Ducati’s last V-twin superbike is a £35k dream bike, using the some of the best bits from various models. We introduced it to PB’s Ducati-loving, road-racing track tester Michael Rutter and his favourite-ever Bolognese superbike: the still-fabulous 888
IF YOU CAN’T BEAT THEM, join them. Or, in Ducati’s case, if you can’t beat them, bring a MotoGP-derived engine to WSB and try again. From next year, their flagship, WSB homologated road-bike will have a V4 engine – henceforth they will only use V-twins in tamer, road oriented models.
The winningest manufacturer in world level production racing last won the big prize in 2011, with Carlos Checa on a 1098R. Then Max Biaggi on a (sometimes rule-flouting) Aprilia RSV4 took the honours, and with the exception of another pot for the Noale boys in 2014 with Guintoli, Kawasaki’s ZX-10R has bossed the championship in the hands of Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea. The all-new frameless, radical Superquaddro engined Panigle (on the grid since 2013) hasn’t managed to emulate the success of the trellis-framed bikes. Try as they might, the physical and technical limitations of a V-twin can’t be overcome. Development has all but plateaued, while the fours continue to progress. Time for a change.
This story is from the October 2017 edition of Performance Bikes.
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This story is from the October 2017 edition of Performance Bikes.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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