Ducati 749R

Make Model	Ducati 749R
Year	2004
Engine	Four stroke, 90°“L”twin cylinder, DOHC, desmodromic 4 valve per cylinder, belt driven
Capacity	749.5 cc / 45.7 in
Bore x Stroke	94 x 54 mm
Cooling System	Liquid cooled
Compression Ratio	127:1
Lubrication	Wet sump
Engine Oil	Synthetic, 10W/40
Exhaust	Single steel muffler with catalytic converter
Induction	IAW 5AM
Ignition	Digital CDI
Spark Plug	Champion, RG59V
Battery	12V 10Ah
Starting	Electric
Max Power	89 kW / 121 hp @ 10250 rpm
Max Torque	84.3 Nm / 8.6 kgf-m / 62.2 ft-lb @ 8500 rpm
Clutch	Dry multiplate with hydraulic control
Transmission	6 Speed
Primary Drive Ratio	2.111:1 (27/57)
Gear Ratios	1st 2.466 / 2nd 1.765 / 3rd 1.400 / 4th 1.182 / 5th 1.043 / 6th 0.958:1
Final Drive Ratio	2.33:1 (15/35)
Final Drive	Chain
Frame	Tubular ALS450 steel trellis
Front Suspension	Öhlins upside-down fully adjustable fork with TiN surface treatment, for radial calipers
Front Wheel Travel	125 mm / 4.9 in
Rear Suspension	Progressive linkage with fully adjustable Öhlins monoshock
Rear Wheel Travel	128 mm / 5.0 in
Front Brakes	2 x 320mm Disc, 4 piston calipers
Rear Brakes	Single 245 mm disc, 2 piston caliper
Front Wheel	New Y-shaped 5 spoke design light alloy, 3.50 x 17
Rear Wheel	New Y-shaped 5 spoke design light alloy, 5.50 x 17
Front Tyre	120/70 ZR17
Rear Tyre	180/55 ZR17
Rake	23.5° - 24.5°
Trail	97 mm / 3.8 in
Dimensions	Length: 2095 mm / 82.5 in Width: 730 mm / 28.7 in Height: 1110 mm / 43.7 in
Wheelbase	1420 mm / 55.9 in
Seat Height	780 mm / 30.7 in
Dry Weight	193 kg / 425 lbs
Fuel Capacity	15.5 L / 4.1 US gal / 3.4 Imp gal
Reserve	3.0 L / 0.8 US gal / 0.7 Imp gal
Consumption Average	5.6 L/100 km / 18 km/l / 42.3 US mpg / 50.8 Imp mpg
Braking 60 km/h - 0	12.0 m / 39.4 ft
Braking 100 km/h - 0	37.5 m / 123.0 ft
Standing ¼ Mile	11.02 sec
Top Speed	256.3 km/h / 159 mph
Instrumentation	Speedometer, rev counter, high beam indicator, turn signals, oil pressure warning light, low fuel warning light, neutral light, water temperature, Immobilizer

This uncompromising sports machine is only available in the single-seat version and is the perfect bike for all those who want to own a real middleweight racer. The Testastretta engine is more highly developed than ever before to maximise performance and minimise weight. Chassis components have obviously been selected for maximum competitiveness on the track, and special materials like magnesium, carbon fibre, and titanium abound to make the 749R unbeatably light and mean.

The R’s engine has been specially developed for efficiency on the track. It develops 121 hp at 10,500 rpm and 8.6 kgm of torque at 8,250 rpm.

By applying the knowledge gained on the racetrack, Ducati engineers have created our highest performance middleweight Superbike ever, with fully adjustable suspension, box-section aluminum alloy swingarm, and steering damper. The 749 is as at home on the road as it is on the track and is designed to offer an exciting, safe ride whatever the road conditions. A sleek riding position blends man and machine perfectly.

At 108 hp, the Testastretta provides lightning acceleration out of corners and incredibly smooth power delivery without putting stress on the chassis set-up. Excellent torque (8.2 kgm at 8500 rpm), even at very low rpms, guarantees superb performance while making the motorcycle easy to handle in heavy traffic.

The 749R is driven by a mighty twin-cylinder Testastretta engine created especially for racing. The 121 hp at 10,500 rpm has been achieved through full race tuning, and shortening the piston stroke while increasing the bore to 94 mm, up from the 90 mm of the 749 and 749s, thus enabling the engine to run at higher rpm. The slipper clutch is also racing derived and prevents the rear wheel from locking during track style downshifting and heavy engine deceleration.

This Testastretta twin-cylinder engine has been created using the best materials: titanium valves, valve retaining collets and connecting rods, magnesium head covers and carbon fibre belt covers that feature a ventilation system to enhance belt cooling. The feather-weight crankshaft and high resistance aluminium alloy pistons complete the array of top notch components.

One of the unique features of this model is the rear suspension linkage, with flat rising rate as used on competition Ducatis, that is suited to extreme track use and a single-seat set up. The lower rising rate produces linear performance throughout the stroke with less rigidity at high ranges, typical of high-speed cornering experienced on the track. The suspension works in partnership with a fully adjustable Öhlins rear shock absorber, with a shorter stroke than in the standard version (down from 71 to 56 mm) and with a heavier spring, designed especially for this motorcycle and its unique rear suspension.

This model is exclusively available as a single-seater and is finished off with a numbered silver plate on the top yoke.

Just a glance is enough to recognise a no-holds-barred solo machine, designed expressly for use on the racetrack at the highest level of competition. The engine hails from the Testastretta series, while the solutions adopted for the chassis equipment are among the most EVOlved and extreme in the world of Superbikes, meeting with the approval of the most discerning racers. The 749R is built making ample use of prestigious materials such as magnesium and titanium to achieve the lowest possible overall weight.

Original and totally aggressive, like all Ducati Superbikes, the 749R adds a numbered silver plaque on the top fork crown, making each machine absolutely unique. But apart from all the sheer guts it delivers on the racetrack, the most sports-oriented of the 749 machines is produced to ride on the street too, complete with mirrors with integral turn indicators. Apart from their elegant styling, these unique turn signals have the advantage of being quickly removable when the bike is being prepared for a race.

In order to enable the best possible control of the performance available from the powerful Testastretta twin, each chassis element of the 749R was selected and tested with the aim of offering the maximum performance in competition conditions. That's why, alongside the elements shared by all bikes in the range, notably the trellis frame with adjustable steering head rake, there are several other details that have come straight from the race department. The box-section aluminium swingarm is structurally very similar to the unit installed on the 999s ridden by Toseland, Laconi and Lanzi or the Supersport raced by Nannelli, with clear benefits in terms of weight and stiffness. The swingarm is combined with a chain tension adjuster that uses sliders instead of cams, thereby avoiding the undesired effect of changing the height of the rear end of the machine and consequently the set-up when making adjustments to the final drive. The similarities of the rear suspension with the official race 999s continue with the shock linkage with flat progression, absolutely ideal to obtain the stiffness needed to obtain the necessary precision when riding at race speeds. The performance of the rear end is aided by the Öhlins shock, with fully adjustable hydraulic damping and equipped with a dedicated spring and more limited travel: 56 millimetres compared to the 71 millimetres of the other versions. Like the rear monoshock, also the fork is an upside-down configuration, with 43 mm sliders and, like all front suspensions installed by Ducati on its top-level machines, the sliders are TiN coated to ensure extremely low friction. Like the rear shock, the fork is fully adjustable and equipped with a special bottom lug for radial attachment of the brake callipers. These components were clearly designed for race applications, as were the brake system and wheels. The brakes feature 4.5 mm thick rotors and radial callipers with four pistons and the same number of pads, while the lightweight alloy wheels are Brembo/Marchesini units with five Y-spokes in forged and machined aluminium, offering a weight saving of 3.2 kg compared to a pair of conventional wheels, without sacrificing rigidity.

Like all single-seater versions, the 749R provides fore and aft adjustment of the seat-tank combination. It's also possible to alter the position of the footrests, but with respect to the other versions the choices in this case are two rather than five. This decision is based on the rules of the World Supersport Championship, which disallow the removal of any parts welded to the original frame. To allow the passage of the oversized diameter racing exhaust manifolds it was therefore decided to use smaller footpeg brackets, which limit the adjustments.

The effects of a reduced stroke and increased bore, which allow the Testastretta twin to achieve higher revs, are clearly evident. On the standard equipment package the engine offers 121 HP at 10,500 rpm, with torque of 8.6 kgm at 8,250 rpm. These values can be boosted still further with the installation of the optional racing kit.

This model features the use of prestigious materials such as titanium for the valve gear, magnesium for the head covers, and carbon fibre for the timing belt covers with forced ventilation. Every detail is engineered to achieve the maximum efficiency when entering and exiting bends. Consider, for example, the super lightweight crankshaft and high strength aluminium alloy pistons which serve to increase power output, and also the slipper clutch, which prevents rear wheel chatter under conditions of intense engine braking. Even though it affords performance levels that are at the very pinnacle of the category, the Testastretta twin mounted on the 749R is equipped with a catalytic exhaust system and consequently has emission levels that easily comply with stringent Euro2 standards.

This jewel from the Ducati stable is a bike created to be competitive on tracks around the world, as well as being a street legal motorcycle.

Technologically, the 749R is the most advanced motorcycle ever produced by Ducati. It comes with an engine from the Testastretta family, but with a shorter stroke and bigger bore than the stock 749.

Chassis and running gear has been developed to ensure maximum competitiveness on the track. The widespread use of special materials, including magnesium, carbon fibre and titanium, make this a light, extremely efficient high performance sportsbike.

The 749R also gets rearview mirrors with built-in direction indicators, which combine style with practicality by being easily removed for when the bike is used on the track.

Since the tank has not been used to seal-off the top of the air box, Ducati have managed to reduce the maximum frame width to 345mm and so make the 749R very compact. As usual, the engine is stressed member of the classic tubular trellis frame thus ensuring high torsional rigidity of the whole assembly.

In addition to excellent weight distribution, mass is well centralised. The double-sided rear swingarm is very different from the ones on the 749 and 749S - it is more like the one on the 999 race bikes which dominated the World Superbike championship.

The structure which houses the pivot is made of cast aluminium, while the arms are made of two pressed metal sheets welded together in a box-section. The left one also features lower reinforcement triangulation.

An elongated wheelbase limits loss of rear wheel grip when braking and opposes front wheel lift during acceleration, thus ensuring controlled handling.

The rear suspension has been specially designed for racing Ducatis. Travel is very limited and set-up is fixed for the track.

Front brake callipers are, like the 999R, radial and fixed to special ends on the Öhlins fork. Fork stanchions feature TiN coating to reduce friction.

Using the customary system of eccentrics it is possible to change the headstock rake and thus also modify the trail between 91 and 97mm. This can be modified further by adjusting the offset, that is, the distance between the centre of the fork stanchions and the centre of the steering axis, just like on the 999 used in the World Superbike championship.

The offset has two fixed settings (30mm and 3mm) only, which are selected with the aid of a specific steering pin housed on an eccentric, which is, in turn, inserted in the pin that allows adjustment of steering axis angle.

But on the standard, road-approved motorcycle the offset adjustment is disabled. This is because, at very high speed (when the tyre deforms and centrifugal force increases its radius) and in the event that the fork is fully depressed, the tyre may touch the radiator. Ducati's R&D staff have been careful to ensure that the two conditions do not occur simultaneously.

The 749R is an expensive piece of kit so you expect nothing less than Brembo radial brake calipers and Marchesini wheel rims in forged aluminium.

The carbon fibre bodywork of this single-seater is just like the 999. Every 749R is delivered with an individually numbered silver plate on the steering head, which adds yet another exclusive touch to one of the most original bikes on the worldwide motorcycling scene.

Source wisebuyers.co.uk