Dubbed “Desmosedici Stradale”
Ducati’s “first standard production four-cylinder motorcycle” will be launched at Milan’s EICMA motorcycle show in November, with the Italian company giving a preview of the engine on the eve of the Italian GP at Misano.
The engine, based closely on the MotoGP motor, is dubbed “Desmosedici Stradale”; the new bike that will be the first to use it the Panigale V4.
Ducati V4 road engine launch, Misano MotoGP 2017
Ducati did make a road-legal V4 MotoGP replica in 2007/8, but with the Desmosedici RR’s production limited to just 1,500 machines, it was more collector’s piece than street bike.
The new version sees the 90-degree V4 reworked for road manners, including a capacity increase to 1103cc to improve torque with a slightly longer stroke. The production engine measures 81mm X 53.5mm; still the biggest bore size in the four-cylinder sports-bike world.
Domenicali, Pirro, Dovizioso, Lorenzo, Ducati V4 road engine launch, Misano MotoGP 2017
Other attributes from racing are retained, including variable-length intake, reverse-direction crank rotation, Twin Pulse big-bang firing intervals with crank pins off-set at 70 degrees, and the engine disposition with the front cylinder 42 degrees from horizontal.
With a 14:1 compression ratio, maximum power is quoted as more than 210 at 13,000rpm; max torque at more than 120Nm between 8,750 and 12,250rpm. The (of course) desmodromic valve gear is operated by a gear-chain combination; and a six-speed gearbox is equipped with the Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) system allowing clutchless shifting in both directions.
Ducati V4 road engine launch, Misano MotoGP 2017
Describing the engine as “a technological gem”, Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali added: “The engine also highlights … just how instrumental racing can be in developing the technology that is later applied to production bikes.”
Ducati V4 road engine launch, Misano MotoGP 2017