HUGE TORQUE IN A MOTOGP CHASSIS
Stefano Strappazzon, vehicle project manager for Ducati superbikes talks exclusively to Bike’s Ben Lindley, at EICMA, about how the new V4 mixes race-bike tech with road-bike needs. ‘Our test riders asked for a wide range of torque, and we spent a lot of time in development fine-tuning the power curve to give them just that. They also asked for a dynamically fast machine. For that we looked to Motogp for frame technology. The production bike’s frame has very similar characteristics of high torsional rigidity and low bending
stiffness as the Motogp machine, achieved with what we call a ‘front frame’ because it’s the front half of a deltabox. In this way we have the dynamic qualities of a conventional deltabox, but much less weight. The rear frame is a much lighter forged part attached to the engine. ‘The first V4 prototype was ridden back in 2015, and the basic concept has always stayed the same. We’ve changed the length of the swingarm, though, and added half a degree to the rake for more stability. We’ve rotated the V4 backwards compared with the 1299’s V-twin and moved the whole thing further towards the front wheel. At the same time we wanted to increase the wheelbase for further stability. The result is a 67mm longer swingarm – just over 10%. The longer the swingarm, the smaller the changes in chain force angle are, plus there’s less free play in the chain so the oscillation of the torque on the rear wheel is reduced. It all leads to smoother rear tyre contact with the racetrack, better stability and better grip.’