Ian Falloon is one of the motorcycle industry’s foremost brand historians. What’s more, he doesn’t rest on his laurels; his brand histories are dynamic resources that he keeps up to date. His latest offering is The Complete Book of Ducati Motorcycles – Every Model Since 1946 – 2nd Edition from Motorbooks.
It joins his Complete Book of Moto Guzzi Every Model Since 1921, 100th Anniversary Edition, and The Complete Book of Classic and Modern Triumph Motorcycles 1937 to Today from Motorbooks.
Born in New Zealand, Falloon lives in Australia and has spent much of his adult life with motorcycles, riding, restoring, collecting, and writing about them.
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In Falloon’s latest book, he builds on his interest and experience with Ducati, which began in 1972 with the release of the 750 GT. Falloon provides the full Ducati story that goes back a century. The Ducati brothers—Adriano, Marcello, and Bruno—started a company building radio communications equipment, cameras, and lenses in the 1920s.
World War II almost ended the Ducati enterprise. However, it managed to resume production of cameras, lenses, and a tiny, clip-on engine for bicycles—the Cucciolo T1. By 1950, the Ducati went from being an engine lashed to a bicycle to a real motorcycle with a single-cylinder engine, front and rear suspension, and a pressed steel frame.
Falloon tracks the spectacular history of innovation and development of the Ducati product from there, model-by-model, all the way to 2022. Things really started to pop for the company with the arrival of a 33-year-old engineer—Fabio Taglioni. Taglioni designed the first desmodromic valve train engines for Ducati in 1955. He was a force in the company’s motorcycle product designs for 35 years.
Racing has always been a big part of the Ducati story, and Falloon does that story justice. He recalls the heroes of Ducati racing from Gianni Degli Antoni of the 1950s and Mike Hailwood in the ’60s and ’70s, plus Paul Smart, Ben Bostrom, Loris Capirossi, James Toseland, Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Chaz Davies, Troy Bayliss, Casey Stoner, and many others. Falloon tells the story of the technical development of the racing bikes and, later, the follow-on street models with remarkable detail and precision.
Whether you are a dedicated Ducatisti, a race-centric fan, a motorcycle history buff, or simply an enthusiast, The Complete Book of Ducati Motorcycles – Every Model Since 1946 – 2nd Edition tells a sweeping history of a company that started from very humble beginnings, survived and overcome adversity to become a powerhouse in the motorcycle industry. Ian Falloon tells the story in clear, concise detail.
The Complete Book of Ducati Motorcycles – Every Model Since 1946 – 2nd Edition Fast Facts
- Author: Ian Falloon
- Published: May 2022
- ISBN: 978-0-7603-7373-6
- Publisher: Motorbooks, Quarto Publishing Group, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 265-D, Beverly, MA 01915, USA
- Printing: Hardcover, 208 9.75” x 12” pages, 500 color and black & white images
The Complete Book of Ducati Motorcycles – Every Model Since 1946 – 2nd Edition Price: $60 MSRP
