[SuperSport 939 News]

Rich in history, Ducati’s factory in Bologna has become the highlight of many motorcycling enthusiasts’ trip to Italy. Though the original Ducati factory was destroyed in WWII on October 12, restoration was underway in May 1945 and the assembly lines were once again rolling out motorcycles in March 1946.

Factory tours are available and a few forum members were lucky enough to take said tour, though photography of any kind is banned. According to Dany65, visitors had to take out all electronics so that the tour guide may apply an adhesive on every lens. Unfortunately, that meant those who can’t make the journey to Bologna will have to make do with an old video from National Geographic.

Luckily, Motorcycle News was given access to Ducati’s factory and they were allowed to take a few pictures of the assembly line. Reading MCN’s walk around, one gets a sense of just how massive the Ducati factory really is.

There’s a training center for those lucky enough to win a two-year scholarship to either Ducati or Lamborghini. Next to it is an area where raw items are finished by milling machines and then placed in the Ducati ‘supermarket.’ Aptly named as workers visit this storage facility to grab whatever bits and bob they need for specific areas in the production line.

Then you have the motor pre-assembly area, engine production lines, and motorcycle assembly lines. Each completed motorcycle is then tested before moving to a storage facility awaiting shipping.

Worth a read if you have the time.

 

[Ed K]

“Once the bike is assembled (well, nearly, delicate items such as the mirrors and fairing are not attached) every bike is first emissions tested before being ran on a dyno. Ducati make over 200 model variations as many countries have specific emissions laws, so it is at this point the correct ECU map is inserted. Once complete the whole bike is run on a dynamic dyno to check items such as the ABS, traction control, quickshifter, gearbox and of course the motor all work perfectly. The dyno test takes up to five minutes and the bikes aren’t bounced off their rev limiter, they are only taken to 5000rpm and speeds of just over 60mph. Once passed, they are good to go. It takes roughly 10-14 hours, not including machining the parts, to build a complete Ducati motorcycle from start to finish.”

 

[iboy]

The few pictures that MCN got during their little photo shoot of the assembly line are obviously sponsored/paid for by Bosch. It explains the product placement and (hopefully) explains the dreadful photo selection. For such an amazing place, those are pretty boring shots, imho. ... I'm wondering if the whole thing a Bosch piece, or just the photos?

 

[LiamC]

I see what you mean iboy... Stealth marketing

 

[Ducatty]

Wish they took a few pictures of areas most won't ever get a glimpse of like the training center and the raw material processing plant. All we ever really see is the area where the bikes are assembled.

 

[amoslws]

Wish they took a few pictures of areas most won't ever get a glimpse of like the training center and the raw material processing plant. All we ever really see is the area where the bikes are assembled.

or the ECU diagram... hahaha.. pin lay out would be considerate.

 

[TheLoneWolf]

This was a good hour spent on a cold chilly day ... Complete with a couple of cappuccinos and some good dark chocolate...
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