Ducati has at all times stood on the crossroads of heritage and innovation. It’s a model that prides itself on efficiency, but clings tightly to its roots, even when the remainder of the world strikes on. Working example: Desmodromic valves. Whereas fashionable valve spring tech has made Desmo techniques kind of redundant, Ducati nonetheless makes use of them on its flagship machines.
It’s custom. It’s engineering philosophy.
However even Ducati’s been loosening its grip currently. The V4 Granturismo engine dropped Desmo completely. So did the new V2 engine discovered within the Panigale and Streetfighter V2. The sacred cow isn’t fairly as sacred anymore.
The identical appears to be occurring with transmissions. Whereas Yamaha, BMW, KTM, and long-time auto-shifting pioneer Honda have all pushed ahead with semi- and fully-automatic tech, Ducati has resisted—a minimum of till now.
The 2025 Ducati Panigale V2 has achieved away with Desmodromic valves.
Photograph by: Ducati
First reported by our mates over at Cycle World, patent applications filed by Ducati reveal a clutch automation system that doesn’t utterly take the reins away from the rider however provides a wholesome dose of comfort and management. In contrast to Honda’s Twin Clutch Transmission or MV Agusta’s centrifugal SCS setup, Ducati’s method automates simply the clutch actuation, not the shifting itself.
Consider it as a high-tech serving to hand, not a full autopilot.
This design permits the rider to make clutch inputs whereas a motor also can make inputs every time it deems obligatory.
Photograph by: Ducati
The system is available in two flavors. The primary model works alongside a standard hydraulic clutch lever. It includes a computer-controlled electromechanical actuator—basically a motor driving a threaded rod inside a ball screw—that strikes a thrust rod into the grasp cylinder, pushing fluid to the slave cylinder. Riders can nonetheless function the clutch lever manually, however the system can step in to function the clutch mechanically when wanted, like at low-speed stops or take-offs.
The second model goes a step additional. It removes the mechanical hyperlink between the clutch lever and the hydraulics altogether. As an alternative, the lever sends an digital sign to the management unit, which then tells the actuator what to do. From the cockpit, it nonetheless feels such as you’re utilizing a handbook clutch—besides there’s no cable or hydraulic connection. Simply sensors and servos doing the work within the background.
This design reveals a clutch lever with no mechanical connection to the clutch.
Photograph by: Ducati
Each variations promise the identical advantages: anti-stall safety, smoother begins, much less clutch put on, and even a launch management mode that manages clutch and throttle inputs for optimum acceleration. The system additionally integrates with a load-sensing quickshifter that handles clutch engagement throughout shifts and rev-matches mechanically on downshifts.
However right here’s the kicker: this isn’t nearly road comfort. Ducati explicitly notes that this technique is constructed with racing in thoughts. At first look, that may appear counterintuitive—racing is all about management, precision, and uncooked rider enter. However the fact is, racing has already embraced computerized know-how in different varieties. Paddle-shifted transmissions are the norm in System 1 and endurance racing for a purpose—they’re sooner, extra constant, and fewer vulnerable to error.
The objective is to finally have this tech geared up on WSBK racing bikes.
By creating a road-legal bike with this auto-clutch system, Ducati might homologate it for WorldSBK and MotoAmerica, successfully skirting FIM guidelines that ban automated clutches until they’re customary on manufacturing fashions. It’s a intelligent transfer—and one that would give Ducati riders a tech edge with out breaking the rulebook.
In typical Ducati vogue, it’s not nearly making driving simpler—it’s about going sooner. Smarter. Extra managed. And if this technique makes its method onto the subsequent era of Panigales or Streetfighters, it might very nicely set the tone for the subsequent chapter of sportbike efficiency.
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