Ducati Desmosedici RR - The Firebreather

Ducati has always had racing in its blood. And whenever you think of the term "homologation special" as it applies to motorcycles, the factory from the Borgo Panigale district of Bologna, Italy, always comes to mind—first and foremost. The company has a long history of building limited production versions of its high performance sportbikes whose main purpose is to legalize the usage of certain parts for sanctioned racing.

So when the Desmosedici RR project was officially announced at World Ducati Week at the Misano circuit in '04—and then the final production version of the bike unveiled at press day for the '06 Italian Grand Prix at Mugello—there was plenty of surprise and awe. But beneath all that was almost an element of expectancy; sure, the Japanese could just as easily build a road-going replica of their MotoGP machines...but Ducati is the only manufacturer that would, and make it as close to the real thing as possible. The terms "passion" and "pride" are often a bit over-used in describing Italy's relationship with its motor vehicles, but the Desmosedici RR is the perfect example of why those two words really do apply to the people who work at Ducati.

Desmosedici Myths Debunked
A common belief regarding the Desmosedici RR is that it owes its existence to MotoGP switching to the 800cc format in '07, thus forcing Ducati to build a completely new racebike and making much of the 990cc GP06 Desmosedici MotoGP machine obsolete, eliminating concerns about some proprietary technology becoming "declassified" after appearing in a for-sale-to-the-public production version. Not so, according to the upcoming David Bull Publishing book, "Ducati Desmosedici RR" by Chris Jonnum (see sidebar). In fact, when then-Ducati Corse CEO (now Ducati Product Director) Claudio Domenicali, then-Ducati Corse Technical Director (now Ducati Corse General Manager) Filipo Preziosi, and then-Ducati MotoGP Product Manager Livio Suppo prepared their presentation for entering MotoGP to then-Ducati CEO Carlo Di Biagio back in '01, the business plan included producing a race replica as a way of helping finance the endeavor. The Desmosedici RR engine was already well into the pre-production stage by '04, long before the idea to drop MotoGP to 800cc displacement was even floated.

Another mistaken belief is that the engine in the Desmosedici RR is literally a carbon copy of the powerplant from the GP06 Desmosedici MotoGP machine; just detuned to lengthen the lifespan of its parts and make its performance more accessible to mere mortals, along with an alternator and electric starter grafted on. In reality, however, the only parts shared between the two engines are the cylinder head base bolts. The RR engine and its entire mechanical makeup was designed specifically for its production purpose, and is not just a conglomeration of parts made from the same castings as the MotoGP engine.

Don't misunderstand though—the D16 RR powerplant is indeed a very, very close replica of the GP06 engine, right down to its "Twin Pulse" firing order crankshaft. In fact, when the MotoGP racebike switched to this format in '04, it forced the engineers responsible for the D16RR to drop the standard firing order prototypes they'd already made and follow suit because of Ducati's desire to make it as close to its racing cousin as possible. The D16RR engine has the same architecture (90-degree Vee angle, 86 x 42.56mm bore x stroke, 25-degree included valve angle, gear-driven desmodromic valve actuation, etc.) and many parts using the same materials and vendor; for instance, the titanium rods are made by Pankl, just as with the MotoGP bike, and have the same journal diameters and eye-to-eye length. The sand-cast engine cases split horizontally just like the MotoGP unit, along with an extractable cassette transmission that is faithful in nearly every way to the racebike's—only with beefier gears and shafts to ensure durability on the street.

Space considerations with the street-going D16 meant that some portions of the MotoGP design couldn't be used. One example is that the MotoGP engine uses a dry-sump oil lubrication system, but the D16RR uses a conventional wet sump setup. The reason? There wasn't enough room for the dry sump system's separate oil tank. Engine packaging and maintenance concerns also forced the relocation of the water pump from its racebike positioning on the right side between the cylinder banks to the left side below the alternator, forcing engineers to make some innovative yet elegant designs in order keep the engine narrow for ground clearance. The D16RR engineers were allowed just 1cm extra width on each side compared to the MotoGP engine, an enormous task considering the added parts (such as the alternator, battery and supporting wiring, starter motor) that also added bulk.

