THINK ‘Ducati’ and the image that springs to mind is probably a race-rep superbike of some sort.
Depending on your age, it might a 916, a 1098 or a Panigale, or perhaps one of the firms older efforts; the 851 or even a bevel-drive sports bike. But the sports theme is so intrinsically linked with Ducati that it’s hard to imagine the firm being defined by anything else.
However, this is a company that now makes the Diavel, and is set to launch a second cruiser model soon, as well as machines like the Multistrada and Scrambler. And given that Ducatis that are proving popular today, future generations may well not pigeonhole the firm into the ‘sports’ bracket that it’s so often associated with.
To get an insight into just how the firm is changing, take a look at the top 10 best-selling Ducatis in the UK at the moment. All the figures come from the government’s registration records for the first half of 2015.
10. Multistrada 1200 S Touring (89 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
OK, so 89 might not seem like many, but bear in mind that this is just one version of the top-spec Multistrada 1200S, and the most expensive one at that since it comes complete with luggage and pretty much every other gadget that can be thrown at the bike, which has just been revamped for 2015 to include Ducati's new DVT variable valve system.
9. Diavel (95 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
Yes, Ducati’s ninth best-seller is its Diavel, and it would rank higher still if other versions, like the Diavel Titanium (11 registered) were added to the base model’s sales. And to think, just a few years ago the idea of a Ducati cruiser would only lead to images of the hideous Indiana.
8. 1299 Panigale (97 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
Only one spot ahead of the Diavel halfway through the year, it’s nip and tuck as to which will have sold better by the time Auld Lang Syne is being drunkenly sung outside the nation’s boozers, and this is the archetypal Ducati superbike! Of course, there are more versions of the Panigale, so added together they’ll outdo the cruisers, but even so it’s quite a turnaround for what’s still seen as a sports bike firm.
7. Multistrada 1200 (106 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
The base model of the Multistrada earns its position as the seventh best-selling Ducati because it offers most of the appeal of the more expensive models and is one of the most versatile machines you can swing a leg over.
6. Scrambler Classic (128 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
Hang on, the Scrambler wasn’t even available at the start of the year, yet it’s already halfway up the chart – and this is just one version of the bike. Digging deeper shows that the ‘Full Throttle’ version just missed out on the top 10, with 83 sales in the first half of the year. As for the entry-level ‘Icon', you’ll have to read on to see where that ends up.
5. 1299 Panigale S (146 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
So, we’re clambering out of the worst financial straits since the Great Depression, but the ‘S’ version of the Panigale is easily outselling the base model? It seems that once you’re in the position to blow 1299 Panigale-money on a bike, most purchasers can scrape together the extra to go for the higher-spec machine. It’s a good decision too, since it’s a stunning bike.
4. Monster 821 (169 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
Straight from one end of the Ducati range to the other, the Monster 821 is one of the cheapest ways to get your leg over a Ducati and its sales reflect that. While 169 might not seem like a huge number, it’s already surpassed the bike’s 2014 sales figures (117) in the first six months of the year. With a new 937cc engine coming soon in the Hyperstrada, which currently shares the Monster 821’s V-twin, surely the base Monster is set to be upgraded soon as well.
3. Multistrada 1200S (202 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
The Multistrada's third appearance in this top 10 emphasises just how important the bike is to Ducati – an impressive comeback for a model that started life, in a quite different form, as an oddball from the Pierre Terblanche era. Like the 1299 Panigale, it’s the ‘S’ model that outsells the base version.
2. 899 Panigale (223 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
There’s long been something a bit special about the smaller versions of Ducati sports bikes. Right back to the days of the 748, there’s been something of a purist appeal to the lower-price and the more subtle performance of these machines – scalpels rather than the sledgehammers of the larger-engined models. Or maybe that’s just an excuse made by those of us who can’t afford the 1299. It’s being replaced by the new 959 Panigale next year, so the 899 is going out on a high.
1. Scrambler Icon (291 registrations, Jan-June 2015)
Want to know how impressive the Scrambler’s sales are? Well, not long ago a couple of hundred sales would have been enough to be the best-selling model in the Ducati range, and the ‘Icon’ version alone of the Scrambler has blown past that number in the first six months of the year, despite not even being available until March. So that’s really only three months of sales. The ‘Classic’ and ‘Full Throttle’ models add up to an additional 211 sales, putting the overall total for Scramblers past the 500 mark. At this rate, Ducati should shift well over 1000 (all versions) by the end of the year. Still think it’s just a superbike firm?
Want more?
Top 10 most read-about bikes of Eicma 2015
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