Built to celebrate the 750 Super Sport Desmo, the 803cc café racer tribute will be limited to 873 numbered units worldwide

Ducati has marked its centenary year by unveiling the Formula 73, a new model intended to bring a modern take on the look and feel of a bike that helped shape the brand’s identity. The Formula 73 pays tribute to the 750 Super Sport Desmo, the first Ducati road bike equipped with a desmodromic valve timing system.

That original Super Sport was effectively a road-going replica of the 750 Imola Desmo with which Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari triumphed in the 1972 200 Miglia di Imola, the first European competition for production-derived motorcycles—a format that would later evolve into Superbike in the 1980s. Ducati says the Imola win and the subsequent release of the 750 Super Sport Desmo were the opening chapter in its production-based racing story, which it notes now totals more than 400 victories, sixteen rider titles and twenty-one manufacturer titles.

In Ducati’s words, the new bike has been built as a tribute to that epoch-making motorcycle, which already embodied the values of Style, Sophistication and Performance that have inspired Ducati ever since. The company positions the Formula 73 as a limited-run model aimed at riders who want a distinctive design and strong personality, with close attention paid to detail.

Unmistakable personality

Ducati describes the Formula 73 line as a contemporary reinterpretation of the 1973 750 Super Sport Desmo, with slim proportions and a minimalist café racer theme. Power comes from an air-cooled Ducati twin-cylinder engine, pitched as a blend of “Urban Café Racer” attitude and classic Ducati appeal.

Design details include a silver and aqua green livery developed through research in Ducati’s historical archives by the Ducati Style Centre. A vertical gold stripe on the tank references an unpainted strip used on the 750 Imola Desmo to help the team check fuel level without extra instruments. Other cues include clip-on handlebars with bar-end mirrors, along with a short, tapered fairing and tail.

Billet aluminium components are part of the standard spec, including brake and clutch levers with oil reservoirs, footpegs and a Rizoma fuel cap.

As with other Ducati limited editions, the Formula 73 carries the model name and serial number on the steering plate and is supplied with a certificate of authenticity, plus a presentation box containing period images and Ducati Style Centre sketches.

Innovation in tradition

While it leans on retro inspiration, Ducati says the Formula 73 is still a modern, high-tech motorcycle. It uses an 803 cc Desmodue L-twin with desmodromic distribution and two valves, and is Euro5+ approved. Output is quoted at 73 horsepower at 8,250 rpm. A Termignoni-developed, type-approved silencer is fitted, and the bike uses Ride-by-Wire for throttle control.

The Formula 73 runs a steel trellis frame painted in aqua green, paired with 17-inch spoked wheels and Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tyres. Electronics include DTC traction control, Cornering ABS, Ducati Quick Shift, and two Riding Modes.

Availability

A matching helmet (in collaboration with Arai) and a sports jacket are also offered to mirror the Formula 73 livery. The Ducati Formula 73 will be produced in a numbered series limited to 873 units and will arrive in European dealerships in spring 2026, with distribution elsewhere completed by the end of summer.

Formula 73 standard equipment

  • Desmodue engine, 803 cm3
  • Maximum power: 73 CV @ 8,250 RPM
  • Maximum torque: 65.2 Nm @ 7,000 RPM
  • Type-approved Termignoni silencer
  • Wet weight no fuel: 183 Kg
  • Steel trellis frame
  • Upside-down 41 mm KYB front fork
  • KYB shock, preload adjustable
  • Front brake: 4-piston Brembo radial caliper and 330 mm disc
  • Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tyres, 120/70 and 180/55
  • Electronic package with Inertial Measurement Unit: cornering ABS; Ducati Traction Control (DTC); Power Modes; Ducati Quick Shift (DQS)
  • Full TFT 4,3” dashboard
  • Riding Modes (Sport, Road)
  • Full-LED lights with DRL
  • Ducati Multimedia System (DMS) ready, Turn-by-turn navigation