Any chance of a few tweaks on 2015 models?

shakazulu12 said:

Do we really know what the electronics on the SL do? I've never really heard any technical breakdown. I remember initially they were stating that it incorporates a feature that automatically learns tire sizes for racing applications. Seems like a few owners are saying the actual slip maps have a learning function. I would be curious tear hear what the actual technical differences are.

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The SL electronics have a "tire learning" function, you go into the menu and select "Tire Setup - Start" and then the dash guides you through a process of travelling at a constant speed (35mph I believe - in 2nd gear) until the system "learns" the front and rear tire diameters. Then it incorporates those parameters into the DTC and EBC system calculcations to make them more accurate when using non-OEM tires. The SL also has DWC (Ducati Wheelie Control) with 8 levels of adjustability just like DTC has so you can program in how much system intervention you want in order to prevent big wheelies on corner exit. Whether DTC and EBC work any differently on the SL vs. the current systems on the other 1199 models, I'm not sure, there was never any information provided on that. The tire learning function is HUGE for any of us riding on the track, it's one omission from the prior models that was always a major source of frustration for me. Hopefully the SL is a marker of what is to come in the future on all models. I see no chance that any of that will get applied retroactively to all prior models however, because the SL has an entirely new set of sensors for the electronics that don't exist on the older bikes, and the ECU is different.

Sounds similar to the Aprilia system then. That is huge for track people, I never got why they used a static tire dimension for the system. Seems like the tech has been available for a while.

1299 would be great, if they get the extra 100cc with stroke. It would fatten up the middle of the power band without hurting top end and make them more competitive in WSBK.

centeroff said:

1299 would be great, if they get the extra 100cc with stroke. It would fatten up the middle of the power band without hurting top end and make them more competitive in WSBK.

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Do you know skmething about WSBK allowing 1300cc twins that we don't?

centeroff said:

1299 would be great, if they get the extra 100cc with stroke. It would fatten up the middle of the power band without hurting top end and make them more competitive in WSBK.

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And couldn't rev as high without blowing up. Longer stroke = higher piston speeds = broken rods! Or maybe we just get Ti rods in all the bikes, that would be cool!

Plus weight of the pistons etc. They would have to really upgrade the spec of the internals to stay together for racing applications.

Eleven 99 said:

I would also like to see electronics only used for safety and not performance enhancements. It seems Dorna wants to take MotoGP that direction as well when the spec ECU software becomes mandatory in 2016. Let the riders decide the races... not software engineers.

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Formula 1 realized this several years ago and banned launch control and traction control. Now it's all in the drivers hands and feet while the technology is still trickling down to road cars, and the racing is as good as it was in the 80's and before.

Maybe it's time for that in the 2-wheeled world as well.

In the end, though, it's the manufacturers who want to win and want to take as much unpredictability out of the equation as possible. Eliminating rider deficiencies equalizes the playing field quite a bit. Anyone who's ever run their 1199 in anger at a track day against very experienced racers should know what I'm talking about.

Reliability would be nice

kwack said:

Reliability would be nice

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I'm surprised that took until the bottom of page three. Good point. Ducati does an amazing job pushing the envelope with the engine and major functional systems, they just drop the ball on the little things.

cosmok said:

I'm surprised that took until the bottom of page three. Good point. Ducati does an amazing job pushing the envelope with the engine and major functional systems, they just drop the ball on the little things.

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Good point.
In theory your quite right

The problem is, that when pushing the envelope in terms of design limitations.
It's easy to take care of the big picture things, but almost impossible to foresee all the little things that will surface after you've decided to go with the design.
There are limits to the amount of durability testing that a manufacturer can reasonably do.

Don't forget this is the first time anybody in the world has done anything like the Superquadro engine and put it into mass production.
It's a totally clean sheet design.
We are all early adopters with the 1199 by any definition, and have to accept the down side which goes with that.
Also we are beta testing the 1199 in order for DUCATI to get the next model will replace it closer to the mark

....... do I need some wheelie control. Can't go anywhere near full throttle in 1, 2, 3 without doing a backflip.

Brad said:

Good point.
In theory your quite right

The problem is, that when pushing the envelope in terms of design limitations.
It's easy to take care of the big picture things, but almost impossible to foresee all the little things that will surface after you've decided to go with the design.
There are limits to the amount of durability testing that a manufacturer can reasonably do.

Don't forget this is the first time anybody in the world has done anything like the Superquadro engine and put it into mass production.
It's a totally clean sheet design.
We are all early adopters with the 1199 by any definition, and have to accept the down side which goes with that.
Also we are beta testing the 1199 in order for DUCATI to get the next model will replace it closer to the mark

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But the problems that are common are simple stuff, not the engine or frame.

jarelj said:

And couldn't rev as high without blowing up. Longer stroke = higher piston speeds = broken rods! Or maybe we just get Ti rods in all the bikes, that would be cool!

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my dealer was stating that Ti rods need replacement every "season". if this is true, i don't want a part of that. 2k-$2.5k a year for maintenance. any truth to that?

+1 on that!

K3yra7 said:

....... do I need some wheelie control. Can't go anywhere near full throttle in 1, 2, 3 without doing a backflip.

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+1 on this i meant

K3yra7 said:

....... do I need some wheelie control. Can't go anywhere near full throttle in 1, 2, 3 without doing a backflip.

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A little less chop and a little more smooth will keep it closer to the ground

13 Pani S said:

my dealer was stating that Ti rods need replacement every "season". if this is true, i don't want a part of that. 2k-$2.5k a year for maintenance. any truth to that?

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Several Ducati models have come straight from the factory with Ti rods and none have ever been spec'd for a rod replacement every season. My 2005 749R had Ti rods stock and is still going strong with it's 2nd owner after 9 years of track days without an engine rebuild.

jarelj said:

Several Ducati models have come straight from the factory with Ti rods and none have ever been spec'd for a rod replacement every season. My 2005 749R had Ti rods stock and is still going strong with it's 2nd owner after 9 years of track days without an engine rebuild.

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Thanks for the proof that it is not so... I can't imagine that an R would need that kind of attention on a regular basis.

13 Pani S said:

Thanks for the proof that it is not so... I can't imagine that an R would need that kind of attention on a regular basis.

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I trust you will never revisit that particular dealer???