Ducati News Today

The Ducati Supermono is the rarest of all modern Ducatis with only around 70 examples of this exotic racer being made. Extremely light at just 122kg (269lb), the bike ultimately produced 81 bhp at 10,000 rpm.

The innovative doppia bielletta or ‘double con-rod’ single cylinder engine made it possible to achieve good balance by almost fooling the motor into thinking it was a twin and operate the 572cc machine at engine speeds of up to 10,500 rpm. Produced between 1993 and 1995, the racer won almost every sound of single race around, including the Isle of Mann TT at a an average speed of more than 111 mph. Since it revved so high, the sound was nothing like a traditional single as you can hear for yourself below.

Rather ironically given the howling reception to the Ducati 999 years later, the Supermono was styled by Pierre Terblanche. No-one complained about how this bike looked. The combination of a short 1,360 mm (53.5″) wheelbase and aggressive steering geometry when coupled with a high revving 80bhp meant the Supermono was a weapon on the track. I had the misfortune to race against one in New Zealand. As a result of the Formula 3 class rules it competed against highly modified 4 cylinder bikes and 500cc twins. It simply blew everything away offering performance similar to a 600cc multi.

For some time it was rumored that Ducati would put the bike into limited production but this didn’t occur and is unlikely now. Unfortunately most of us will never see one in action but you can watch one being ridden around Assen and revel in the technical achievement that was the Ducati Supermono.

Try These Related Posts:

1. Ducati Supermono Sells for $110,000 The 9th example of the gorgeous and rare Ducati Supermono racer sold recently for $110,000 Australian on eBay (~US$92,000). The Ducati Supermono is the rarest of all modern Ducatis with only around 70 examples of this exotic racer being made. Extremely light at just 122kg (269lb), the bike ultimately produced...
2. Ducati Supermono Testastretta Now Available ducatinewstoday makes no secret of it’s love for the very rare mid nineties, Ducati Supermono and now it seems like passionate, expert, Alistair Wager is going one further than Ducati ever did by building and offering for sale a road legal model updated with the latest Ducati technologies. Many fans...
3. eBay Temptations: Brand New Ducati Supermono We’ve raved about the gorgeous, rare and consequently achingly desirable Ducati Supermono before but we haven’t seen a new one for sale until now. Time to break out the check book. The Ducati Supermono is the rarest of all modern Ducatis with only around 70 examples of this exotic racer...
4. Will Ducati Build a Desmo Single for Moto3? The transition occurring at the pinnacle of motorcycle road racing will be complete in 2012 when the last two-stroke class, 125GP, will be replaced by Moto3 – a new class for 250cc single cylinder, four-stroke engines in bespoke chassis comes into being. Unlike Moto2, it will not be a spec...
5. How Fast is a Turbo Ducati 749 Dragbike? Todd and Wayne Patterson of Ducati Bunberry in Australia like to challenge themselves when it comes to going as fast and as quickly as possible in a quarter mile – they do it with Ducati Superbikes. Their latest creation is a turbo charged Ducati 749 based drag bike which they...