Ducati announces 2011 848 “EVO” Superbike 3
Click on any image for a larger version. The image quality isn’t so good, these are just screenshots courtesy of www.ducati.com.
Ducati has updated their website with a new 2011 848 Superbike called the 848 “EVO”. There are a few minor but important updates to the bike which should improve the riding experience.
The flat black and red/black color schemes remain, but now there is a black painted swingarm like the larger bikes. The lettering on the fuel tank and fairing are also now black instead of white.
Probably the most noticeable externally visible performace improvement are the updated front brake calipers. These are now the Brembo monobloc 2 pad calipers, same as the 1198 and 1198R.
The new tech specs indicate that the engine has increased power and torque. The only change in the internal engine spec that is public so far is the compression ratio, up to 13.2:1 from 12:1 in the 2010 bike. This is the highest compression ratio of any recent Ducati that I can remember. As far as I know, it’s higher than the super duper racy 748R and 749R, which were the highest tuned engines Ducati ever delivered directly to the general public.
The new engine also has two lambda probes (aka exhaust gas sensors) in the exhaust instead of only one on the previous bike, which should allow for finer control of engine tuning. It’s likely some other things have been changed that don’t show up on general specification charts such as valve timing, lift, duration or possibly igntion timing. The result is 140 horsepower, up from 134 on the 2010 bike. Torque is also improved to 72.3 foot pounds, up from 70.8.
Another important change is the addition of a steering damper which was previously not included on the 848. There was (and is) an upgraded one available in the accessory catalog, which fits on the new 2011 model as well as the previous model years. The one that comes on the 2011 bike is the same one as the standard 1098 and 1198 bikes.
The new dash shows “848E” instead of “848″ on the old bike, which is a nice touch. They are not letting the rider forget that this is a new and improved bike. The tech specs for the dash show that the DDA (Ducati Data Analysis) feature is no longer available, but I would be really surprised if this is the case. DDA is a very cool tool available from the Ducati accessory catalog. It collects various data at the track that you can later analyze to decide if you are making improvements.
The suspension remains the same as the previous model, which is a bit unfortunate because the addition of a rear ride height adjuster would really round out the improvements to the bike. There is a ride height adjuster available in the Ducati accessory catalog, and it’s the same one which comes standard on the 1198 and previously the 1098 as well. Ride height adjustment is important for making meaningful changes to a motorcycle’s geometry to tailor the handling to the rider’s needs.
I was lucky enough to test the 848 when it was released in 2008, and it was one of the more exciting bikes I had ridden up to that time. I was running to the bank when I got off the bike before I realized I couldn’t afford it! It’s more appealing for my own tastes than the 1098 or 1198, which are really, really fast and can be intimidating. The 848 felt lighter than any other Ducati superbike I had ever ridden, and in fact it actually was (except for a 999R race bike I rode with carbon fiber wheels, but this doesn’t really count 
). It had enough power to lift the front wheel in the first two gears without using the clutch, which was really impressive. It felt faster than my 996 race bike for sure once the RPM was above 8000. The brakes felt fine to me, so the new monobloc calipers are probably not as necessary as some uninformed opinions on the internet might lead you to believe.
This new bike has a whole 6 more horsepower, as well as more torque, so it’s got to be even more exciting than the last one!
Call or take a trip down to Renaissance Motorcycles for price and availability information.
Let’s meet at Frankie’s South Philly Cheesesteaks on Campbell just north of Grant for this month’s club meeting on Wednesday at 6:30 PM.
Let’s meet up at Barrio Brewery this Wednesday night at 6:30 PM for the monthly club meeting.
Image courtesy 
Send me a picture of you on your Ducati at Inde, and this photo could be you instead of me!
Come to Renaissance Motorcyles on Friday May 14th at 4:00 PM to see the premiere of the new Multistrada 1200.
Let’s take a ride up to Mt. Lemmon for breakfast at the Iron Door restaurant.
