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Acceleration
To be fast - the primary goal of any performance motorcycle. Perhaps the most essential component of speed, acceleration gives a bike its visceral thrill on the street and enables scorching lap times on the track.
In a strictly technical sense, the acceleration of a motorcycle is a function of force and mass; to increase it, one must either increase the bike's power (force), or decrease its weight (mass).
In accord with Project 1201's extraordinary nature, its engineers pursued both components of acceleration, giving it maximum power and minimum weight to make it phenomenally quick.
Maximum power begins with an "R" spec Superquadro engine, already the world's most advanced twin-cylinder. Titanium exhaust valves are added to its titanium intake valves, all of which are precision-actuated Desmodromically using a dedicated high-performance camshaft. Low friction 2-ring Superbike pistons are fitted, and the combustion chamber's "squish" area is modified, raising compression to 13.2:1. The power of combustion is transmitted by titanium rods to an ultra-strong, ultra-lightweight crankshaft, perfectly balanced with exotic tungsten counterweights; while spent gases exit through a high-flow titanium exhaust. The combined result is a stratospheric 200+ hp - the most powerful street engine Ducati has ever made.
Extreme light weight leverages this power to achieve its highest effect. Project 1201's engine is bolted to a sand-cast magnesium Monoscocca chassis and carbon fibre subframe, forming the ultimate lightweight foundation. Every component subsequently added is similarly engineered to be as light as possible, from the readily visible machined-bottom fork and full carbon fibre fairings, to smaller details like titanium and Ergal fasteners, a titanium shock spring, and a lithium-ion battery. Even the footpegs and radiator cap are lightweight, machined pieces unique to the bike. The drivetrain is paid special attention and receives a Superbike-spec chain and sprocket, titanium axle nuts, and a forged magnesium rear wheel, transmitting maximum engine power to rocket Project 1201 forward like nothing else.
Handling
Perfect motorcycle handling means many things - ease in corner entry, agility in changing lines, stability when leaned over, and the ability to hold a selected trajectory, among others. Balancing these qualities is a complex blend of art and science in which geometry, weight distribution, and the properties of selected materials all play large parts. As in other components of motorcycle performance, mass shows its importance; few goals enable the achievement of a superbly handling motorcycle like weight reduction.
Project 1201's engineers used the principle of weight reduction to dramatic effect in the area of handling. Forged magnesium wheels, with absolute minimum rotating mass and correspondingly low rotational inertia, enable the bike to tip into curves with instantaneous quickness and precision.
Combined with the lightweight and mass-centralized chassis, they make changes in line similarly effortless. Further, they allow Project 1201's peerless suspension to better do its job, maintaining traction and keeping the bike on line at tremendous corner speed. Overall bike geometry benefits from Ducati Corse's multiple-world-championship-winning expertise, giving Project 1201 stability while leaned over along with the agility to make lightning-quick side-to-side transitions. Full-throttle corner exits are likewise handled with confidence, as an Ohlins steering damper gives sure-footed composure even with the front tyre only skimming the tarmac, or completely in the air.
Braking
Simply put, brakes are a motorcycle's most powerful components. An easier aspect to overlook than acceleration or handling, braking is nonetheless of the same - or higher - importance to top-level motorcycle performance. Ideal brakes provide the force to lift a bike's rear tyre off the ground from triple-digit speeds, the feel to control it precisely, and the consistency to repeat it perfectly, again and again.
A bike as blindingly fast as Project 1201 requires the best brakes available, so Ducati's engineers equipped it with Brembo M50 Monobloc front callipers, each milled from a single piece of aluminium. Controlling these is Brembo's exclusive new MCS radial master cylinder, which offers the ability to adjust its ratio for the perfect balance of power and feeling. As a pure racing touch, a remote adjuster lets the rider set brake lever distance on-the-fly to compensate for pad wear.
These exemplary braking components are even further enhanced by Project 1201's great recurring advantage, its light weight.
Forged magnesium wheels and a featherweight chassis offer as little resistance to being slowed down as they do to being accelerated. And to complete the mechanical package, Project 1201's braking system is given electronics in the form of advanced ABS and configurable rear wheel lift-up control, putting unparalleled braking power and ultimate control in the hands of every rider, in all conditions.
Control
Despite the incredible engineering required to maximize a motorcycle's capability in acceleration, braking, and handling, it is not enough - for until this capability can be exploited by the rider, it remains only potential.
This is why at the very top levels of World Championship motorcycle racing, each bike on the grid is equipped with an extensive array of components designed with the sole purpose of allowing the rider to fully use its performance.
With specifications comparable to those of full World Superbikes, Project 1201 is no different - requiring its engineers to focus equally on achieving incredible performance, and ensuring that it is completely within the rider's command.
To do so, they used methods both mechanical and electronic; and suspension, as the primary component of mechanical control, was focused on first. Project 1201 receives an exclusive custom FL916 fork from Ohlins, with stress-optimized outer tubes, titanium-nitride treated inner tubes, and fully machined bottoms. Incredibly lightweight, this racing-derived fork works in tandem with the lightweight front wheel to provide supernatural front-end feeling and control over any surface. An Ohlins TTX36 shock, featuring a custom titanium spring, performs the same service for the rear. A full suite of the most advanced electronics completes Project 1201's control package. Ducati Wheelie Control, a race-derived system that manages front-wheel lift, combines with advanced 8-stage traction control and a quick shifter to allow the seamless use of maximum power.
A set of dedicated buttons mounted on the handlebar allows either wheelie control, engine braking control, or traction control to be rapidly adjusted on-the-fly, enabling the bike to be fine tuned even in the middle of a record-setting lap. Back in the paddock, Project 1201's lean-angle and GPS-enabled DDA+ data system allows riders to analyze every last detail of their laps to improve the most important control system of all - themselves.
