Ducati 848 EVO 2013 — Specifications

The 848 continues its career in 2013. The superb silhouette initiated by the 1098 continues to enrich the Ducati catalog, offering a sporty motorcycle that is both captivating and more accessible than the Panigale.

Since the 916–748 duo, Ducati has always offered a dream with a large Superbike-inspired model, and a smaller, more accessible sibling with the same fantasy aesthetics, but with less punch. With the 848, a further step was taken: it adopted the same magnificent hypersport styling, and the twin offered significant horsepower – all for the price of a Japanese hypersport.

This desire to bring SBK within reach of more riders logically led the Italian manufacturer to offer even more. This is the mission of the 848 evo, which hides its game while proving devilishly provocative. Rest assured, fans: the beautiful design remains! The underseat exhausts, the impressive monobrach, the timeless trellis frame are all present. As beautiful, as racy, you’ll need to take a close look at the ‘evo’ sticker to recognize it. Or rummage through the engine’s internals. Let’s see… Ah yes: Ducati has once again tapped into the competition department to add horsepower to the 848. From 136, the power climbs to 140 horsepower. The Testastretta Evoluzione twin now announces the same torque as the 999 of 2005, for a weight of 168 kg (18 kg less than the former hypersport). A little extra torque and the engine allows itself to exceed the 10 mkg mark. The solution? Directly from MotoGP: new elliptical intake ducts allow for a 30% more efficient airflow section, equivalent to 60 mm. With this, the twin breathes vigorously, and the combustion chambers compress the gases much more strongly. The compression ratio here reaches 13.2:1. Valve lift evolves from 11.5 to 13 mm. Further on, we find 2 lambda probes and catalytic converters. More powerful, the 848 is also cleaner, passing the draconian Euro3 regime. As if to better blend in with the new ‘Stealth dark’ color scheme, the engine maps are painted black (recall that those of the 848 were the first to be manufactured under vacuum with the Vacural process – more rigidity, a uniform wall thickness and a weight gain in the process). Bonus: the twin develops more horsepower and requires less maintenance. The service interval increases to 12,000 km.

Little 1098, the 848 had recovered a lot from its elder sister's chassis. The 848 evo is even less scrupulous. It adopts the trellis frame with 34 mm thick tubes of 1.5 mm, its crazy monobrach, the 43 mm inverted fork, and its ‘evo’ prefix also means it borrows monoblock braking and a steering damper. With 320 mm Brembo discs and monoblock radial calipers, the diva will further improve its feel. To save a little weight (catalytic converters weigh a lot), the front cradle is now made of magnesium. MotoGP and SBK fans, you won't be disappointed by the onboard electronics. The fully digital dashboard may not be very readable when you want to quickly see the engine speed, but it gives you everything you want to know with a nudge of the switchgear: speed, lap time, ambient temperature, battery voltage, water temperature, maintenance indicator, double trip + reserve countdown, and DDA control panel if applicable. DDA? Oh yes, I had forgotten. The data acquisition system is available as an option on the 848 evo.

With its improvements, it feels even more like a track and competition machine – a substitute when you think that its displacement excludes it from all championships (too much displacement for the supersport, and not enough compared to the big 1000s). But admit that at the looks level, and with 140 horsepower in the mix, there’s plenty to have fun with.

M.B - Photos constructeur