Bore Than Meets the Eye

BORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

DUCATI SAYS THE ONLY major changes made to the 2007 Multistrada were related to the engine. But what an engine! The late, great Fabio Taglioni would be pleased by what his brilliant pupil and heir Gigi Mengoli has been able to extract from a powerplant that is still based on Taglioni’s air-cooled, sohc, two-valve-per-cylinder, 500cc Desmo Pantah V-Twin of 1975. Sure, crankcases have been beefed up and the head of the vertical cylinder has been turned 180 degrees, but the general profile is unchanged. That the engine has more than doubled in size from the original, with great reliability, is a remarkable achievement.

Displacement is now 1078cc, up from 992cc, via a 4mm bump in bore to 98mm. The twin-plug heads were carried over and sport the same 45mm intakeand 40mm exhaust-valve sizes and 45 mm Marelli throttle bodies.

Stroke remains 71.5mm. Increasing stroke would have required rods longer than the present center-to-center 124mm to keep secondary imbalance and piston side thrust under control. It also would have made the engine longer, upsetting the balance of the bike unless wheelbase grew accordingly.

First used in the SportClassic GT1000, the wet clutch is smoother, easier to modulate and marginally lighter. The exhaust has been extensively reworked to increase efficiency, both in terms of scavenging effect and emissions control.

Fractionally higher power at slightly reduced rpm (95 hp at 7750 rpm) and a lot more torque throughout the lowend and midrange (76 foot-pounds at 4750 rpm) are in line with Taglionidesigned two-valve engines. At 2500 rpm, the 1100 delivers approximately 40 percent more torque than the 1000DS, which will continue to power Monster and SportClassic models.

Expect maintenance costs to be significantly lower. Mileage intervals between scheduled services have doubled as a result of tighter quality controls and the use of higher-tech materials in the construction of vital components, such as the new long-life beryllium bronze valve seats.

Baruno de Prato