Ducati's New Engine Makes a One Horsepower For Every Pound It Weighs

That's a 1-to-1 power-to-weight ratio.

Photo by: Ducati

By: Jonathon Klein

Nov 4, 2024 at 9:24am ET

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Quick, which is more important, weight or horsepower?

There are competing camps who'd side one way or the other. Proponents will argue you can get away with more if you have greater power, while there are those who'll say reducing weight is the ultimate end-all, be-all. Ducati, however, saw that old "Why not both?" meme and took it to heart while developing its new V2 engine, as it has both power and lightweightedness.

How to heart you ask? How does a power-to-weight ratio of 1-to-1 sound? Meet Borgo Panigale's new 890cc V2 V-twin.

The new V2 engine comes only a few short months after Ducati stated it would be retiring the old V2 engine, much to the chagrin of folks who loved the motor. But time wait for no one and the old motor just couldn't hock it with tightening governmental restrictions. The new motor is meant to meet new Euro 5+ emissions targets, and is comprosed of a 90-degree V-twin pumping out a staggering 120 horsepower—115 horsepower will also become available as stock. Adding a race exhaust will up the horses to 126.

But the biggest detail is that the new V2 engine weighs just 120 pounds.

Photos by: Ducati

Now, that weight is without fluids or a motorcycle around it, so it's not a true 1-to-1. But the fact that it makes its weight in power from the get-go is pretty dang awesome. And it's development continues Ducati's recent push for building smaller displacement engines with mountains of power and torque. The last of which was the new single-cylinder engine Ducati built for the Hypermotard.

"With this new engine, Ducati confirms its commitment to development, which has taken shape with the introduction of four completely new engines in just seven years," says Ducati's press release, adding, "From the Desmosedici Stradale to the Superquadro Mono, from the V4 Granturismo to this new V2. Engines that have been defined by choosing the most suitable technical solutions depending on the intended use."

My mind wanders as to what I'd love to build with such a motor if it were ever offered as a crate engine. However, we won't have to wait long before we see what the new V2 engine will go into, as the first V2-powered motorcycles will drop later this week. My money is on an iteration of the old V2 sportbike or V2-powered Multistrada, but come on, what else would it be?