Ducati's new V4 sportsbike engine to be part-revealed at MotoGP San Marino!
Ducati has sent out invitations that confirm that the Italian company will play to the world, officially, the sound their new V4 engine at the San Marino MotoGP weekend. The invitation also gives away the new of the new motor, the Desmosedici Stradale, which clearly suggests that Ducati has borrowed heavily from their MotoGP motor and the Stradale (or street or road) underlines the idea that the resulting motor is for road use. Ducati is expected to unveil the replacements for their flagship sportsbike line, most likely at the EICMA, the motorcycle show in Milan, 2017. As you know, Ducati were recently in the news for delivering their first Superleggera in India. Within days of that came the confirmation that the last of the Panigales, appropriately named the Final Edition, would be sold in India at the whopping Rs 60 lakh approximately.
Why a V4?
As the horsepower race at the top of the sportsbike game intensifies, more cylinders are needed to keep up. In essence, the more cylinders you have, the more often you can have a power stroke. On the other hand, Ducati has indicated that the new Desmosedici Stradale is not a conventional V4, but Ducati has designed a special firing order which is supposed to sound like the coming together of a V-twin and a V4 engine. All the mechanical details are expected to be revealed, along with the sound at the San Marino GP event.
How much power?
With power figures already hovering around the 200PS mark, the Ducati sportsbike with the Desmosedici Stradale will probably make 205-210PS but have a torque output which is likely to be the surprise. The arrival of ever more sophisticated electronics, including traction control, wheelie control and what have you, makes it possible for companies to safely dish out enormous power outputs. Of course, while any one with enough money would be able to buy one in India when the motorcycle goes on sale, most of the European countries, as well as the United States, have a layered licence system that forces riders to graduate to powerful motorcycles from smaller ones.
