Few super-sports bikes even approached the level of cornering speed and control allowed by the Desmosedici's ultra-rigid frame and firm, supremely well controlled Ohlins suspension. The black section in the tailpiece is ceramic, to withstand the heat of the under-seat silencer.
The very concept of the Desmosedici RR was mouth-watering. This uniquely fast and purposeful V4 was a faithful replica of Ducati’s MotoGP racebike. No other marque had dared to bring such technology to the street. The RR's specification was remarkably close to the works’ Desmosedici that was the fastest bike of MotoGP's 990cc era.
Ducati had chosen the V4 engine layout for its MotoGP challenge, reasoning that the marque's traditional V-twin layout could not produce competitive power. Desmosedici is Italian for ‘Desmo sixteen’, signifying the desmodromic operation of the 90-degree dohc V4 unit’s 16 valves. Although the Desmosedici didn't capture the MotoGP title before the rules changed to 8()0cc for 2007, it won seven races and was often the fastest bike, timed at over 205mph (330km/h).
The production D16RR. released in 2008, was a stunningly faithful replica, crammed with classy details that helped elevate it from the exotic to the truly exceptional. Roadgoing necessities such as the narrow headlights and indicator-holding mirrors barely detracted from the race-ready image generated by its sleek bodywork, racer-style digital instrument panel and chassis parts of unprecedented quality.
The RR’s Ohlins FG353P forks, for example, were unique for roadster units in featuring a reservoir that allowed pressurized damping for improved performance. The tube running across from the front brake master cylinder was a remote adjuster that could be used while riding; another MotoGP touch. So too was the self-supporting tailpiece. This was made from carbon-fibre apart from its black ceramic top section, which was designed to resist the intense heat of the high-level single silencer.
The shape of the carbon-fibre fairing was pure Desmosedici racer, and so was the layout of the engine. The 989cc unit’s over-square bore and stroke dimensions matched the racebike’s. Ducati claimed a maximum of 188bhp at 13,800rpm in street-legal form. When the Desmosedici RR was fitted with the alternative, non-street-legal accessory silencer that was also supplied with the bike, that figure rose to no less than 200bhp, backed by a very wide spread of torque.
That helped make the Ducati a fabulously exciting bike to ride. It thundered out of turns at a ferocious rate, helped by precise throttle response from the Magneti Marelli injection system. With its free-breathing exhaust system fitted, the RR charged towards a top speed very close to 200mph (322km/h), feeling and sounding thrillingly similar to the works’ Desmosedici on which Troy Bayliss had won the final 990cc MotoGP race at Valencia in 2006.
Chassis performance was a perfect match for the mighty engine. The RR worked better the harder it was ridden, thanks largely to the frame’s supreme rigidity. The torsional stiffness of the frame, which used four different sizes of steel tube, was almost double than that of the 1098’s heavier equivalent. Suspension was firm for the road but flawlessly controlled under hard use on a racetrack. Braking power was fierce, thanks to a Brembo Monobloc system as used on Ducati’s 1098 V-twin.
Inevitably this hand-built and lavishly equipped bike had a price tag to match. It cost roughly three times as much as the 1098 that it deposed as Ducati’s super-sports flagship. Even so, such was the demand that the firm increased production from the planned 1000 units to 1500.
The Desmosedici was so sharp and responsive that the slightest false move by its rider was instantly magnified. This most rapid and faithful of race-replicas demanded a comparable level of skill and commitment. The reward was a unique and memorable riding experience.
Despite having a headlight either side of the intake slot in its fairing’s nose, the RR looked almost identical to the Desmosedici MotoGP racer. The rod alongside the Ohlins front fork is a reservoir allowing pressurized damping for superior performance.
In its natural habitat: cranked hard over on a racetrack, in this case Ducati’s home MotoGP track of Mugello. The supremely powerful and responsive RR came far closer than any other streetbike to replicating the feeling of riding a true MotoGP racer.
Specification Ducati Desmosedici RR (2008)
- Engine Liquid-cooled dohc 16-valve 90-degree V4
- Capacity 989cc (86 x 42.6mm)
- Maximum power 188bhp @ 13,800rpm
- Transmission Six-speed, chain final drive
- Frame Tubular steel ladder
- Suspension Telescopic front; monoshock rear
- Brakes Twin discs front; disc rear
- Weight 377lb (171kg)
- Top speed 185mph (298km/h)
0 comments: