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Jet-style exhaust for Ducati?

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News broke recently that Ducati had filed patents relating to a new type of exhaust-valve system. It’s expected the idea will be tested for use in competition, but with the incredible performance of the Multistrada 1200 Enduro, anything is possible.

The traditional butterfly valve has become something a lot more intricate in these patent drawings, supposedly from Ducati, featuring a variable geometry style ‘jet’ valve that, in theory, might also control the angle of the exhaust gases for some sort of aerodynamic or thrust benefit…

At the moment, only a lone patent document reveals any details, and on paper the design appears to show a lot of promise.

It’s an exhaust that works like a jet engine to add thrust and help keep the front wheel on the ground during acceleration.

The system is actually quite simple. It works like the tailpipe of a fighter jet engine. An array of interlocking petals surrounding a jet pipe’s exit allows it to be widened or narrowed, altering the thrust coming out. Ducati’s patent reveals identical sets of petals, operated via electric motors, inside the exhaust tailpipes of a Desmosedici. Just as on a fighter plane, the petals allow the size of the hole in the end of the exhaust to be made larger or smaller.

The idea is that when the hole is smaller, it will create more thrust. Just as you would purse your lips to blow out a candle, the smaller exhaust exit increases the speed and thrust of the gas coming out of it.

Bike exhausts are usually as unrestrictive as possible to ensure they don’t sap the engine’s power. This system would definitely harm the bike’s overall output if the exhaust outlet remained small all the time. But by having a variable-sized exit, Ducati may get the best of both worlds.

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