Older Duc pondering.

[98tls]

As I hooned a long late this afternoon on my IL4, I remembered a magazine article I have a home somewhere (relatively recent) with a short column quoting Ducatis engine designer saying they are working on the next generation engine as the present design has pretty much reached its limit (presumably in a road going form keeping it warrantable).

A bit off topic re this post but reminded me of this,way back when Taglioni was in charge if you had a look at a 750GT and the holes in the crankcase round the ignition system then when years later the 860 came out the holes where already there for the electronic ignition.One of the GT prototypes even had fuel injection driven off the points housing,they didnt need the points shaft because the electronic ignition on the other side,so in 1970 they had a bike with electronic ignition and fuel injection,Amazing.

[Forest]

A bit off topic re this post but reminded me of this,way back when Taglioni was in charge if you had a look at a 750GT and the holes in the crankcase round the ignition system then when years later the 860 came out the holes where already there for the electronic ignition.One of the GT prototypes even had fuel injection driven off the points housing,they didnt need the points shaft because the electronic ignition on the other side,so in 1970 they had a bike with electronic ignition and fuel injection,Amazing.

There's a great quote from an American writer called William Gibson. He said:

"The future is already here. It is just unevenly distributed"

[Taz]

Ah now to compare like this you would need to single out one similar sized.......

I was actually referring to their race results not their sales results.....

[98tls]

I was actually referring to their race results not their sales results.....

True but lets face it there recent history race results have as much to do with the Superbike rule makers as anything else and said partys insistance on complying with Ducatis whinging.

[vifferman]

...take the 916 for example,yea it won 3/4 world championships

If the WSB promoters / rulemakers hadn't decided to favour Ducati with a bit of bending of the rules (to the Honda RC45's disadvantage), things may have been quite different. Thankfully, they did. The resultant successes gave them a much needed sales boost, and allowed them to further develop their bikes.

90-degree Vs rawk! The 45s, 60s, 72s, etc just don't sound right.

As for the long wheelbases thing, Honda got around this by having pannier radiators and swingarms pivoting in the engine cases. Pity the bikes aren't as sexy or succesful as the Dukes.

[Kickaha]

and swingarms pivoting in the engine cases. Pity the bikes aren't as sexy or succesful as the Dukes.

Ducati have used the swingarm pivoting in the cases since the Pantahs were released in the early eighties