Total Motorcycle Website – 2005 Ducati 999R Exclusive – Page 6

Fairings: the new front fairing

The headlamp mount and the new mirror mounts are now in magnesium alloy. The fairings with scoops, front fairing between the two side fairings, the front mudguard, chain guard, silencer heat shield and windshield fairing are all in carbon fibre. The tail section, on the other hand, is in techno-polymer. The forms of the fairings are identical to those on the 999R, while the windshield fairing has changed and now lacks the upper flow guides while featuring a plexiglass windshield with a new shape. Overall, apart from improved aerodynamics, the new system provides better rider protection at high speed (when crouched over the fuel tank) and better visibility of the instrumentation (the black rubber surround of the plexiglass windshield does not block the rider’s view of the instrument panel warning lights).

Electronics

More sophisticated engine ECU

The new 999R’s engine ECU uses the same sensors and actuators as the preceding version. However, the ECU itself has been changed to the IAW 5M2 unit, again produced by Magneti Marelli, and is now capable of handling a larger number of inputs and outputs, to allow for future expansion of the regulation strategies. The injectors (IWPR2), again from Magneti Marelli, are identical to those used on the race bike and have a higher flow rate for the same opening time. They have 12 atomisation jets and tighter, more constant flow tolerance. The form of the spray and the very small droplet size make an essential contribution to the outstanding performance of the engine. The spark plugs are surface discharge units, Champion RG59V. They do not have the traditional protruding ground electrode, so that the spark no longer follows a fixed route, but is rather generated around the central electrode in the most favourable direction. This greatly reduces the probability of misfires and hence failure of mixture combustion in the chamber. The coils are of the stick type and are therefore located in the spark plug seat on each head. The electrical connection is no longer directly mounted to the body to avoid potential damage due to vibration.

The CAN bus – a more streamlined electrical system

The use of a CAN (Controller Area Network) network with two main nodes: instrument panel and engine ECU (Magneti Marelli IAW 5M2), has greatly simplified the electrical system, with a significant weight reduction. To limit the number of cable bundles the designers have eliminated duplications in the number of sensors on the motorcycle. Their signals must therefore be shared by the various on-board processors. This can only be done by sending the sensor’s signal to the closest controller, which is then charged with sending it on to the network so that it can be used by the processors which need it. The CAN bus network is composed of only two cables carrying trains of digital signals, each of which carries precise, perfectly decodable information. The nodes of the network (the instrument panel and the engine ECU), have special hardware which enables them to recognise which signal trains concern them and must therefore be processed by their processors. This technology enables a considerable simplification of the electrical system, which in some sections is composed of no more than the double CAN bus cable.

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