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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128136
2002 Ducat; 998 "Testastretta" (Left) The 998'5 brakes are as good as any brakes on the market, period. (Above) The old ECU (electronic control unit) on the right and the new one on the left - need we say more? Ducati Desmoquattro motors have been at the leading edge of twincylinder four-stroke technology for years, and they have been slowly evolving - always taking the lessons learned from their racing experience and applying it to the road bikes. The Desmoquattro motors have been growing more over-square bore-andstroke dimensions every generation, with the new 998 Testastretta motor featuring 100mm bore dimensions and 63.5mm of stroke (the 996 had 98mm bore and 66mm stroke dimensions). The bike that the factory World Superbike team will use this year, the 998R, is even more radical, with 104mm bores and 58.8mm of stroke, displacing 999cc. The short-stroke motors allow the bikes to rev higher. Ducati's primary aim with the new motor was to increase engine revs, but they also had to increase combustion efficiency, to get a clean mixture burn at the new rev ceiling. One element that was necessary was a very compact combustion-chamber design, to speed up the combustion process. They were also able to maintain a fairly high compression ratio - although it's a ticl< lower than last year: 11.4: 1 this year as opposed to 11.5: 1 last year. Another obvious advantage to increasing the bore dimension is that it makes room for larger-diameter valves. The intake valves have grown from 36 to 40mm, while the exhaust valves have increased in diameter from 30 to 33mm. To help make the combustion-chamber profile more compact, the included valve angle has been reduced radically from 40 to 25 degrees, they were also able to make straighter intake and exhaust ducts. There are a couple of other key elements that have contributed to the compactness of the head design, with the biggest change being the redesign of the desmodromic actuator layout. To make the head more compact, the 42 JANUARY 9.2002' eye I e engineers moved the fulcrum point for the opening rocker arms to the outside of the head wall, while the closing rocker arms remain near the middle of the head. The rocker arms are now much slimmer and take up a lot less space. Another key element was to eliminate the cam's roller bearings and replace them with plain bearings, saving considerable space - this is also supposed to reduce noise. The timingbelt system has been completely reworked in an effort to reduce the space that the system occupies in the heads by moving the pulleys around and changing the number of teeth used on various gears. Another advantage to the T estastretta design is that the heads can now be completely dismantled for service and repairs, which wasn't the case on the old design. Another key improvement to the motor that is crucial for reliability under the stresses of racing is the redesigned oil sump. The new design is much deeper, allowing the pump to suck up more oil, even while under the extreme loads of acceleration and deceleration. For 2002, the 998 receives the F-1 shower-style fuel-injection throttle bodies, which were fitted to the race bikes in 2001, and also to the 748R production bike. The new 54mm throttle bodies now feature the single shower injector as opposed to the previous bikes' twin injector 50mm units. In addition, the throttle-body intake-duct length has been reduced by 40mm. The actual fuel spray now has a much straighter shot into the combustion chamber, which is also aided by the redesigned, straighter intake tracts. The airbox was also redesigned and has more volume than the 996's. The new Magneti Marelli 5.9M ECU (electronic control unit) is all new and features a 32-bit, 20mhz processor. It's a quarter of the size of the gigantic processor that used to take up every ounce of space under the tail unit, and ·is a lot faster than the old eight-bit, 16mhz processor. n e _ s CHASSIS The chassis is largely unchanged ori the new 998. The 998 features a fully adjustable Show a 43mm fork with titanium nitride-coated innerfork stanchions: The upper triple clamp features eccentric adjusters that allow the steering rake to be adjusted from 23.5 to 24.5 degrees. An adjustable Ohlins steering damper sits just aft of the triple clamps to keep the front end planted. The front brakes feature brand-new, lighter Brembo 320mm rotors that are now only 4.5mm thick instead of the previous generation's 5mm. The calipers remain unchanged for '02. Out back, suspension is handled by a fully adjustable Ohlins shock, which remains unchanged from last year. The 998 features lightweight Marchesini five-spoke alloy rims front and rear, with the front measuring 3.50 x 17 inches, and 5.50 x 17 inches in the rear. The front rides on a 120/70 ZR17 tire, while out back resides a 190/50 ZR17 - standard fitment will most likely be Pirelli rubber. One of the only noticeable changes in appearance to the bike is the revised fairings which no longer feature heatextracting ducts, giving the fairings a superclean look. The only ducting resides on the trailing upper edge of the fairing, where a mesh screen allows heat to exit the engine area. The 998 wiJI be available in a few different versions. First, there is the basic 998, available in either monoposto (single seater) or biposto (two seater), in either red or yellow. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $17,695. The 998S is basically the same as the 998 except that it features more carbon-fiber tidbits and weighs a full 24 pounds less than the 998; it's available in the same configurations as the 998, monoposto and biposto, red or yellow. The 998S will also be available in two special editions, the Troy Bayliss edition and the Ben Bostrom edition. The MSRP on the standard 998S is $22,695. And if you haven't already placed your order for the Bayliss or Bostrom replica, don't worry about the price, because they're already sold out. For the high rollers out there, one more option exists, and that is the 998R homologation bike (which actually has a 999cc motor). The MSRP on the 998R is $28,995. eN DUCATI 998·998S BO.3tr-~ UST PRICE $17.695/$22,695 DISPLACEMENT 998cc ENGINE TYPE Liquid-cooled L-twin four-stroke BORE x STROKE 100 x 63.5mm COMPRESSION RAllO 11.4:1 CARBUREllON EFI w/54mm throttle bodies IGNITION Electronic TRANSMISSION Six-speed STARTING SYSTEM Electric FUEL CAPACITY 4.5 gal. WHEELBASE 55.50 in. RAKE/TRAIL 23.5-24.5/N/A SEAT HEIGHT 31.1 in. FRONT TIRE 120/70ZR17 REAR TIRE 190/50ZR17 5.08 in. FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL 5.2 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL FRONT BRAKE Dual disc REAR BRAKE Disc FINAL DRJVE Chain ClA/J'IIED DRY WEIGHT 436/4121bs.