IS THIS HOW THE NEXT SUPERSPORT BIKE GENERATION WILL LOOK LIKE?

Ducati’s racing bike is shocking, but its style has the potential to be applied to production bikes

Ducati made a lot of noise at the latest MotoGP test at Losail, Qatar, not only because three of its riders ranked in the top 5 positions at the end of the 3-days session.

The Italian bike showed for the first time a completely different, almost shocking fairing. Even though Ducati was not the only team rolling out new aerodynamics to get around the ban on winglets (also Aprilia, Suzuki, and Yamaha joined this party), its solution seemed the most extreme of the bunch.

Ducati has not yet approved the new fairing for the 2017 season, but its design has already stirred up some negative comments on internet and inspired some funny memes as well.

Whether we like it or not though, and given that its aerodynamics has first to prove that it makes the difference, Ducati’s experiment is very interesting from both technical and styling perspectives. It changes considerably the silhouette of the front portion, resulting unconventional and technically advanced at the same time.

IS THIS STYLE SUITABLE FOR PRODUCTION MOTORCYCLES?

Ducati’s racing prototype is meant to be fast on a racetrack, not stylistically charming, but its style has the potential to be successfully applied to production supersport bikes.

Some adjustments would be obviously necessary. The front end looks quite flat, while integrating headlights, DRL (daytime running lights), and flashers may cause some headaches to designers. On the other hand, the lower wind protection resulting from the open front fairing may not be a big problem for supersport customers, whose mind is mainly oriented to pure performance, not riding comfort.

Overall, developing such innovative design will be no piece of cake, but some existing models are there to prove that hurdles can be overcome. I am referring especially to the 2017 Yamaha YZF-R6 that, with its inset DRL and twin-recessed headlights, has taken the resemblance to the MotoGP to the highest level.

After all, who ever said that the road to innovation is smooth and comfortable?