Think about that for a minute: a comparatively small company with limited resources had to design and produce an engine that—although very closely based on a proven racing unit—was basically built from scratch. And many of the specialized components had to be produced by skilled vendors who were accustomed to making small batches for race teams. These engines had to pass all necessary emissions and noise standards, yet produce serious horsepower, all while being built in numbers that require some mass production techniques. The words "incredibly ambitious" come to mind, yet Ducati pulled it off masterfully.

The steel-tube trellis chassis has also been mistakenly reported to be exactly like the GP06 racebike's frame. Like the engine, while the chassis uses the same design with the front subframe attaching to the front of the engine along with the aluminum swingarm in the rear pivoting directly in the engine cases, there are subtle differences in each component that were made in order to better suit the D16RR's different performance demands. These changes were arrived at after extensive testing with riders of varying skills.

The Desmosedici RR also permitted Ducati to let its loyal suppliers showcase their respective strengths. For example, the D16RR is the first production bike to utilize Öhlins' GP-spec FG353P gas-pressurized inverted 43mm fork, a very specialized component that usually costs over $10,000 (and is only made available to favored race teams). The D16RR is also the first production bike to be equipped with forged magnesium wheels, with Marchesini supplying special units that have been subtly beefed up in order to meet the durability requirements for street use. Even the tires are specific to the D16RR, with Bridgestone providing new BT-01R "Uno" radials that were specially developed with the bike during its prototype stages.

(Our thanks to Chris Jonnum and David Bull Publishing for letting us take a pre-release look at their upcoming book, "Ducati Desmosedici RR", from which much of this technical information was gleaned. -Ed.)

Desmosedici, You're Up
Climbing aboard the D16 reveals a fairly stretched-out riding position, with a long reach to the low-set clip-ons-basically the same as the GP06 MotoGP racebike I rode back in November of '06 ("Full Speed Ahead", April '07), in keeping with its MotoGP replica intentions. The Ducati Performance self-supporting carbon tailpiece has a racebike-style saddle as well; firm, one-inch-thick seat foam is basically there to keep your posterior planted and provide good chassis/rear tire feedback, and nothing else.

Turn the key, and the Marelli LCD dash quickly goes through its diagnostic check while the whir of the fuel pump signals its pressurization of the fuel system. The starter will not engage until the various engine parameters are met, which takes a few seconds. Then once the starter engages, the D16 requires just a smidge of throttle to light off properly, at which point you are met with a ferocious bark from the dual exhausts (our bike was fitted with an exquisitely crafted titanium Ducati Performance exhaust that features one canister protruding out the rear of the tail section, and one exiting beneath the right footpeg, just like the GP06) along with a blizzard of mechanical noise from the valve train. This is definitely no refined and restrained streetbike—the mechanical noise alone sounds like it would be enough to fail the EPA sound test.

Clicking the D16 into first gear reveals very little of the transmission clunkiness you usually find in conventional streetbikes; you only feel the slightest take-up of drivetrain lash, and clutch pull is much lighter than the V-twin desmos. The dry slipper clutch is also thankfully more robust than the units on the V-twins, with little of their grabby and noisy characteristics, even during aggressive launches.

The D16 runs a little rough just off the bottom, likely a by-product of the single injector per cylinder setup. In order to have sufficient fuel flow at high rpm for a 170-horsepower engine, a large capacity injector must be used; this compromises its ability to control fuel flow at lower rpm where precise delivery is required for smooth running. The engine quickly clears its throat once past the 3000-rpm mark however, revealing a powerplant with plenty of midrange grunt, despite its very oversquare bore/stroke dimensions. The torque curve is fairly smooth up to 9500 rpm, and we're sure plenty of D16 owners will happily troll around this section of the powerband in perfect bliss at how user-friendly its engine is.

