
Originally Posted by
www.cycleworld.com
he 989cc V-four, fuel-injected motor utilizes gear-driven, dual-overhead cams to motivate its four-valves per cylinder. The engine cases and cylinder heads are made of sand-cast aluminum and the engine covers are sand-cast magnesium. It features titanium connecting rods and valves and breathes by way of four 50mm Magneti Marelli throttle bodies. Ignition and fueling of the motor are controlled by a Magneti Marelli 5SM ECU and, contrary to its MotoGP cousin, features no traction control or “drive-by-wire.” This setup is good enough to deliver “more than 200hp @ 13,500rpm” when equipped with the race-only 102db exhaust silencer. When using the street-legal muffler, though, power is reduced to “over 195hp.” Oh dear, how will we survive?
All that power is transmitted to the rear wheel through a six-speed cassette-style gear box and a hydraulically actuated, multi-plate slipper clutch. In typical Ducati fashion, the clutch runs dry for your aural pleasure.
The “hybrid” chassis is unique to the motorcycle world as well. The steel trellis frame could be considered special in that the geometery of the Desmosedici RR is the same as that of the GP6 (current specification) MotoGP racer. Aside from that, the red scaffold of tubes is constructed just like any other Ducati frame. The rear seat section, though, is particularly cool. It's made of carbon-fiber, just like the piece found on the GP6. Due to heat and exhaust routing issues, a temperature-resistant resin was used. The long swingarm is a combination of pressings, castings and forgings, all in aluminum.
The DesmoRR doesn't skimp in the suspension department, either. Öhlins' 43mm FG353 forks are spec'd out and have a titanium-nitride, stiction-reducing coating on the fork sliders and pressurized reservoir for stable damping across a broad speed and temperature range. They are adjustable for preload, rebound and compression damping.
The rear-suspension features similar geometry and layout to the one one the GP6 racer. That means the Öhlins shock is attached to the swingarm and pivots off a rocker attached to the swingarm pivot. High and low speed compression damping as well as rebound damping are available for adjustment. Thankfully, the preload can be adjusted hydraulically, as the DesmoRR swingarm and suspension layout doesn't allow much room for a spanner!
Tires are Bridgestone and made specifically for the RR and are mounted on forged and machined, seven-spoke magnesium alloy wheels. Large Brembo monoblock calipers are radially-mounted to the forks. These are the same calipers used on the race bike for rain setups. There are four 34mm pistons per caliper and they work against 320mm steel rotors. The fronts use a radial master-cylinder with a trick hinged lever. The rear rotor is 240mm in diameter and is pressed upon by a caliper with two 34mm pistons.
The bodywork is all carbon-fiber, of course, and can be had in one of two color configurations; a solid “Rosso GP” (red) painted bike with white number plates on the tail-section, or the “Team” version with a white-stripe on the fairing. A sticker kit is included with the “Team” paint-scheme that makes the bike look just like the factory racer.