I enjoyed the privilege of racing a Ducati 748 with BCM's 853cc kit for the better part of 4 years in the Loudon Road Racing Series, and it was an experience I will always cherish and remember. For me, and many other Ducatisti including Sigma Performance, the 853 kitted 748 is the ultimate road-going Ducati. With mildly ported heads, an intermediate exhaust system and lightened flywheel, my venerable 748/853 put down around 112 HP at the wheel (rwhp).... compared to a standard 748's 89 horsepower (rated). The new 848 is rated at 130 HP at the crank and if one takes into account a 15% drive train loss, this should yield about 113 rwhp. **Edit: I came across this 848 DYNO RUN over on Ducati.ms, and at there is at least one confirmed RWHP figure available now, at 121.22 horsepower** Provided the 848's state of tune is as smooth and linear as what was worked out for my race bike, this should prove an incredibly potent, free revving Ducati... and a Superbike that many have called for for the better part of a Decade since the introduction of the 748 in 1994.
Is your appetite sufficiently whetted? Mine is.
Lets add to this the addition of radially mounted brake calipers, radial master cylinders for brake and clutch, Ducati's digital display taken directly from the 999 factory corsa bikes, a more reliable and nearly 2 lbs lighter wet clutch; it starts to become clear what a host of upgrades the middleweight 4-valve Ducati has received. Perhaps the biggest advantage the 848 brings to the table compared with the 748 is the combination of increased power and lighter weight. The power figures discussed above become even more evident when putting the bike on a serious diet... The 848 boasts a claimed dry weight of 364 lbs, while the 748's dry weight was a portly 432 lbs. Granted, I would like to see these figures confirmed or corrected by an 848 hitting the scales over at our friend Motorcyclist but for now, claimed dry figures is all we have. To put this weight reduction into perspective, a common rule of thumb among road racers and tuners alike, is in power / weight terminology, to see a baseline increase of 1 HP, one must shed about 7 lbs. With a 68 lb advantage over the 748, the new 848 *should* feel like a 748 with about 50 additional horsepower from stock. Bottom line is the 848, at least on paper, shows a 56% power to weight increase over the 748. By the way, did I mention the 848's 130 HP and 364 lbs vs. the 999S' 144 HP and 410 lbs are nearly identical (.357 to .358 respectively).
For those of us wondering "facts and figures are all fine and good, but what is it like to RIDE in the real world?" MCN has the first available review... check it out:
The line forms to the rear, and I'll be waiting.
0 comments:
Post a Comment