While Ducati is rumored to be working on a single-cylinder sportbike for introduction next year, other manufacturers continue to ignore the category. Leaving super motard-style bikes aside (as well as dual sports), there seems to be no interest in manufacturing a single-cylinder street bike with the other manufacturers (BMW is an exception). MD readers, however, have shown a huge interest in, and desire for, a modern, super-lightweight, single-cylinder streetbike (which is not a converted dirt bike, but a dedicated street design).
Take a look at past MD articles on street singles dated October 5, 1999, October 20, 1999, May 10, 2001 and May 16, 2001. There are plenty of motorcyclists who feel that a single-cylinder machine is the ultimate, but why do the manufacturers continue to ignore this? With more and more high-tech single-cylinder engines developed for off-road racing, very little R&D is needed.
