Motorcycle specifications Ducati 60 Cucciolo 1949 The dawn of the soul

At the end of the Second World War, Ducati had to rebuild itself, lick its wounds like so many other companies in Europe, and forget its flourishing period between the wars. To move forward and ignore the past.
For it was now that the Bologna-based company was to embark on its second and best-known life: that of a motorcycle manufacturer. Like all great Italian families, it was also a turbulent one.

Ducati began this activity by manufacturing a small engine, the Cucciolo (designed by the Siata company). With a displacement of 59.5 cm3, this small 4-stroke block was the beginning of everything. It underwent several evolutions, enjoyed tremendous success with hundreds of thousands produced, and was first sold as a kit to be mounted on bicycles to transform them into mopeds. It's one of these improved versions that takes its place in a cute and graceful two-wheeler - the first Ducat' motorcycle. A new world awakens in the summer of 1949, when production of the Ducati 60 begins. The initial, the cornerstone, the Eve of all motorcycles to come out of Borgo Panigale.

The time was not yet ripe for performance. The people had to rebuild, over the bruises of war. A vehicle must be versatile and affordable. The Ducati 60 made its mark with low fuel consumption and multiple uses. The bike was sold for 4,000 lira at the time.
The little Italian also had a certain stamina. Its single-cylinder engine produced 2 hp at 4,500 rpm. Aided by a featherweight of 45 kilos and a 3-speed gearbox, the Ducat' exceeded 60 km/h.

Today , very few people remember that the company owned by the brothers Bruno, Adriano and Marcello Ducati produced all kinds of electrical equipment in the early part of its existence: transistors, radios, cameras, calculating machines, razors, condensers, refrigeration parts, film projectors, ......
In the second half of the twentieth century, the company was split in two. One part for the original business, the other for motorcycles. The Ducati 60 'Cucciolo' would be the first in an incredible story.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos