In theory, it would be possible to adjust ride height during the race. Will other manufacturers follow suit? As Peter Bom points out, this device lowers the rear, rather than raising it, adding grip rather than reducing wheelie. For most other manufacturers, controlling wheelie at the start would be much more important, meaning their device would have to do the opposite to Ducati's holeshot device. That would make releasing the rear under braking much more complicated, as it would already be extended before the rider started braking.
Discerning when to release the mechanism would be much more difficult. This is the sort of article which our MotoMatters. You can find all of our exclusive subscriber content here , and see what you have been missing out on.
It almost looks like the plunger limits the movement range of the linkage not replaces part of it. My guess would be the lever on the triple clamps locks the plunger in place, then when the front end dives under brakes, another unseen doohickey at the front end unlatches the triple clamp lever, and the spring returns the plunger out of the way so the linkage regains its full range of motion I think you are spot-on with the plunger limiting the movement of the linkage, keeping it in a position of partly compressed rear suspension.
Smart thinking. That seems like a much easier thing to make, too, with less complications! Also, the plunger going back is probably triggered somehow by front end dive, I agree. That the plunger would return because of the rear lifting seems unlogical although desirable. It could be done, but then it would have to be because of the pushing force on the plunger exceeding a certain limit, by the weight of the rear no longer taking a part of the compressing force on the rear spring.
In that case however, there would be no need for a small return spring that apparently is there. A more reliable way of deactivating would seem to me a form of taking the load off the plunger, so it can extend a little bit and thereby get unlocked, like with many ratchet systems. But this is just guesswork on my part.
This kind of reminds me of the Canyon Spectral mtb. They've been running a small air shock in the linkage for the past few years which changes the geometry and travel of the bike. The device is activated via a thumb lever on the handlebar. Ducati's set up seems like an even more complex iteration of that basic idea. Wow, this popped to mind as I was reading this too! The system is called the Shapeshifter on the Strive rather than Spectral. Ducati's seems to be a reverse of this as you load the rear after clicking a lever to release the system on a mountain bike.
Interesting, thanks! Always ran x-country mtb bikes on single track, able to pick through technical sections. Then, when downhilling in earnest, envied the long raked geometry as I skittered like a Honda. Had no idea this existed. I think this analysis is fundamentally wrong.
Lowering the rear does indeed decrease wheelies, although this may seem counter-intuitive to some. It's simple: by lowering the rear, you lower the centre of gravity, thus reducing the wheelie tendency. It basically does the same as the motocross version, which also lowers the centre of gravity.
Raising the rear may look like you put the nose down, but of course it does not. By raising the rear, you raise the centre of gravity, especially since you lift the rider up as well. Higher bike, higher rider position, more wheelie. That's why they make drag racing bikes so low. Have you ever seen a drag bike with a high rear? You add an interesting comparison though. Indeed does an anti-dive system result in less possible deceleration because of the higher centre of gravity.
I had never thought of that. Just never liked the BMW's with Telelever and to a slightly lesser degree Duolever because of their braking characteristics, next to the general lack of feel. Its not a surprise that it locks the back in a lower position, its about getting the centre of gravity as low as possible. Wheelie tendancy comes from the torque or moment that a launch causes - there is only the thrust force and the lenght of lever height of the CoG to play with - you either lower the thrust nobody wants to do that or lower the CoG.
Drag bikes will aim to have their sumps barely off the ground. The same principle is what killed off anti-dive systems, keeping the forks extended lowers the point at which the rear wheel will start to lift. Bikes are a big old ball of compromises Such a device would be awesome on their road bikes. First to the head of the queue at Starbucks or into the kitty litter, as the case may be.
Key for engaging the holeshot device With fans and media alerted to its existence, TV cameras started keeping an eagle eye on the Ducatis, focusing closely every time they made a practice start.
Here is what a standard suspension link looks like, courtesy of Tom Morsellino of Offbikes: This is the sort of article which our MotoMatters. Thomas Morsellino. Past tense of "beat everyone to T1? And it is harder to examine the device if you want to keep it a secret from your rivals.
There is a switch on the dashboard of the Ducati to operate the device before the start. With no electronics allowed, how might it compress and lock the rear suspension in place? So you pull the lobe up and it compresses the rear suspension.
But it depends on the design of the suspension. In your opinion, what sort of performance difference could a holeshot device make?
Let's imagine, to make the maths easy, that the ratio of the horizontal distance from the Centre of Gravity to the contact patch of the rear wheel B , and the height of the CoG H for a MotoGP bike is 1. So, forget the front wheel and think only about the point where the rear wheel is in contact with the ground. So a holeshot device can offer a big advantage, for a short time. Petrux9 explodes off the mark with his practice start QatarGP pic.
That sinking feeling: The horizontal lines on the trackside barrier clearly show the back of the Ducati being lowered. At least until competition was not as close as today, when someone is willing to accept higher risks for smaller returns. If the device did not disengage and remained permanently locked, your race would basically be over. Jack Miller had a problem with his device failing to disengage at Silverstone.
Luckily it unlocked a few corners later. Since the Ducati version is on the rear, it presumably disengages when weight is lifted off the back of the bike under braking? Andrea Dovizioso does a practice start. Contact Crash. The total or partial reproduction of text, photographs or illustrations is not permitted in any form.
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