The rumors about the latest Ducati superbike have been circling around the motorcycling web for quite some time. One thing is for certain – Superquadrata is nearing the final stages of the development and it will mark the changing times for high performance bikes coming from Bologna. Obviously – the big deal is the new engine. Rumors says that it’s massively over-square bore and stroke will allow this 1200cc v-twin to rev higher that you would expect from such an engine.
Second big deal: no more trellis frame. Superquadrata will have a monocoque chassis, most likely made using the expirience gathered from MotoGP bikes. Add a splash of latest electronics already present on the Diavel and Multistrada (traction control, electronic suspension, datalogging) and you can expect a proper beast – the one which will tackle most of the modern superbikes on the market with ease….or not.
Tags: Desmosedici, development, Ducati, final stages, Multistrada, over bore, stroke, superquadrata
Beating BMW and (lately) Kawa outright, with a two cylinder machine, will take same doing. Likely an expensive animal (notwithstanding the fact that carbon fibre is becoming relatively affordable), with tantalising torque, as you would expect from these manic Italians – CAN’T WAIT..!!
The THIRD big deal: will it be a WSBK Superbike Class ‘legal’ bike..? Or will Ducati completely abandon this form of racing (a class they basically helped to create and dominated for so long) – ie make it impossible for (even) independent teams to enter..?
PS – hope they finally kick the under-seat exhaust into touch. It was absolutely great at the time (ie on the 916 – 998); now though it is properly dated, notorious for frying your you-know-what, unnecessarily complex and expensive to make in exotic materials, while carrying unwanted weight above the COG. If nothing else – borrow at least one feature from KTM – the exhaust layout…