Italian premium superbike brand, Ducati has announced that the company commenced production on the fourth-generation motorcycle, the ‘Multistrada V4’ at the Ducati manufacturing facility in Borgo Panigale, Italy. In its new-generation, the much-popular adventure tourer motorcycle will be equipped with a completely new V4 engine developed to maximise smoothness in operation and extended maintenance intervals. The new-generation Ducati Multistrada V4 will also be the first motorcycle in the world to be equipped with both front and rear radar technology revolutionising the riding aid system. The Ducati Multistrada V4 will make its debut on the 4th November 2020.
Ducati has developed a completely new engine for the fourth-generation model which boasts to be compact as well as light and designed to meet the needs of adventure touring. The new engine also retains sporty characteristics associated with the Italian brand and has enabled the Ducati to reach new ‘record-breaking’ maintenance intervals in the two-wheeler industry. The technical specifications on the engine have not been revealed yet and more details on the new powertrain will be available on 15th October 2020.
The Ducati Multistrada V4 will also become the first motorcycle with front and rear looking radar which is able to reconstruct the surroundings around the motorcycle. The development of radar technology for the Multistrada V4 is a result of four years of research and has been developed and produced in close cooperation with Bosch, a top-level technology partner. Since 2016, Ducati has been working in collaboration with the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering of the Politecnico di Milano to experiment with this type of system.
The radar system is the size of a modern-day action camera around (70 x 60 x 28 mm) and weighs around 190 gm. The radar unit on the front has been incorporated in between the split LED headlamps for forward obstacle detection & ranging and below the LED taillights for rearward detection & ranging. The radar positioned in front of the vehicle controls the operation of the ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) that can detect the vehicles in front of the motorcycle and through controlled braking and acceleration and adjust the distance from other vehicles when riding between the speed of 30 kmph and 160 kmph.
The radar system has been specifically developed to match the dynamics of a two-wheeler and has been limited to ensure total rider control over the vehicle while it automatically accelerates or decelerates the motorcycle. The rear radar system is able to detect vehicles in the blind-spot of the rider, signalling the rider of the vehicle presence. The rearward detection system also signals if a vehicle is approaching from behind at a high rate of speed.
The adoption of this new system will revolutionise the motorcycling world offering a more comfortable and safe motorway riding experience.