Let the revs climb beyond that point at anywhere near full throttle though, and the beast within quickly surfaces. In the span of just 1000 rpm, the D16 explodes from a docile 116 horsepower to an attention-getting 139 horsepower, and power continues building exponentially from there as the desmo V-four ravenously devours the upper portion of the rpm scale. Spec chart mavens are probably scoffing at the 169.8 horsepower peak reading from our Superflow Windyn dyno chart, but what that doesn't take into account is how quickly the engine revs, plus the fact that it weighs 425 pounds with lightweight magnesium wheels with less rotational inertia (easier to spin faster—as in accelerate). One need only look at the D16's scorching 9.49 second at 152.80 mph quarter-mile time—which could've been much quicker had we not been so wary of abusing the Ducati's expensive clutch and performed some chassis tweaks such as lowering, tire pressures, etc.—to get an idea of its accelerative prowess.

Thankfully the chassis and running gear are up to task of harnessing that power. The race-spec Öhlins suspension handled all manner of bumps and dips that the Infineon circuit could dish out—provided both ends were set up correctly. Our first session was a fitful group of laps that had us chattering and bouncing our way around the track, making us even more paranoid about possibly skittering a $90K-plus motorcycle down the track on its side.

Luckily, former AMA Pro Thunder class champion (as well as successful Ducati dealership owner and official Ducati North America tech maven) Jeff Nash was on hand to help us get near a suitable ballpark setting. The Öhlins FG353P fork follows the current MotoGP spec of having each fork leg handle rebound or compression damping exclusively, with the left fork leg handling compression and the right fork leg dealing only with rebound. Unfortunately, it appeared that the previous group who tested the D16 mistakenly thought the adjusters were the conventional variety, resulting in both ends of the compression damping being far too stiff. Nash softened up the suspension considerably, providing a much more stable and compliant ride that allowed the Ducati to more readily display its surprisingly agile steering characteristics despite its 56.3-inch wheelbase.

Turn-in and major directional changes on the D16 are far easier than the vast majority of sportbikes, and flicking the bike from full lean on one side to the other in slow or fast chicanes requires less effort than you'd expect. Besides the well-balanced chassis, surely helping in this regard are the Marchesini magnesium wheels that have less gyroscopic effect. The extensive suspension adjustability surely doesn't hurt either; for example, rear ride height can be easily altered by turning the exposed top shock mount bolt on top of the swingarm.

Handling the task of scrubbing off all the speed generated by the engine and chassis are the same brakes found on the 1198 series V-twins. Huge 330mm discs are clamped by Brembo's latest radial-mount/four-piston M4 monobloc calipers sporting 34mm pistons, all actuated by a Brembo radial master cylinder providing unrivaled stopping power and feel. A nice MotoGP-style touch is the manual brake free-play adjuster on the left clip-on bar; continuous very aggressive braking over the course of a race wears pad material and causes the calipers' aluminum pistons to expand, changing the brake lever free play and travel. Turning the adjuster knob immediately takes up this free play, allowing the brakes to feel more consistent.

Unfortunately, all this engine/chassis competence exposes the one weak link in the D16: the tires. The BT-01R "Uno" tires were developed specifically for the D16 by Bridgestone, with the 6.25 x 16-inch rear wheel sizing chosen to provide the correct tire profile that more closely replicates the 16.5-inch rubber that is common in MotoGP. While the BT-01R tires are fine for street use, they never really came to grips—literally as well as figuratively—with track usage. The Bridgestone's only average edge grip—coupled with the D16's tremendous power—contributed to difficulties coming off corners. Any attempts at aggressive corner exits would easily spin up the rear tire, and great care was necessary when getting on the throttle early in the corner. Overall bump compliance wasn't that good either, with a rather stiff carcass feel leading us to theorize that the tire was developed on smoother pavement than we normally have here in the States—street or racetrack. And because of the rear wheel's 16-inch diameter, you're basically stuck with one choice there. We've heard of some D16RR owners fitting 999-spec rear wheels that allow them to run the more plentiful 17-inch rubber choices, although we'd imagine if you have the money for a D16, placing a call to your local Marchesini dealer would net you a proper 17-inch magnesium wheel to match the front.

