EICMA 2018: Ducati MIG-RR Electric Moped

It happens just about every year around this time. I make my top ten or eleven or thirteen “best” motorcycles list, I name the Honda-based Motoped the best moped, and people send me emails bitching that it’s not electric. Well, this year’s list might just feature something a little bit different — meet the Ducati MIG-RR electric mountain bike.

Launched earlier today at the EICMA Milan Motorcycle Show in Italy, the MIG-RR is a joint venture between Ducati and Thok E-bikes. It’s more than a re-painted Thok, though. The MIG-RR features a 250 W Shimano Steps E8000 mid-drive that delivers more than 70 Nm (51 lb-ft!!) of torque to the bike’s gearset. More than enough, in other words, to tear up just about any hill at serious, pants-s***ting speeds!

“E-mountain bikes let cyclists take on climbs that, without the motor boost, wouldn’t be possible,” said Ducati, in a statement. “At the same time, they allow everyone to live off-road on two wheels in total freedom. E-mountain bike sales are booming worldwide. Ducati has now entered this market segment relying on the experience of a specialized company, Thok Ebikes, born from the passion of the BMX and Down Hill champion Stefano Migliorini.”

The new electric Ducati will be available to European buyers first, and will start to trickle out into other markets early next year. No word, yet, on pricing– or on whether they’ll be available in the US– but we’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for this one. Stay tuned!

Source | More Photos: Ducati, via Electrek.

It’s Gonna Happen: Ducati is Building a Scooter in 2014

The motorcycle blogosphere has been talking Ducati scooter almost from the moment the company was bought by Audi back in 2012. At the time, I laughed at the idea of an Audi-run Ducati, but Audi’s ambitions of going toe-to-toe with crosstown rivals BMW seems to be pushing Ducati hard to improve sales and customer support, advance technology, and go into markets that compete directly with BMW’s 2 wheeled division.

According to Asphalt and Rubber, Audi also “would like to see the ~44,000 unit (Ducati) bump its figures into the six-figure territory”, which would certainly help establish Auducati as the go-to brand for German 2 wheelers. Maybe.

Regardless of sales goals, the real question seems to be about what, specifically, an Audi-developed Ducati scooter would look like. Would it be a fun, sporty urban runabout like the Aprilia SR50 or a big, comfy cruising scoot that has more in common with BMW’s massive C series maxi-scooters? Given VW/Audi’s historically ego-driven decision making, I’d expect it to be something closer to the latter- but, who knows? Ducati may do something smart and offer a product that has more in common with the old 125 cc Ducati cafe racers of years gone by and give Honda’s hot-selling Grom something to worry about. Something like this …

… a concept, by the way, that Honda has already proven could work – and look like a million bucks! – on a scooter-sized Grom 125 frame.

What do you guys think? Is Ducati going to shock the world with a product we might actually want, or will they simply do what they’ve done better than anyone for the last few decades: play catch-up to BMW? Worst case, they slap a Ducati-looking headset and boy-racer exhaust on an old Vespa frame – and even that may be better than another giant-sized scooter that nobody asked for, right? Let us know what you think, in the comments, below.

Source: Asphalt and Rubber, original image from Gas 2.