Ducati Superquadro Mono single-cylinder engine launched with 80bhp

The Ducati Superquadro Mono engine offers performance which is more or less unrivalled in single-cylinder motorcycle engines, and brings a future derived from Ducati’s past.

That past isn’t from so long ago, only 2018 and the final version of the 1299 Panigale’s 1,285cc Superquadro engine. Five years later, Ducati is using the technology from that V-twin motor in its new single-cylinder unit, named of course after the Supermono 550 of 1993.

Specifically, Ducati has carried over the 116mm bore piston; the combustion chamber shape; the 46.8mm titanium intake valves; and 38.2mm steel, desmodromic exhaust valves.

The 116mm bore has been combined with a 62.4mm stroke to achieve what Ducati calls the “most extreme” bore-to-stroke ratio seen on a single-cylinder road engine of 1.86. The short stroke means high revs, with a redline of 10,250rpm and a maximum power output of 77.5bhp achievable at 9,750rpm and 46.3lb ft at 8,000rpm. That horsepower figure is increased to 85bhp, and moved down the rev range to 9,500rpm, when the racing Termignoni exhaust is added.

Ducati has derived the engine from its racing technology, including the Diamond Like Carbon coating on the piston pin and ‘box in box’ layout of the piston itself that are used on the Ducati Panigale V4 R’s Desmosedici Stradale motor. DLC is also used on the desmodromic system’s rocker arms, as in the engine of the Desmosedici MotoGP engine.

Despite the high values and racing derivation of the engine, Ducati says the 659cc Superquadro Mono will have service intervals of 30,000km (18,640 miles) for checking and, eventually, valve clearance.

The engine will have three selectable power modes, and will also be available in a detuned, A2 form. Ducati also says that the engine will feature in its next premiere episode, the fourth of the 2024 series, which is set to go live on 2 November at 16:00 CET, or 15:00 GMT. Earlier this year, a prototype bike which appeared to be a single-cylinder version of the Ducati Hypermotard was spotted on a test ride. The official news from Ducati means that it is likely to be this single-cylinder Hypermotard-style bike that is revealed on 2 November.

Ducati Superquadro Mono technical details

• 659cc vertical single-cylinder engine
• Bore x stroke 116 x 62.4 mm
• Compression ratio 13.1:1
• Maximum power 57 kW (77.5bhp) at 9,750 rpm – 85bhp at 9,500 rpm with Termignoni racing exhaust
• Maximum torque 46.3lb ft at 8,050 rpm – 49.2lb ft with Termignoni racing exhaust
• Aluminium cylinder barrel
• Euro 5+ homologation
• Mixed chain-gear Desmodromic distribution with double overhead camshaft, 4 valves per cylinder. 46.8 mm titanium intake valves, 38.2 mm exhaust valves.
• Asymmetrical crankshaft mounted on differentiated diameter main bearings
• Double balancing countershaft with control function of the water and oil pumps
• Multi-disc oil-bath clutch, servo-driven and with anti-hopping function
• Semi-dry sump lubrication with delivery pump and recovery pump
• Fuel feed via oval section throttle body with an equivalent diameter of 62 mm
• Six-speed gearbox with the possibility of fitting the Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) Up & Down
• Oil change set at 15,000km (9,320 miles)
• Check and eventual adjustment of valve clearance set at 30,000km (18,640 miles)