MRW Issue 33

Ducati’s approach is to develop internally the
technologies to be introduced on its motorcycles,
together with its suppliers, simultaneously
creating know-how within the Company. Concrete
examples are the close collaboration with Pirelli,
Brembo, Bosch and other suppliers with which
the Bologna-based manufacturer participates in
the development of components which are first
mounted on the Ducati bikes. This approach is
even more valuable when it comes to electronics
because it allows Ducati to have full control over
the technologies implemented, thus being able
to customize them without constraints depending
on the application, from the Panigale V4 to the
Scrambler via the Streetfighter, Diavel, DesertX
and the Multistrada V4, which represents the
maximum expression of Ducati electronic
technology.
ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS:
DEVELOPMENT AND CREATION OF
EXPERTISE
The drive towards innovation in electronics goes
hand in hand with the growth of the Electrical &
Electronic Systems department, which has seen
its resources quadruple in just over ten years.
Through the work of this department, which
is part of R&D, Ducati studies, develops and
introduces new and often innovative systems
into series production, obviously also drawing on
experience from racing competition. The constant
work of developing and refining the technical
and technological solutions has introduced
a very broad range of functions and devices
across the entire range, which today varies from
the state-of-the-art available on the Panigale V4
and Multistrada V4, to systems such as Ride-bywire,
Traction Control, Quickshift, Riding Mode,
Cornering ABS and TFT instruments also on more
accessible models such as the Scrambler.
Ducati innovation also involves new working
methods. In addition to developing new
technologies internally, Ducati has had several
internal laboratories within the company for several
years to carry out tests during the development
phase, without necessarily having to rely on
external resources or suppliers. One of these is
Electrical & Electronic Testing which is responsible
for testing the electrical and electronic components
of the bikes in the range, putting them to the test
to measure their quality and duration over time.
The purpose of this activity is twofold: to quickly
solve the problems that may arise during the
development phases and to monitor the quality of
the already existing models.
Among the tests that are carried out by highly
specialized personnel in the Electrical & Electronic
Testing laboratory there are those for verifying the
functioning of the components in extreme thermal
and environmental conditions, made possible
thanks to the use of cells capable of replicating
temperatures ranging from –40°C to 180°C and
atmospheric events such as heavy rain or salt
mist. The components are also put under stress
by means of robots which repeat operations
thousands of times, such as, for example, the
rotation of the handlebar to check the correct
reliability of the wiring, or other operations such as
the brake lever to turn on the brake light, in order
to verify its resilience in real conditions of use.