Ducati’s Leading Role in the Tech Evolution

 The landscape of motorcycle technology has experienced significant transformations in the 15 years since Ducati launched their 1098R superbike, providing riders with the first truly effective traction control system designed for the road.

Since that pioneering move, Ducati, the iconic Italian brand, has remained at the forefront of the technological innovation race. From riding modes to radar adaptive cruise control, Ducati continues to be a driving force in advancements and shows no signs of halting progress.

To understand their innovation process and future plans, we visited Bologna to have a discussion with Director of R&D, Vincenzo De Silvio, and Luigi Mauro, Vehicle Testing Department Manager.

“We invest considerable time in innovation, gaining a lot from both our funding in MUNER (the Motorvehicle University of Emilia-Romagana), and our racing department,” De Silvio informed Thehardtail. “Our Adaptive Cruise Control, for instance, involved the university from the predevelopment stage, which was immensely beneficial.

The undertaking started six years ago, and it took significant time to calibrate the transmitting antenna for every possible situation and ensure the elimination of false positives and negatives. New technology invariably poses challenges, such as tunnel waves causing false readings. Perfecting these systems requires immense time.”

In addition to universities, Ducati heavily leans on their motorsport division, which necessitates consistent innovation to stay competitive.

“Ducati Corse is instrumental for progression, especially as motorcycles continue to become more powerful,” De Silvio further commented. “In racing, an easy-to-ride bike translates into faster speeds; riders can focus on their lines rather than battling their motorcycles, a principle that applies to road riding as well.”

Always close to the next breakthrough, the company reveals they are developing a more sophisticated rider aid system. Mauro hinted, “Without revealing too much, we are devising a new generation of traction control that will be a complete transformation.

Our existing system is in its third generation and has received numerous updates due to our racing experience. However, we recognize that the current software falls short of our aspirations. Hence, we’ve decided to create a new version of the software in-house, employing our MotoGP technology, which has been astounding. We chose the in-house route because we can’t pass all this knowledge to another supplier.”

In addition to rider aids, Ducati is heavily concentrating on semi-active suspension. However, Mauro points out that it’s not a simple task. “We need to focus on hardware, particularly more development on the rear shock. However, we don’t yet have a solution for this.

Major modifications on hardware can create significant problems with the bike and can easily distort the machine’s feel and response. Consequently, the rider may lose the contact feeling, an essential part of riding a Ducati. Without divulging too much, we are intensively working on this and anticipate some news soon. Our aspirations for utilizing semi-active suspension technology are high.”

“Autonomous and artificial intelligence technology is another area we’ve explored, but the complexity of integrating it with a bike is challenging,” he continued.

The rider’s mass constitutes a significant proportion of the overall weight, and with just two wheels, it’s a balance problem.

“However, we are working on developing more functionalities for the algorithm, similar to our adaptive cruise control and blind spot detection. We’ve also tested and calibrated systems like collision detection and corner detection, but they aren’t refined enough to deliver flawless results consistently.”

The process of testing Ducatis to their limits Alessandro Valia, a former racer and factory World Superbike test rider, now Ducati’s Lead Test Rider, guides us through the process of testing and pushing new systems to their maximum…

“We conduct numerous simulations, but they can never truly replicate real-world conditions, especially when dealing with electronics. Our objective is to translate numerical data into tangible feelings, which can be a challenge because engineers typically struggle with concepts that aren’t raw data. Nonetheless, our goal is to develop predictive and consistent controls that feel intuitive and build trust with the rider.”

“Even when factory tests seem to indicate everything is set, there’s still ample time invested to ensure everything is as perfect as it can be. Gathering all the necessary data takes years, and we test in various locations – from test tracks to mountain passes, the autobahn, and all the highways in Europe. The more extensive our testing, the better the end result.”

Racing a Ducati Superleggera V4 around the corner But, do things ever take a turn for the worse? “Indeed! I recall the early days of testing cornering ABS – it was quite terrifying. Braking while maintaining lean angle and being one of the first to attempt this was a demanding task. It required many laps and various different actions: smooth maneuvers, panic braking, roll-ins – anything a rider might do. All this was necessary to calibrate the function. I even had to jab the brake to simulate a panic brake, at an angle, mid-corner, which required me to close my eyes. However, I later performed some regressive trail braking, which the software wasn’t prepared for, and I ended up in a serious crash. After this incident, Bosch had to upgrade their software to cope with such scenarios.”

“I take great pride in our accomplishments, and I like to believe that we’ve prevented numerous crashes and helped riders become faster. Our Racing front ABS only software is exclusive to Ducati and is designed specifically for racing, providing a little aid if you’re on the verge of crashing. Even MotoGP riders like Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini utilize it on their practice bikes!”

A look back at Ducati’s development journey

2008:Introduction of traction control on the 1098R

2009:The first motorcycle with LED lights, the Streetfighter

2010: Riding modes debut on the Multistrada 1200

2011: Full TFT dash introduced on their Diavel super-cruiser

2012: Debut of engine brake control on the 1199 Panigale

2014: First bike with an integrated airbag, the Multistrada 1200 D|Air

2018: ‘Slide by brake’ makes its debut on the Panigale V4

2020: The Multistrada V4 features Radar Adaptive Cruise Control

2020: Blind spot detection introduced with the Multistrada V4

2023: Extended cylinder deactivation with the Multistrada V4 Rally