Thirty years after the iconic Supermono 550, Ducati has revived the single-cylinder in the form of the Superquadro Mono, a 659cc conventional single-cylinder based on the Superquadro block of the Panigale 1299.
At the beginning of last month, a single-cylinder powered Hypermotard was spotted during testing and now Ducati has officially announced the comeback of the new single-cylinder, thirty years after the legendary Supermono 550. Unlike the Supermono, which was technically a V-Twin whose horizontal cylinder was blunted, Ducati has opted for a conventional single-cylinder construction for the now announced Superquadro Mono.
This Superquadro Mono is based on the Superquadro V-twin of the Panigale 1299, according to the Italians the maximum evolution of the street-legal Ducati two-cylinder. The Superquadro Mono inherits the Panigale’s 116mm diameter piston, combustion chamber shape, 46.8mm diameter titanium intake valves, 38.2mm steel exhaust valves and desmodromic valve drive.
The 116mm bore piston is an absolute record for a single production cylinder. It comes from racing and is characterized by a “box in box” layout, just like the pistons of the Panigale V4 R, that means with a double truss base to combine stiffness and resistance by reducing the pressure surfaces with the ultimate aim to limit friction.
For the same reason, the piston pin has a Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) surface coating, the same treatment used for the piston shirt of the Panigale V4 R. The compression ratio is 13.1:1.
As with the Desmosedici MotoGP engine, the rocker arms of the Desmodromic system also feature a DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coating to reduce friction and increase resistance to wear. The drive is controlled via a mixed “silent” gear/chain system.
Fuel supply is entrusted to a single oval throttle body with an equivalent diameter of 62 mm, with an injector under the throttle controlled by a ride-by-wire system that offers three different power modes (high, medium, low) to optimize the power delivery adaptable to different driving situations.
The crankshaft is asymmetrical and mounted on several main bearings to keep weight within limits. Balancing the engine is guaranteed by the presence of two balance shafts (one front and one rear) that are mounted in ball bearings in the crankcase and are controlled by gears. The balance shafts also control the water and oil pumps.
The layout of the two balancer shafts, located on the side of the crankshaft, allows forces to be fully balanced without introducing further unwanted forces or moments. This solution allows the engine to run at very high speeds while the vibration level is comparable to that of a 90° V-twin.
Ducati claims a top power of 77.5 hp at 9,750 rpm, which is a blow to KTM, which gets less power from more cylinder capacity with its 690 single-cylinder. Which is emphasized again in the press release, by stating that this value has never been achieved by a street-legal single-cylinder. The maximum torque of 63 Nm is reached at 8,000 rpm and the limiter is set to 10,250 rpm.
According to Ducati, the tuning of the engine must have resulted in a linear and usable power delivery and emphasizes once again that all values have been achieved in compliance with the Euro 5 homologation. In racing configuration with Termignoni exhaust, no less than 84.5 hp at 9,5000 rpm can be squeezed out of the block. Of course, there will also be a 35kW version for the A2 driving license.
The transmission is based on a 6-speed gearbox with racing ratios derived from experience gained with the Panigale V4, with long first gear, which Ducati says should help in slow corners. The box can be equipped with Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) Up & Down.
The first model to feature the Superquadro Mono will be unveiled on November 2 and we strongly suspect that it will be the spotted Hypermotard.
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.