A Very Impressive Feat
Even the homologation specials for superbike racing that Ducati has built over the years pale in comparison to the Desmosedici RR. Although out-of-the-crate performance may not be a match for the latest V-twin 1198R, the performance potential is there, and the exclusivity and quality of components is unrivaled. Just the fact that Ducati had the ambition and drive to build such a bike speaks volumes about the company's enthusiasm for racing—and its relationship to the company's products. And while we all love the booming sound of an 1198R at full song, the distinctive banshee wail of the Desmosedici RR will raise the hair on the back of your neck.

Make no mistake, if you're lucky enough to own one of these exclusive machines, you have what amounts to the only real Grand Prix replica sportbike built by any manufacturer. And it's one that is definitely no poser.

SIDEBAR
The Real Inside Story On The Desmosedici

Ducati never released very much information on the Desmosedici RR, but it didn't really have to; the $72,500 MotoGP replica basically sold itself. All 1500 units that were produced were already spoken for well before production even started. It was quite an audacious move to produce such a motorcycle, even from a company known for its penchant of building superbike homologation models.

Ducati's decision to produce the Desmosedici RR becomes even more daring when you discover its origins, its actual mechanical makeup, and the people behind its construction. Much of the incredibly intricate and interesting technical details and history probably would have been left undiscovered—but fortunately Chris Jonnum, former editor of the now-defunct RoadracerX magazine, was commissioned by David Bull Publishing to delve into the bike and its background as the foundation for the upcoming hardcover book, "Ducati Desmosedici RR"

Jonnum—who speaks fluent Italian—spent numerous days interviewing over 40 people at the Ducati factory in Bologna, Italy, plus management at Ducati North America, as well as personnel at partner companies such as Marchesini, Brembo, Öhlins, etc. The book is a literal treasure trove of fascinating details, stories, and history behind the bike that were heretofore unknown beyond the walls of the Ducati factory, with revealing testimony from key figures behind the concept, design, prototype research and development, and production of what is surely one of the most impressive technological achievements in motorcycling.

The quality hardcover book will comprise 228 pages, with more than 350 photographs that reveal everything about the Desmosedici RR and the incredibly passionate and driven people responsible for building it. This book is not only a must for any of the lucky 1500 Desmosedici RR owners and any true Ducatisti, but also for any person—motorcycle enthusiast or not—who loves to read about how a relatively small factory that loves motorcycles and racing used spirit, innovation, and creativity to turn what many considered a pipe dream into a top-shelf performance reality.

The book's release is scheduled for August at the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, and a price had not been set a press time. Interested parties, however, should log onto www.bullpublishing.com for additional information, to place advance orders, and to be put on a notification list.

Opinions
Eric Nugent
When word came from Andrew "curling is a sport" Trevitt that we would get to ride a few laps on the Desmosedici, my heart almost skipped a beat. Looking at the bike on the stand was almost just as great as riding it. I'm glad there wasn't an eight-foot "no molesting" zone that you would normally see around something so beautiful. The next best thing to looking at the Desmo is hearing her run, with an exhaust note that is nothing short a full-blown MotoGP bike. First thing I noticed is just how stretched out I was in reaching for the bars. The next attention-grabbers are the brakes—one finger is almost too much for these binders. The speed of the Desmosedici is all that you would expect. Powerful and fast would not even describe what this thing feels like. And while I only got on the throttle when the bike was near straight up due to the lack of tire grip, it has a feel like nothing else you could imagine. Thanks Kento and Trevitt for a ride I will never forget!

