Ducati might beat Cagiva to the punch

[NordieBoy]

This is apparently what Ducati are really afraid of - it's the KTM RC4:

That's a very long swingarm there.

To stop all that power flipping the bike all the time?

[HenryDorsetCase]

Nah man. what they should do is bolt a supercharger where the blanked off rear cylinder went.

Its been done, by Roger Goldammer among others. His latest streamliner is called Goldmember and is all over this (May) months Cycle World.

I worship Roger as a god!

www.goldammercycle.com

[HenryDorsetCase]

I imagine it weighs a bit more than doing a balancer shaft.

I had no idea it actually worked well. I assumed it was Ducati's usual resistance to redesigning their engines (Probably brought on by them not knowing if there would be money next month, so they are still penny pinchers) since they seem to hold on to designs for as long as they possibly can.

there is a really good article by Kevin Cameron about this: basically the point being if you add balancers and whatnot inside the engine to create a smoother running unit, you get a lot of benefits elsewhere, like you can have lighter frame and cycle parts because they arent having to be engineered to deal with those forces. Plus you dont get the rider fatigue etc etc. and the motor can rev higher (more power) without shaking itself to bits.

Plus the extra weight added inside the engine isn't that much, and its where you want extra weight if you have to have it.... not in the frame and cycle parts again.

Ive been talking to my local KTM dealer about LC4's but they have no info.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Doh, I meant KTM RC4.


mmmmmmm RC4

[henry]

According to this website

http://sameerkumar.blogspot.com/2008...ng-ducati.html

It's a fake. See the last para

[Mental Trousers]

I imagine it weighs a bit more than doing a balancer shaft.

I had no idea it actually worked well. I assumed it was Ducati's usual resistance to redesigning their engines (Probably brought on by them not knowing if there would be money next month, so they are still penny pinchers) since they seem to hold on to designs for as long as they possibly can.

It worked very well. Main problem with the design is that it isn't as compact as using balance shafts. There was some minor vibration associated with the arm on the end of the 2nd conrod (caused the conrod to move in an arc rather than in a straight line), but that didn't stop it from to almost 11,000rpm.

It does have the considerable advantage that it's a v twin with the rear barrel/head missing so it can be made using the same tooling and production lines as the twin. Also, if it's based on a 90' v twin with a shared crank journal then it has fewer parts than using a balance shaft.

[bob181]

I'd love to have a ride on one just to see how it handles and where the engine makes its power and torque. Bet it would be the most fun anyone could have with their pants on!

[alfalfa]

One lap with a Ducati Supermono factory racebike at the old Dutch TT circuit in Assen,Netherlands




Ducati Supermono 570 firing up




I the old ducati supermono. $200k, if only

[jcupit69]

Even supercharged they would be pushing the envelope. Latest AMCN qoutes the KTM690 at 46KW [61HP], I'm picking the Ducati would be no more than 60HP in road trim. Given the weight this is unlikely to be the road rocket we could have hoped for.

Oh that'l be disapointing again you can get an rs to give 70bhp and they weigh bout 140kgs. You may as well buy a nsr 250 n go get a 300cc bore up kit, 75+ bhp and 130 - 140kgs

[FilthyLuka]

Oh that'l be disapointing again you can get an rs to give 70bhp and they weigh bout 140kgs. You may as well buy a nsr 250 n go get a 300cc bore up kit, 75+ bhp and 130 - 140kgs

RS250 puts out 45hp stock according to www.factorypro.com
KTM 250 GP bike puts out 100 horses at the wheel

What about the tourque? Im sure a 650 single will have considerably more tourque than a RS or NSR 250 smoker

[limbimtimwim]

One lap with a Ducati Supermono factory racebike at the old Dutch TT circuit in Assen,Netherlands
(snip)
Ducati Supermono 570 firing up
(snip)
I the old ducati supermono. $200k, if only

Thanks so much for those, that was great.

The only time that bike sounds anything like my DR-Z is when the engine is not running. That's quite a special little beasty.

[McJim]

One lap with a Ducati Supermono factory racebike at the old Dutch TT circuit in Assen,Netherlands

I the old ducati supermono. $200k, if only

Hey - did anyone spot aff-man at 1:06?

Sexy wee bikes eh? Right...who's got a spare 999 and a stihl saw? Dunno if I could ride something called and Arsey For....sounds a bit ghey eh?

[xwhatsit]

The question is will these two weigh in at what a 500cc bike should cost, or are consumers gonna have to pay for the italian tag with a huge markup. A feasible option if not, but if they are too expensive....600 supersports would look far more attractive price-wise. Not aesthetically though cos that ducati is sex on wheels.

Nah. Not even close to being the same market. 600 supersprots compared to 500cc thumper? Completely different category. Like talking about people wanting to buy Holden V8s instead of Caterham 7s because they seem like better value. Anybody who's interested in this bike won't want something boring like a 600 four-pot.

there is a really good article by Kevin Cameron about this: basically the point being if you add balancers and whatnot inside the engine to create a smoother running unit, you get a lot of benefits elsewhere, like you can have lighter frame and cycle parts because they arent having to be engineered to deal with those forces. Plus you dont get the rider fatigue etc etc. and the motor can rev higher (more power) without shaking itself to bits.

That's precisely what they did with my old thumper. The original XL250 had to have a pretty heavy-duty weighty frame to cope with all the vibes; the XL250S and CB250RS had these nifty (but power-sucking) balancers, so Honda could make a very minimalistic lightweight frame, which kept the weight right down to 125kg. Heard of people pulling the balancers out for more power, then the poor wee bikes shaking themselves to bits in a matter of a few thousand kilometres; welds cracking in the frame and tanks coming apart at the seams.

[jcupit69]

RS250 puts out 45hp stock according to www.factorypro.com
KTM 250 GP bike puts out 100 horses at the wheel

What about the tourque? Im sure a 650 single will have considerably more tourque than a RS or NSR 250 smoker

True, but if there talking bout a 500cc odd single putting out 100+ hp i think its safe to asume that will be on a dynojet dyno and is gona be better compared to the dynojet rs reading of around 65bhp for the rs....just to compare the 2, relativly speaking. Personally i believe the factorypro, if only all dynos worked that way!!!

Theres no way if your talking bout the factory pro readouts the single would be putting out anywhere near the kinda figures the gossip would have us believe. Would be good to get one on the factory pro, but till then were gona have to go on the manufactures lies to get a relative comparison