The motorcycle market is alive with small-displacement bikes that aim to draw the attention of both new and seasoned riders alike. Bikes such as Triumph’s Speed 400 and Scrambler 400X, Honda’s GB350, and Royal Enfield’s Himalayan have grown in popularity since their introductions, often sitting atop monthly sales charts, outselling more premium and larger capacity machines.
But according to Motorcycle News, Ducati has no intention of entering the mid-sized market.
Apparently, Giulio Fabbri, Ducati’s Head of Product Communications, told Motorcycle News that the company had made a decision many years ago not to build low-cost models, despite an increase in market demand. Is that a mistake, though, and what do you call the brand's foray into dirt bikes if not small-displacement motorcycles?
“Our pillars are style, sophistication and performance,” said Fabbri. “If you put these three together, and if you want to make a small bike, you are absolutely priced out of the market. So, this is the reason why you will never see a small Ducati.”
And while the Italian manufacturer does offer a few middle-weight motorcycles in the form of their Scrambler lineup, a cheap, low-capacity offering is apparently off the table.
According to Fabbri, “one of the reasons why we decided to enter motocross and introduce the 698 Mono was to take care of younger riders.” But considering the price tag on a 698 Mono reads $12,995 and the lowest spec Scrambler you can buy will set you back $9,995, we can’t say we agree that these models help younger, or even newer riders seat themselves on a Ducati.
I’ve been to the Ducati factory in Bologna, Italy, a handful of times. Bikes are built by hand, with a staff that rotates their roles throughout the year so as to avoid fatigue and boredom while assembling motorcycles. On that note, Fabbri went on to tell MCN that “if you want to be competitive (in the small-capacity market) you need to manufacture outside Italy. And for us, ‘made in Italy’ is something that we don’t want to give up – it’s part of our identity.” Fair. But considering their competition has taken to building bikes outside of their brand’s hometown, and with much success, it seems the market isn’t as concerned where the bike is made as much as what it costs – especially younger and newer riders.
Notably, Ducati already has a manufacturing facility outside of Italy. All the bikes slated for the Asia-Pacific region – save for Japan and Australia – are made in Thailand. I’ve also been to that factory and was impressed by the product that was rolling out its doors. At the time, they were predominantly assembling Scrambler and Multistrada motorcycles; however, they clearly had the capacity to manufacture other, perhaps smaller, motorcycles.
But according to Fabbri, they “have that factory not to make cheaper bikes. We have the factory there because otherwise we need to add a lot of taxes. It’s the only way to sell Ducati in that part of the world.” That’s also fair. But if Ducati wants to stay relevant and not be seen as simply a high-dollar, low production, bespoke motorcycle manufacturer, they may need to make allowances for riders seeking the nameplate without the $10,000 price tag.
Ducati is a small company, though. If I’m remembering correctly, the Borgo Panigale plant employs roughly 1,500 people year-round, swelling to around 2500 during their peak production season. That figure includes the marketing and sales teams, corporate executives, the Ducati Corsa racing program, and folks that just sweep the floors and water the plants.
In his conversation with MCN, Fabbri concluded by saying, “We don’t fight for the numbers. For us it’s not important to sell a lot of bikes. Honestly speaking, we also cannot do it because our company is quite small. The capacity of the factory is only a bit more than what we are doing now.”
So, are we likely to see any sub-500cc motorcycles come out of either of Ducati’s manufacturing facilities? My guess is no. But perhaps as the landscape changes and the demand for bigger machines dwindles even further, the famed Italian OEM will look to fill out its lineup with something more people can afford.
Only time will tell.
