BOLOGNA, Italy: Ducati develops most of its electronic contents internally, and the Borgo Panigale company aims to guarantee Ducatisti the best possible experience once on the bike.
From the Multistrada V4 to the Scrambler, passing through the Panigale V4, each model is designed to offer sophisticated solutions.
Ducati has had several internal laboratories for several years to carry out tests during the development phase, without necessarily having to rely on external resources or suppliers.
One of these is responsible for testing the electrical and electronic components, putting them to the test to measure their quality and duration over time.
Among the tests in the laboratory are those for verifying the functioning of the components in extreme thermal and environmental conditions, made possible thanks to the use of cells capable of replicating temperatures ranging from –40°C to 180°C and atmospheric events such as heavy rain or salt mist.
The components are also put under stress by means of robots which repeat operations thousands of times, such as, for example, the rotation of the handlebar to check the correct reliability of the wiring, or other operations such as the brake lever to turn on the brake light, in order to verify its resilience in real conditions of use.
Furthermore, inside the laboratory, Ducati goes as far as controlling each individual chip, even by sectioning them to analyse them under a microscope and verify their exact composition and consistency with the development specifications.
Software debugging and mobile app activities are also carried out.
Over the years, connectivity is also becoming an increasingly important aspect in the motorcycle field.
An example of this work can be found in navigation systems: from the Phone Mirroring solution adopted on the Multistrada V4, which makes it possible to transform the dashboard into a colour map navigator containing all the information required for riding the motorbike, to the Turn-by-Turn system which was introduced in 2023 on the DesertX and Diavel V4.
These two solutions allow Ducati not to be bound to a specific operating system but allow compatibility with iOS and Android systems and the continuous evolution of the software which is then updated free of charge for customers.
Innovations introduced by Ducati as world firsts:
2008, DTC Traction Control – 1098 R
2009, LED headlight – Streetfighter 1100
2010, Riding Modes – Multistrada 1200 S
2011, TFT instrumentation – Diavel
2012, Electronic Engine Brake Management (EBC) and full-LED headlight – Panigale 1199
2021, Adaptive Cruise Control/Blind Spot Detection – Multistrada V4
2023, Extended Deactivation – Multistrada V4 Rally
Keyword: Ducati focus on innovations in electronic systems