairoli riding as test rider to help develop the bike in a multi year project to develop off road bikes and engines.

Watch this space?

[flatlandsman]

Aprilia did it and the bke was a little different and very pretty!

Nothing to do with Triumph doing the same thing of course

Also desperate to sell a bunch in America where this stuff sells very well.

[rodericb]

It's interesting how both Ducati and Triumph are getting into it and they produce pretty much nothing like it now (I wouldn't think there's much overlap between a 450 MX bike and a 1200cc ADV bike) and never have.

Curiously, if I was to take the zeitgeist on the wider forum here on its merit then they'd be making 'em electric.... "No one's developing ICE enginesss1!!!11" Unless they are, that is. I guess that's why the people at Ducati and Triumph run motorcycle companies and the posters on Pistonheads don't.

[hiccy18]

MX bikes are off-road so likely one of the last areas of motorbiking to run petrol engines, or some kind of synthetic fuel.

[MrGman]

Off topic here..

EV is coming to enduro, trials and MX surprisingly quickly, it’s only going to help the sport grow in my opinion, the reduced noise will be amazing as that’s the biggest problem in the UK for venues, and then the reduced risk of wild fires in the hotter countries on the enduro side of things.

[ArnageWRC]

Hell, what's going on - MX racing on BikeBanter/Pistonheads......what next? Enduro, Hard Enduro......Trials.....

Ducati and MXGP, and signing up Cairoli as team manager and test rider....very interesting - and will continue using their desmo tech.

[ArnageWRC]

hiccy18 said:

MX bikes are off-road so likely one of the last areas of motorbiking to run petrol engines, or some kind of synthetic fuel.

And the top riders in Hard Enduro bikes are all still on 2 strokes....

[flatlandsman]

Not all of them, a few prefer to run 4 strokes, but yes most top guys prefer a 350 or 300 stroker, also can depend on event.

[Drabbesttunic]

flatlandsman said:

Not all of them, a few prefer to run 4 strokes, but yes most top guys prefer a 350 or 300 stroker, also can depend on event.

If we're all correcting each other then I'll join in as there aren't any 350 2 strokes but yes it depends on terrain, most are on 2 strokes like you say but occasionally Billy will come out on the 350 4 stroke.

[MrGman]

Drabbesttunic said:

flatlandsman said:

Not all of them, a few prefer to run 4 strokes, but yes most top guys prefer a 350 or 300 stroker, also can depend on event.

If we're all correcting each other then I'll join in as there aren't any 350 2 strokes but yes it depends on terrain, most are on 2 strokes like you say but occasionally Billy will come out on the 350 4 stroke.

I think it was a typo and meant to say 250 or 300??

I’d like to know how much Billy likes the 4t, or whether there’s a bit of pressure put on him to ride them from time to time?

[Drabbesttunic]

MrGman said:

Drabbesttunic said:

flatlandsman said:

Not all of them, a few prefer to run 4 strokes, but yes most top guys prefer a 350 or 300 stroker, also can depend on event.

If we're all correcting each other then I'll join in as there aren't any 350 2 strokes but yes it depends on terrain, most are on 2 strokes like you say but occasionally Billy will come out on the 350 4 stroke.

I think it was a typo and meant to say 250 or 300??

I’d like to know how much Billy likes the 4t, or whether there’s a bit of pressure put on him to ride them from time to time?

I thought that I'm only messing.
There's a video somewhere on YouTube on his channel where he does say he prefers the 4 stroke but knows the 2 is better at certain things.
His super enduro world championships were won on the 350

[OutInTheShed]

rodericb said:

It's interesting how both Ducati and Triumph are getting into it and they produce pretty much nothing like it now (I wouldn't think there's much overlap between a 450 MX bike and a 1200cc ADV bike) and never have.

Curiously, if I was to take the zeitgeist on the wider forum here on its merit then they'd be making 'em electric.... "No one's developing ICE enginesss1!!!11" Unless they are, that is. I guess that's why the people at Ducati and Triumph run motorcycle companies and the posters on Pistonheads don't.

Ducati made some nice 250/350/450 'Street Scramblers' back in the 70s.
I think they have badged a few 2T motors in the past?
I'm no historian but I think they may have been used in 'Six Day Trials' at a high level?

The Vwcatis look increasingly like Yamahas and everything else to me these days, if anything the Scramblers are the easiest to recognise as Ducati.
Must be a big worldwide market for dirt-capable bikes, which is a different thing entirely from getting involved in top level MX.
Wil this mean a push into the small bike market?

[OutInTheShed]

To quote from my local DOCGB regurgitation of VW-speil:

a family of knobby motorcycles branded Ducati, starting with motocross.

Quite a lot on there makes me think Sacha Baron-Cohen's Bruno is running the marketing department.