[UPDATE: Ducati has reached out to us and clarified this rumor is false, with no merit in it.]
Ever since its inception in 1926, Ducati has sat on the premium end of motorcycle brands. And it plans to keep this unchanged, as corroborated by Team Red’s zero interest in entry-level motorcycles. While this washes away hope for an affordable Ducati, it seems the Italian marquee is focused to make your ownership experience easier instead. How is that, you ask? Well, by bidding adieu to its popular (and dreaded) Desmo valve setup, as reported by AutoCar India.
Ducati Will Go Back To Conventional Valve Setup
According to the Indian site, Ducati’s “mid-displacement” family will soon switch to conventional valves instead of the desmo setup. The intention is to increase the valve clearance intervals of the engine, and thus, make the ownership easier on the pocket. In turn, this hints at a new engine for Ducati’s mid-tier motorcycles - the Monster, Multistrada V2, DesertX, Hypermotard - all of which use a 939cc, twin-cylinder mill. The said engine has remained mostly unchanged for seven years now.
The good news for hardcore Ducatistis, however, is that the desmo system will stay put on performance-oriented Ducatis like the Panigale and Streetfighter duos. This is because Team Red thinks the said system is still the best in the business for outright, unfiltered grunt. Not to mention, if you can afford a $25,000-30,000 motorcycle, chances are you can also afford a few extra services.
Why Is The Desmo Valve Problematic?
Desmodromic valves are problematic for two main reasons. First, they have shorter adjustment frequencies - say every 12,000 to 15,000 miles - than most conventional valve systems. Add to this the extra components (twice as many shims to replace), and the ‘desmo service’ usually ends up being more expensive too. Second, desmo valves use belts to drive their camshafts instead of a chain-gear setup. These belts, more often than not, need replacement at each ‘desmo service’ which further adds to the cost.
So by adopting a conventional valve system on the above motorcycles, Ducati will essentially omit these problems for good. Oh, and it’s not like the brand has no idea about these systems. If anything, Team Red has already nailed the conventional valve game on the Multistrada V4, which has a borderline unbelievable valve service interval of 60,000 km (~37,300 miles).
When Will Ducati Incorporate This?
It seems Ducati is already working day in, and day out on the said switch, and the updated engine (as well as motorcycles) could debut in the next two years. Sadly, though, the conventional valve system might not extend to Team Red’s most affordable product, the Scrambler. This is because the neo-retro motorcycle just received an overhaul for 2023 which makes another massive upgrade unlikely, at least for a few years.