Ducati Supermono
With Ian Falloon
Over Ducati’s history there have been many unfulfilled promises, but none more squandered than the Supermono. Ducati’s tradition was founded on single cylinder motorcycles and when it was conceived the Supermono promised to resurrect the concept, forming the foundation of a new family of high technology single cylinder machines.
Championed by Ducati’s engineering chief at the time Massimo Bordi, he envisaged the Supermono as the perfect single cylinder motorcycle, for both the racetrack and street.
Although the Supermono project began after the 916, the Supermono prototype was unveiled a year earlier, at the Cologne Show at the end of 1992. It caused a sensation and has remained one of the most beautiful and timeless of all Ducati designs. Intended for “Sound of Singles” racing, the Supermono was a catalogue racer, much the same as the 888 Racing, and produced by the racing department.
The heart of the Supermono was the engine, and development of this began during 1990. Bordi elected to adapt the current 90-degree V-twin so that vibration, the traditional bugbear of big singles, could be eliminated. Bordi’s original idea called for a V-twin with a dummy piston, but due to internal friction and crankcase pressure the 487cc engine produced a disappointing 53 horsepower on its first dyno run.
Even an increase to 57 horsepower was deemed insufficient so Bordi then incorporated a unique counterbalancing system, with the second con-rod attached to a lever pivoting on a pin fixed in the crankcase. Titled the ‘doppia bielletta’ (double con-rod), this was the first time it had been used on a petrol engine, although it had previously featured on diesel engines.
Bordi had considerable experience with small direct injection diesels, as he was involved with VM diesel development at Ducati from 1978 until he started working on motorcycle engines in 1982. Not only was the revised Supermono engine more compact, but also the twin’s perfect primary balance was preserved without the burden of friction.
Immediately the power went up to 62.5 horsepower at 10,500 rpm. The next stage saw a 502 cc version (95.6 x 70 mm) that produced 70 horsepower before the development team, led by Gianluigi Mengoli and Claudio Domenicali, created a larger cylinder with a wider stud pattern.
This allowed a 100mm cylinder and a British Omega 11.8:1 piston. This 549 cc version produced 75 horsepower at 10,000 rpm and this went into limited production during 1993. Even at 10,000 rpm the large single was as smooth as a twin. It was a brilliant conception, both in design and execution.
Many of the features of the Supermono were inherited from the 888 Racing. Along with liquid-cooling and the double overhead camshaft four valve desmodromic cylinder head, it used an identical Weber I.A.W. Alfa/N fuel injection system, with twin injectors and P8 CPU.
The throttle body diameter was 50 mm tapering to 47 mm at the butterfly, the valve sizes 37 and 31 mm, and the camshafts the same profile as the 926 cc 1994 888 Racing. There were some important departures in the design, notably the use of much stronger 49 mm plain main bearings, a dry 180-watt alternator and the water pump driven off the exhaust camshaft.
Many engine components were specific to the Supermono, including the crankcases, cylinders, crankshaft, and gearbox with different ratios. As with the 888 Racing the two con-rods were titanium Pankl. The 50 mm exhaust exited on the right, into either a Termignoni single or dual outlet muffler.
Housing this remarkable engine was a tubular steel frame, built by Cagiva Telai in Varese, with an aluminium Verlicchi-made swingarm. TIG-welded and individually crafted, the frame was intended only for limited production, even the 916 frame appearing crude by comparison.
The rear suspension was by cantilever, but with a nine percent rising rate due to the mounting angle. Only the highest quality suspension components were fitted, a 42 mm Öhlins inverted fork with magnesium triple clamps similar to that on the 888 Corsa. The Öhlins shock absorber was adjustable for ride height via an eccentric.
Responsive handling was assured with a steering head angle of 23 degrees, and a compact wheelbase of 1360 mm. This was 20 mm less than Bordi originally anticipated, but even more significant was the weight distribution that placed 54.5 percent on the front wheel. The brakes and wheels were full racing spec Brembo and 17-inch magnesium Marchesini. To keep the weight down all the bodywork was carbon fibre, the seat acting as the rear sub-frame.
When the Supermono was finally displayed it had stunning bodywork by Pierre Terblanche. Only receiving a bare chassis in July 1992, Terblanche worked at Cagiva in Varese, creating the bodywork in two months. The Supermono finally went into production during 1993, as a Sounds of Singles racer only, constructed by the racing department.
Only 30 were manufactured in 1993, plus a further ten in 1994. However, even when it was released the Supermono suffered up to a 50 percent deficit in capacity to some of the specialized single cylinder competition and relied on finesse and balance to achieve success. This led to a larger version for 1995, with a 102 mm piston yielding 572 cc.
Updates included a revised EPROM and silencer, and a new 42 mm Öhlins front fork and longer shock absorber. Yet even this increase in capacity wasn’t enough to ensure racetrack dominance and after only 25 examples built that was the end of the Supermono. Although a Supermono engine was placed in a 900 SS frame during 1998 with a view to implementing production, nothing eventuated.
Apart from the ability to rev to previously unheard of levels for a big single without vibration, much of the Supermono’s exceptional ability was due to the remarkably low centre of gravity. Perfectly balanced and proportioned, the Supermono offered everything; stability, agility, quick steering, and amazing response. Not to put such a wonderful machine into regular production was a wasted opportunity.
Ducati have more recently unveiled a new road going 659 cc single that makes 78 horsepower, which increases to 85 with the fitment of race exhaust. Check the out the Superquadro Mono here. This new engine is surely set to power a new hard-core adventure bike, but will they also slip it behind some sexy fairings and make a Ducati Supermono a reality in 2025…?
Ducati Supermono Specifications
| 1993-95 Ducati Supermono | |
| Engine type | Liquid-cooled DOHC Single |
| Bore x stroke | 100 (102) x70 mm |
| Displacement | 549 (572) cc |
| Compression ratio | 11.8:1 |
| Induction | Weber Marelli electronic fuel injection |
| Power | 75 (81 hp) @ 10,000 rpm |
| Transmission | Six-speed |
| Front suspension | Öhlins 42 mm inverted fork |
| Rear suspension | Öhlins Monoshock |
| Front brakes | Twin Brembo 280 mm discs four-piston calipers |
| Rear brake | Brembo 190 mm disc twin piston caliper |
| Front tyre | 3.10/480 – R17 |
| Rear tyre | 155/60 – R17 |
| Wheelbase | 1360 mm |
| Weight | 122 kg |
| Top speed | 240 km/h |
