Letter From Europe

LETTER FROM Europe

A V-Twin for the 1990s

It’s only a prototype. But those at the Bol d’Or 24-hour race will see the Ducati engine on which future models will be based. Ing. Massimo Bordi, now chief engineer of the Cagiva-owned Bologna firm following the retirement of the legendary Dr. Fabio Taglioni, designed the new engine. It’s a liquid-cooled, 90-degree V-Twin with two belt-driven overhead cams and four desmodromically actuated valves per cylinder. The engine is fitted with a microchip-controlled electronic system that regulates both fuel injection and ignition functions.

At present, the dohc engine uses a set of Pantah crankcases, but is scheduled to receive new cases later this year. The prototype now is in 750cc form, but Bordi intends to stretch it to 818cc for Battle-of-theTwins races next season; and the redesigned crankcases will permit the displacement to go up to 904cc.

In spite of the additional complication of liquid-cooling and paired valves, Bordi’s engine is not much bigger than the air-cooled, two-valve Pantah powerplant it’s intended to replace. How he’s managed to squeeze four rockers and their shafts into each cylinder head is a minor miracle. Ducati plans to develop the engine in competition over the next two seasons, before fitting it to streetbikes in the early 1990s. If successful, Cagiva-Ducati should have a V-Twin desmodromic engine that will meet all known and proposed noise and pollution regulations throughout the world.

Short subjects

Postponed until the beginning of next year are plans to resuscitate the historic Matchless marque, which was last seen on a new motorcycle in the late Sixties. Now the rights to the name have been acquired by British entrepreneur Les Harris, who is currently manufacturing born-again versions of the Triumph Bonneville. Unlike with the Triumphs, though, Harris has no plans to build “newold” versions of 1960s Matchless designs. Instead, he plans two models— the electric-start G80 and the stripped-down, café-racer G45—both powered by the Austrian Rotax fourvalve single-cylinder engine. Both model-designations belong to classic Matchlesses, though the G45 was in fact a racing Twin. Running gear will be based on the Triumphs that Harris

already produces, with many shared components. Testing of the two prototypes is planned to begin shortly, with the new models due to be available all over the world, including the U.S. next spring.. . .

Laverda is planning a single-cylinder four-stroke model line as the company continues to fight its way out of financial problems. Company boss Piero Laverda has seized on the worldwide market for sporty but economical Singles by giving the goahead to one of the pet projects of his engineer brother Massimo, who is no longer involved with the company on a daily basis. Most probably using the new liquid-cooled Güera dohc fourvalve engine in both 350 and 500cc form (as used in the new Gilera Dakota trail bike), the prototype Laverda Singles are currently under

development, with a likely launch at the Bolgna Show in early December. At the same time, former Laverda (and MV Agusta) designer Ing. Bocchi has returned to Laverda as a consultant after completing design work on the new Alfa Romeo turbo engine that will power the Ligier FI race car next season. He is reportedly working on two new large-capacity bike engines, both liquid-cooled: an inline Triple, representing effectively one-half of the famed V-Six Laverda prototype of the late Seventies, and an all-new V-Four. Both Laverda projects could be manufactured in 750 and lOOOcc form, if necessary. Finally, the 350 Lesmo V-Three twostroke roadster unveiled at the Milan Show last year is nearing production, with first deliveries planned for the end of this year.

Alan Cathcart