Seeking headlines? Electronic suspension is a good place to start. Yet at the world press launch for the 2010 Ducati Multistrada 1200 in the Canary Islands, project manager Federico Sabbioni pointed out that wired damping and springing isn’t the only area in which the Bologna-based bike maker has made great strides.
I spent a few minutes with Sabbioni after the bike’s pre-dinner briefing, held at a spectacular glass-and-stone restaurant adjacent to a still-active volcano in Timanfaya National Park on the island of Lanzarote. Sabbioni described the new Multistrada as a “project full of firsts—in electronics, engine, mechanics, in many fields. To be best in class in braking or in horsepower or in lap time is not news for us; it is who we are. So the new target we gave ourselves is to be also first in innovation, also in technology.
See the wires? Damping adjustments on 48mm Öhlins fork are actuated electronically, but changes to spring preload require a conventional wrench.
“To have a plastic frame part—a structural plastic frame part—is innovation. To have the first blow-molded gas tank is innovation. To have saddlebags that attach to plastic elements—again, very hard and heavy and structural plastic parts—is innovation.”
Ducati is small and nimble, and can quickly incorporate new technology into its products. Sabbioni pointed to the LED “position” lights within the head- and taillight assemblies. “You see these on some BMWs, on some Citroëns,” he said. “It’s automotive technology. They are very compact and light. Nobody has this new technology in motorbikes today.”
Presumably, consumers will be eager to pay extra for these features. “Electronic suspension, for example, is a premium product,” said Sabbioni, “and we think that the customer will be happy to have something more, something new.”
Sabbioni went on to say that the Öhlins fork and shock that are standard on the $19,995 S Sport and S Touring are only the beginning for this particular technology. “I think this is the basis to develop probably a semi-active and, in the future, an active system,” he said. “That probably will have the perfect application, even in sportbikes.”
Expect more late nights from the engine department, too. “We reduced overlap on this engine; the 11 degrees gives character to the engine that affects low revs, not top revs,” said Sabbioni. “In the future, we want to make a superbike engine with reduced overlap. We can gain the maximum power we want but with a tractable behavior at the low end.”
I asked Sabbioni if design and development for the Multistrada were conducted in parallel. He nodded affirmatively. “Design plus development and testing—total time was, more or less, three years.”
With dinner about to be served, Sabbioni and I wrapped up our conversation. “Nothing stops here,” he smiled. “Innovation is value.”
ABS, DES, DTC and ride-by-wire not enough for you? Pocketable electronic ignition fob (left) communicates your intention to ride. Flip-out key opens gas-tank cap and triggers seat release (right). Brains for adjustable suspension and Bosch/Brembo anti-lock brake system reside under seat as does Öhlins shock reservoir.
