Ducati’s->ke622 had a pretty big year, especially its lineup of new models. From the Multistrada 1200 to the 1299 Panigale, Borno Panigale has definitely hit one sales home run after another. Oh, and there’s also that other bike called the Scrambler. That’s been a hot item, too, in case people have forgotten. But as it turns out, Ducati’s not yet done because a mysterious new model is being prepared for a press launch on September 2015.

Specific details about the bike have yet to be revealed and with the way Ducati’s treating this particular unveiling, don’t expect any information to come out from Ducati until after the major reveal happens. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be any leaked spoilers, but all the same, the Italian motorcycle company is keeping this debut pretty close to its chest.

This strategy does open up a whole lot of speculation on what this bike is going to be. Is it going to be a concept bike? Perhaps an all-electric equivalent to Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire bike? Could it also be a future production model that would slot in to the brand’s existing motorcycle lineup? The press invitation only referred to a “track test for a road bike” so take that vagueness of that phrase any way you prefer.

What’s important is that Ducati’s got something cooking under the sheets. The big reveal isn’t schedule until September 2015, but from the looks of it, there’s going to be a whole lot of guessing and peeking through windows to get a read on what the company has in store for the motorcycle world.

Let the guessing game begin.

Continue reading to read more about Ducati’s mysterious new bike and what it could potentially be.

Why it matters

One of the most exciting things about covering the motorcycle scene is getting a first-hand look at new models before the public does. So yeah, there’s an air of anticipation surrounding this particular Ducati because the company’s not revealing any details about the bike until the press launch.

So without any deals to hang on, I’m left scrambling (no pun intended) to piece together what this new model could be.

One possibility, as I’ve mentioned, is a new concept. That pretty much opens up a world of possibilities on what kind of concept it’s going to be. If that’s the case, then we can just as well use our imaginations on that end.

Another possibility would be a production model that would fill a void in the brand’s current lineup. This is the more likely scenario since Ducati currently has a tried-and-true super naked in its lineup since the exit of the 1099cc Streetfighter back in 2013. If this is the new bike, it would be an assured response from the company in the wake of new super naked bikes like the BMW S1000R and the Suzuki GSX-S1000 populating the market these days.

Could it also be an off-road bike? That would be a bit of a surprise considering that Ducati already has the Multistrada 1200 in the fold. I’m not privy to the strategic undertakings happening in Borno Panigale, but I do think that Ducati is unlikely to deviate away from its performance credo any more than it has. The Multistrada and, in some way, the Scrambler, already does that for the company.

The last possibility I can think of is a scooter. Yep. A scooter. I know it flies against the whole ““track test for a road bike” invitation, but that could very well be a diversion to keep a big scooter reveal as shocking as possible. Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali has even gone on record in the past, admitting that the idea of seeing a Ducati scooter isn’t as “blasphemous” as people make it out to be. If Ducati really wants to drop jaws on the floor, a scooter would definitely do that.