The “turning point” was/is much tighter emissions control of motorcycles. The Ducati CAN bus is a network of separate ECUs, engine, bbs, dash, etc., using the same technologies that other road vehicles have been using for more than a decade now. The Euro4/5 specs require a much more precise control of the engine and supporting systems, so that technology is required now. The great result is that we now get access to this latest technology in daily driven street vehicles.
Although we(?) bitch about emissions requirements, they have resulted in the greatest advancements in mainstream engine controls and resulting power improvements. Think carburetors, ignition, cam timing, wide and O2 sensors, etc.
Most of these things were not new inventions, just their maturation into mass markets.
