Ducati’s affirms their continuing focus on rider safety

Published: 19 April 2018

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Ducati has announced a series of measures that they will be implementing on their model range with the aim of using advanced electronics to improve rider safely.

Under the banner ‘2025 Safety Road Map,’ the first target for the Bologna-based firm is to fit cornering ABS to all of its models, including those at the lower end of the price scale such as the Scrambler range.

Many of the firm’s bikes already run Bosch’s ABS Cornering system, but to roll its fitment out to the entire model range is a significant step towards improved rider safety. And they aren’t stopping there…

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Ducati are looking at adding a series of Advanced Rider Assistance Systems (ARAS) to their bikes, including the use of radar to monitor the environment around a bike and alert the rider of any potential danger. Effectively the system will be a rear radar that will be able to identify if another vehicle is in the rider’s ‘blind spot’ or if a vehicle is approaching at speed from the rear and warn the rider. Such systems are relatively common on cars (most have a warning light on the mirror or sound an alarm) so this isn’t that new technology. And neither is Ducati’s next innovation.

To go with cruise control, which is already fitted to several Ducati models, the firm will use a second radar located on the front of the bike to manage the distance between the bike and other vehicles, creating adaptive cruise control. Again, this system is widespread in the car world but has yet to reach two-wheelers.

Ducati say they will release these systems, alongside an advanced user interface, on ‘one of the Ducati models coming in 2020,’ which is an interesting phrase. What could this bike be? The best bet would be a new Multistrada, but that V4 engine must make an appearance in another Ducati model very soon and MCN wouldn’t bet against a high-end V4 Multistrada being on the cards to showcase this new technology…

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By Jon Urry

MCN contributor, original 916 & R1-owner, human Labrador, thoroughly nice bloke. Working for over 20 years in the motorcycle industry, Jon not only has an encyclopaedic knowledge of bikes, but has also interviewed many key players in the motorcycle industry, including designers, factory bosses and legendary racers. Still a passionate motorcyclist with child-like enthusiasm for two-wheels, Jon has a collection of both modern and classic bikes that he maintains himself and he writes a weekly column in MCN (newspaper) about used bikes and the state of the motorcycle market.