Ducati Glasgow

2011 Ducati Superbike Power

THE DUCATI 848 EVO and 1198 TESTASTRETTA EVOLUZIONE ENGINEs

The Testastretta Evoluzione engine is the crowning glory of Ducati's development and perfection of the L-Twin engine. World Superbike dominance for almost two decades is the result of continual commitment to their twin-cylinder configuration.
Ducati now share the reward for that commitment as World Championship-winning technologies flow from the factory race team into production engines.

The Testastretta Evoluzione engine is immediately recognisable by its compact cylinders and cylinder heads. Other innovations and revisions are less obvious as they reside inside the Evoluzione's engine cases, but whether external or internal, every new development was conceived to create a lighter, more efficient, more powerful and ultra-compact engine.

The incredible 1198 and 1198 SP are powered by a liquid cooled, L-Twin, Desmodromic engine that produces 170hp (125kW) @ 9,750rpm and a class-beating 97lb-ft (13.4kgm) of torque @ 8,000rpm, while the 848 EVO is our most powerful middleweight Superbike ever, boasting 140hp (103kW) @ 10,500rpm and 72.3lb-ft (10kgm) @ 9,750rpm. All are fitting rewards to our engineers' continued ingenuity.

The 1198 achieves its new capacity by using exactly the same 106x67.9 bore and stroke as the factory race bike. Volumetric efficiency through the four valves per cylinder has been enhanced by increasing the valve diameters approximately 4% to 43.5mm for the inlet and 35.5mm for the exhaust. They are actuated by racing-type rocker arms, 'super-finished' for reduced friction and fatigue, and double overhead camshafts with radical profiles that achieve approximately 10% more lift than their predecessors.

These incredible valve performances are only possible because of Ducati's unique Desmodromic system, where valve closure is activated mechanically. At high rpm it would be almost impossible for the valve to follow the steep closure profile of the cam lobe if it were relying upon a normal valve spring. With the Desmo system, the valve is closed mechanically with the same accuracy as it is opened, enabling steep cam profiles and radical cam timings. This system is used on every single Ducati motorcycle including their world-beating Superbike and Desmosedici MotoGP bikes.

With increased capacity and improved volumetric efficiency, the elliptical throttle bodies have also increased in cross-sectional area by 13.3% compared to the 1098. Now boasting a size equivalent to 63.9mm diameter.

The race-designed 1198 pistons have a distinctive double-ribbed undercrown to achieve high strength and reduced friction by using minimal piston wall surface area. Using technology developed for the Desmosedici MotoGP project, the design enables reliable operation of the 106mm diameter pistons when performing at high rpm.

The 848 evo & 1198 Testastretta Evoluzione engines
are the lightest ever used in Ducati Superbikes.

Thanks to a new crankcase manufacturing technology which reduces weight by an incredible 3kg (6.5lbs). The vacuum die-cast process ensures consistent and precise wall thickness and increased strength from absolute material purity. The weight-saving cam covers in magnesium-alloy are evident by their gold colour, while the alloy outer clutch and generator covers now sport a black finish.

In line with the increased power and torque output, the 1198 gearbox introduces specially strengthened internal ratios. The new gears are machined from the same high-strength steel used in Ducati Corse race applications and are subjected to a shot-peening treatment that further ensures their strength and reduced fatigue.

All Ducati Superbike variants feature a beautiful and efficient exhaust system. Incredibly lightweight, it has been engineered with a power-increasing symmetrical 2-1-2 layout that uses 52mm-57mm diameter tubing with a wall thickness of 0.8mm (.030in). It is equipped with a catalytic converter and two lambda probes for smooth engine mapping and Euro3 conformity. The system terminates with Ducati's trademark twin under-seat silencers, delivering that unmistakable signature sound of the big bore Desmo 90° L-Twin.