Created in advance of the Motor Bike Expo of Verona, the XDiavel-based draXter Concept further ties the performance heritage of Ducati to its new “cruiser”. The draXter features suspension and brakes taken from the Panigale, for instance. We can’t be sure the draXter in any way resembles a future production Ducati. Here is Ducati’s press release:
The Ducati draXter is a show bike which is the sporty interpretation of the XDiavel world.
Unveiled at the Motor Bike Expo of Verona 2016, the draXter project was created in the Advanced Design area of the Ducati Style Centre, where the style and concepts of Ducati bikes of the future are born.
The ideas and drawings which come from the Ducati Style Centre have allowed the prototype department of Ducati to create the draXter, using the XDiavel series as the starting point.
The spirit of the draXter is the one of an extreme dragster, with racing components of the highest level. For example, the suspensions and brakes are those of the Panigale Superbike. The lines and proportions of the XDiavel become even more extreme and make the draXter a unique sports bike which will take your breath away.
The number 90 which is on the side of the Ducati draXter reminds us of the world of racing and, at the same time, is a homage to the 90th anniversary of Ducati which will be celebrated this year.
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Holy smokes! If they make this, it will tip me over the edge and get into the bike scene. This thing is sex on wheels.
Like a woman with a boob job four sizes too big, it is ridiculous yet oddly compelling.
Maybe it’s just me, but I think it looks great.
Love it. And ergos are perfect if you’re a chimpanzee.
Wow this thing is beautiful! I’ve been toying with the idea of trading in my Z1000 for a Diavel the last couple of months. Once I get a chance to compare the X with the standard Diavel I’ll make a decision on the move to Ducati.
As a long time drag racing fan,
It sure would be exciting to see Ducs lining up against Harleys at NHRA events.
So, with an “arms straight out, chest on the tank and feet a foot below your ass” riding position, I’m guessing that all your weight would be on you balls (or lady bits).
I hope the production version is nothing like this.
It is a one off show bike. the use of Concept in the title was a poor choice in wording.
I am of the understanding that drive belts are not up to the rigors of high horsepower drag racing applications.
The superchargers on top fuel dragsters are belt driven and absorb roughly 500hp under load.
Why do sport bikes, drag racing bikes, MotoGP bikes etc all have chain drives?
Chains are stronger and more efficient.
I’ll bet the reason is actually easy ratio changes.
That, and big pulley wheels don’t exactly look sporty.
Yes, but that load on the belt is nothing compared to dropping the clutch on a powerful bike from 0mph. I don’t know if belts are up to the task or not. I’ve seen some built Harleys use them, so I have to imagine that belt technology can at least handle just about anything street bike levels of power can throw at them.
The belt on a Harley isn’t handling as much tension as a belt on a sport bike. A Harley has about 60-70 hp, whereas sport bikes typically have well over 100 hp. The torque at the crank is not the factor, it’s the torque applied to the wheel that is of concern. A sport bike transmission has much lower gearing (leverage) to the rear wheel. The overall torque at the rear wheel of a Harley could be around 300-400 foot pounds. A sport bike will have around 900, some over 1000 (Super Duke for example).
I’ve made the analogy before; a bicycle can easily have well over 100 lb-ft of torque at the crank and look at the tiny chains those utilize. What matters is the overall gear reduction multiplied by the torque at the crank.
You’ve clearly never ridden a built Harley. They can make sport bike levels of power (okay, not quite – maybe around 150ish.) and run narrower-than-stock belts so that they can fit a larger rear tire.
It really comes down to shock in this particular application – that’s what breaks stuff. The weight of whatever is being moved plays a huge factor in that as well thanks to Newton’s 1st. So when I see a heavy, 150 hp procharger Harley dropping the clutch at a drag strip and launching the bike on a skinny belt all day long, I have to wager that we are in no way close to the limit of belt technology on any street motorcycle, even the latest and greatest sport bikes.
I can’t imagine anything a drag bike does being any greater a load than driving a top-fuel blower and the instant-on that those launch. Plus, the “built” HD’s jeremy is referring to aren’t 60-70hp, more like 150+hp with ridiculous torque output.
Funny you mention bicycle belt drive. An outfit called Friction facts load tested belt drive against chain drive and found that belt was significantly more efficient starting at 200watts, gaining advantage as power output increased.
“I can’t imagine anything a drag bike does being any greater a load than driving a top-fuel blower”
The blower belt and screws have the benefit of already being in motion, so the momentary shock applied to the belt is reduced. Still, it has to be a very hostile life for a belt regardless.
Interestingly I found an article from Motorcycle Daily in 2008 that answers a lot of the questions on this thread.
It seems that chains still rule mostly because of flexibility in changing gearing. You can add or remove links from a chain whereas belts are fixed.
http://www.motorcycledaily.com/2008/05/08may08_chainsvbelt/
… all of the new cars with CVT have belt drive.
Automotive CVT transmissions have chain belts. Snowmobiles have CVT transmissions with rubber belts however. Some snowmobiles use belts for their final drive, however they are much wider than the belts you find on a motorcycle final drive.
That Polaris Spyder ( or whatever its called) thingy with the 185 HP chevy engine in it is belt drive.
Slingshot, not Spider.
Wow, except for the extremely short foot peg/seat relationship.
The ergos look perfect for someone who is 4’2″ with arms that extend to the ground.
At first I thought I was looking at new Confederate motorcycle. Wow! Beautiful! But, like the Confederate , way out of my retirement salary range. LOL! But, like a fine looking woman, love to look and admire. 😉
Oh dear, goodness gracious that is lovely!
i like what they were going for, but should’ve spent more time adding some color to the parts to differentiate it from the original, the exhaust almost looks like it’s coming off a turbo. and is it my screen…? or is the photography just too damn dark to see anything…?
Not just you, the photographer is a moron for taking photos of a black bike with a black background.
The photographer knew exactly what he/she was doing
I see Spy Vs Spy!
Folks, I’m no expert but the tyres and rearset look similar to what you would see on a proper drag bike…
Is that a square rear tire?
Check out the size of the exhaust. From a guy who raced Top Gas drag bikes for 7 years….I Like It.
Hands down the most stunning piece of motorcycle sculpture I’ve seen in a long time. Owner envy? Mission accomplished.
Rear sets in place of the passenger pegs, what a novel idea .
I was thinking, Are human body parts even capable of that seat to peg relationship? I must not be following close enough, I didn’t even know that was a “thing” as implied by your sarcasm.
For those who wear spurs on their boots, this thing will probably produce some extra giddy-up in the operator.