It is sad and most fortunate at the same time.
Ducati produced some extremely valid motorcycles in the 1970's but couldn't keep pace to the mass-produced Hondas etc.
When first introduced to Europe, the Japanese bikes awed the public with four-cylinder engines and shiny looks and bikes that could lope as easily as scream away.
On the other hand, Harleys, BMWs, British and Italian bikes all had their "character", you could lope along on a Guzzi or a BMW, you could cruise all day on a Harley or a Brit bike, you could race the wind on a Ducati or Norton Commando...
...but you couldn't do it all on one bike.
But the plus side for the conoisseur was that while European bikes had good handling and brakes, the japanese were absolutely hopeless.
"Widow maker" was the nickname for Kawasaki and Suzuki two-stroke triples, but Kawa 900 and Honda 750s didn't fare much better.
The point is that while the Japanese were capable of "reinventing" what the Europeans had just phased out (see the custom cruisers, or the big enduros, or the crotch rockets) the Europeans were unable to copy the Japanese and create multicylinder Eurobikes.
Guzzi heald fast to the V-twin.
BMW Held fast to the flat-twin.
Ducati held fast to the L-twin.
Harley held fasdt to the V-twin.
The Brits died and rose and died and rose and...
Nowadays, BMW, Triumph, Harley, Ducati, they're all back with "new, old school design" but the bikes are seriously modern despite the looks.
Nothing to do with the old school engineering of the 1970's and 80's.
Ducati has now been bought by Audi.
Rover was bought by a chinese motor company and is now back in business, albeit only in China and the UK.
Let's hope Audi will put more than just money in Ducati, and some fresh young mechanical engineers and industrial designers to produce new, "better than ever" Dukes.
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