Ducati Unveils Limited Edition Formula 73

1 / 4

Ducati has just announced a new winning formula. The Ducati Formula 73 is a limited edition machine that harks back to one of the company’s most classic cafe racers from the 1970s.

Search New and Used Ducati Motorcycles on the Cycle Trader Marketplace

The Formula 73 borrows its aesthetics and its sporty spirit from the 750 Super Sport Desmo. That machine was itself inspired by Ducati’s 750 Imola Desmo, the race-winning machine from the 1972 Imola 200. Hosted at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, the Imola 200 served as Europe’s answer to the Daytona 200; it was a fast road course with natural elevation changes, and no banking. Paul Smart won that race, with Bruno Spaggiari finishing right behind him on another 750 Imola Desmo. The 750 Super Sport Desmo that Ducati released the following year was their first streetbike with desmodromic valves, setting a pattern for the company for decades to come.

The new Formula 73 carries that tradition forward with an 803 cc Desmodue engine. For the past few years, this air/oil-cooled L-twin with two-valve heads has powered Ducati’s Scrambler lineup. It’s back in another sporty streetbike now; Ducati claims it puts out 72 hp at 8,250 rpm, and 48 lb-ft of torque at 7,000 rpm. In the real world, where this bike is made to be ridden, that’s enough power to make you work just a bit for your kicks, and that’s exactly what you want from a classic-styled bike like this.

Since we’re living in the 2020s, Ducati threw in a bilateral (up and down) quickshifter, a selection of power modes and a traction control system managed by an IMU. There’s LED lighting, too, and a 4.3-in TFT dashboard that features multimedia and navigation functions. But the machine is still a classic Ducati at heart, with its Termignoni muffler, steel trellis frame and a paint job directly inspired by the original 1973 Super Sport. The new Formula 73 even wears the same silver-and-aqua-green livery. There’s even a gold-colored stripe on the tank that looks like the fuel inspection window on the OG race-winning 750 Imola Desmo. A translucent section of its fiberglass gas tank allowed rider and wrenchers to keep an eye on the fuel levels through the 200-mile race. Today, no rider will be entering this machine into a long-haul endurance race, but it does come with an attractive quarter-fairing and clip-on handlebars with bar-end mirrors that are reminiscent of the cafe racer era. Ducati also manufactured brake and clutch levers, oil reservoir, footpegs, and the fuel cap in billet aluminum. Not only should this bike be a joy to ride, it’s a beauty to look at too.

The Formula 73 has a steel trellis frame, with preload-adjustable KYB shock and an upside-down KYB fork. Up front, there’s a four-piston Brembo radial caliper mated to a single 330mm disc; in back, a single-piston floating caliper handles stopping duty. 17-in wheels on period-correct spoked rims come standard, wrapped in Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV rubber (120/70 up front, 180/55 in rear).

Ducati claims a ready-to-ride weight of 403 lb, before the 3.8 gal tank gets topped up. Ducati says it is only manufacturing 873 of the Formula 73 machines, each being delivered with a certificate of authenticity and some other memorabilia for a starting MSRP of $19,995.

Zac Kurylyk

A former commercial fisherman and part-time History teacher, Zac is a renaissance man who rides anything and everything. A veteran motorcycle journalist and lifelong rider with more than a decade of experience covering the global powersports industry, Zac has built a career exploring every corner of motorcycling—from adventure touring and dual-sport riding to the latest innovations in electric and custom builds.

See author's work