When Ducati unveiled the new Monster1200R in Frankfurt it was only the beginning of a onslaught of new Ducatis for 2016. The company states that there will be nine new bikes coming and that a couple will be in categories that the company currently does not have a presence. What could that be? A few ideas. Currently the smallest Ducatis on the market are the 803 cc Scrambler and the 821 Monster. That leaves a lot of displacement unaccounted for. KTM is selling crate loads of Duke 390s and the RC390 claims to be the hardest core small displacement sportbike on the market – and it is far from the least expensive. Ducati could turn up with a tiny Monster, Streetfighter or potent mini-Panigale to try and claim back some of the micro-sport segment from KTM and the Japanese manufacturers. That seems to make the most sense as Europe and other global regions have a much stronger small displacement market than we have here in North America.
Other possibilities? What about a scooter? The volume might be there and it would be tempting but attaching Ducati’s performance branding to a scooter would be a challenge. BMW and Triumph both have middleweight ADV bikes so how about a Mutistrada 821? That would seem to be a good fit. Cruiser? Ducati has the “don’t call me a cruiser” Diavel and any further dipping of wheels in that segment of the market is unlikely.
Ducati is selling a lot of bikes and would like that growth to continue. How they choose to do it will be interesting but the options probably won’t include a trike, atv or a new and updated version of the legendary (infamous?)Indiana – although it does look ripe for a trike kit….
