[RahulNagaraj]

Ducati has revealed its latest V-twin engine for its upcoming middleweight motorcycle lineup.

The new Ducati V2 is said to be the latest iteration of the brand's twin-cylinder engine. The new engine is also said to be Ducati's lightest V2 engine, tipping the scale at just 54.4 kg - around 9.4 kg lighter than the Superquadro 955, which powers the current Panigale V2.



The new V2 will replace the V2 Superquadro 955 motor. The newly developed V2 engine comes in the form of an 890cc twin-cylinder unit offered in two states of tune: 113 BHP/92 Nm and 118 BHP/93.3 Nm, revving up to 11,350 rpm. Ducati has also ditched its Desmodromic valve timing on the new engine & replaced it with spring-operated valves. These new valves offer more stability at lower revs and have better service intervals. The valve clearance check on the new engine is at 30,000 km.



Ducati is yet to confirm which of the upcoming models will feature the new V2 engine. Reports do suggest that the new V2 unit could power the next-generation Multistrada V2 and SuperSport S; among a few others.

Link to Team-BHP news

[Sensible_Speed]

Ducati announced last year that it planned to replace the testastretta line-up with this new engine. The Monster will probably be the first bike to receive the engine. I think Ducati will use it in their more recent models and work their way down to the older names. So, Monster and Desert X lineups will likely receive this engine starting 2025 and SS and Multi V2 a bit later.

While modern metallurgy has mitigated the need for a desmo-valve system, it is a little sad to see it disappear from the iconic Ducati V-twin. A desmo V2 is the quintessential Ducati powertrain. Atleast it lives on in the Scrambler.

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by Sensible_Speed

Ducati announced last year that it planned to replace the testastretta line-up with this new engine. The Monster will probably be the first bike to receive the engine. I think Ducati will use it in their more recent models and work their way down to the older names. So, Monster and Desert X lineups will likely receive this engine starting 2025 and SS and Multi V2 a bit later.

The new Panigale V2 and SF V2 get this powertrain. Slightly surprising as it's a whole 35hp down on the old superquadro motor. I was expecting a Monster with this engine and not SF and Pani. They are about 17kgs lighter than older models but not sure how the traditional Ducati market is going to respond to the lower spec engines.

[hikozaru]

Originally Posted by b16h22

The new Panigale V2 and SF V2 get this powertrain. Slightly surprising as it's a whole 35hp down on the old superquadro motor. I was expecting a Monster with this engine and not SF and Pani. They are about 17kgs lighter than older models but not sure how the traditional Ducati market is going to respond to the lower spec engines.

It is probably meant for competing in supersport racing. Lighter is better than lugging around extra weight with nerfed power I assume. It is cheaper than the old v2 too so I doubt anyone is going to complain.

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by hikozaru

It is probably meant for competing in supersport racing. Lighter is better than lugging around extra weight with nerfed power I assume. It is cheaper than the old v2 too so I doubt anyone is going to complain.

Yes, it did strike me that they are targeting R9 and RC 990R with it as the old V2 was in no-man's land, competition wise. But the initial response is very negative and the Ducati crowd is very traditional and rigid when it comes to their bikes. I guess a higher spec 130 or 140hp variant could've been the right compromise for the Pani and SF. Now what is going to be interesting is the market placement of a new Monster as the SF is now closer to a street triple RS/890R than ever.

[Sensible_Speed]

Originally Posted by b16h22

The new Panigale V2 and SF V2 get this powertrain. Slightly surprising as it's a whole 35hp down on the old superquadro motor. I was expecting a Monster with this engine and not SF and Pani. They are about 17kgs lighter than older models but not sure how the traditional Ducati market is going to respond to the lower spec engines.

Yeah, of course. The decision to use it in the Panigale V2 reeks of Audi management. Costs finally managed to kill the Superquadro after all this while. But, this new engine was designed with the intention to replace the 937 V2 Testastretta.

I think Ducati is using desmo only where required to either maintain a performance target or usability, depending on the model. They launched the 698 mono with desmodromic valves as the re-engineering costs to convert that design would be too expensive. But, it was only a matter of time before the superquadro went. It's an antiquated platform and Panigale V2 seems to be a worse package overall than the outstanding V4 models. This caused a drift towards the V4 Panigales and SFs as Ducati is constantly tweaking them to make them more friendlier riding machines.

This meant that the Panigale V2 became a niche bike for those who wanted that classic Duc V2 experience. The move away from a single-sided swingarm and focus on weight reduction and simplicity means, Audi has finally decided to go all in for those sweet profits from a more manageable bike.

With the supersports category firing up again with Honda's and Kawasaki's revived 600s, Ducati must have sensed the opportunity to build a more relevant package than risk putting all their eggs in the legacy basket. The older V2 would've felt heavy and unwieldy compared to the CBR600RR or the ZX-6R. The traditional Ducati market might actually welcome this move. All Ducati forums are filled with complaints of the dreaded Desmo service being ruinously expensive and the complexity of running the motorcycles outfitted with these engines.