Troy Siahaan
I think I would have had more fun riding the Desmo if there wasn't one figure running through my mind the entire time I rode it: $100,000, or the amount our test unit cost as tested. Riding around a racetrack using dollar signs as braking markers is not conducive to a good time, and neither is riding around on those terrible Bridgestone BT-01 tires that come standard on the bike.

There's no doubt it's a beautiful motorcycle, but it's nowhere near the top of my list of motorcycles I've ridden. I couldn't make myself comfortable on the bike as the saddle is too low and long, and the rearsets could be higher. As far as the engine is concerned it's actually pretty docile down low. Opened up and she shoved my eyeballs to the back of my head. Likewise, the super stiff racing setup on the Öhlins suspension rattled my teeth out of my mouth. More power to you if you can ride the Desmocedici properly. Me? I'll take an 1198R and pocket the change.

Kent Kunitsugu
I have to tip my hat to Ducati for having the sfrontatezza to build and market a bike like the Desmosedici RR. No other manufacturer would be bold enough to go through all the financial and logistical risks and headaches to produce such a machine. All the other attempts by manufacturers in the past to produce a Grand Prix replica sportbike absolutely pale in comparison.

Many detractors would cry that the bike should have the absolute best performance of any motorcycle for $72,500. Besides the fact that the D16RR only falls just a bit short of that goal, that is completely missing the point. When you take a close look at the Desmosedici RR, the lack of compromise in construction is readily apparent; the only "compromise" (more a necessity, actually) is that parts were redesigned in order to have the required durability for street use. And if you know just how much effort went into the bike's creation, that appreciation becomes even more profound.

Suggested Supension Settings

Ducati Desmosedici RR
MSRP: $72,500

Engine
Type: Liquid-cooled, 90-deg., 4-stroke V-four, DOHC desmodromic, 4 valves/cyl.
Displacement: 989cc
Bore x stroke: 86.0 x 42.56mm
Compression ratio: 13.5:1
Induction: Magnetti Marelli EFI with 50mm throttle bodies, single injector/cyl.
Transmission: 6-speed

Chassis
Front suspension: 43mm Öhlins FG353P gas-pressurized cartridge inverted fork, 4.7 in. travel; adjustable for spring preload, rebound and high/low-speed compression damping
Rear suspension: Single Öhlins PRXB shock absorber, 4.7 in. travel; adjustable for spring preload, rebound and high/low-speed compression damping
Front brake: 2, radial-mount/four-piston monobloc calipers, 330mm stainless steel discs
Rear brake: Single twin-piston caliper, 240mm disc
Front wheel: 3.50 x 17 in.; forged magnesium alloy
Rear wheel: 6.25 x 16 in.; forged magnesium alloy
Front tire: 120/70ZR-17 Bridgestone BT-01F Uno
Rear tire: 200/55ZR-16 Bridgestone BT-01R Uno
Rake/trail: 23.5/24.5 deg. (adjustable)/3.8 in. (97mm)
Wheelbase: 56.3 in. (1430mm)
Seat height: 32.7 in. (831mm)
Fuel capacity: 4.0 gal. (15L)
Weight: 425 lb. (193 kg) wet; 401 lb. (182 kg) all fluids except gas
Instruments: LCD panel for digital speedometer, bar graph tachometer, clock, coolant temperature, odometer/dual tripmeters, ambient air temperature, battery level, lap time, scheduled maintenance, average speed/fuel consumption, fuel reserve, DDA, EOBD diagnostics; warning lights for neutral, high beam, turn signals, low oil pressure, low fuel level

Performance
Quarter-mile: 9.49 sec. @ 152.80 mph (corrected)
Top speed: 188.2 mph
Roll-ons: 60-80 mph/2.67 sec.; 80-100 mph/2.77 sec.