Ducati patent: Seamless transmission from MotoGP

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Ducati patent: Seamless transmission from MotoGP
Ducati.

Ducati patent: Seamless transmission from MotoGP

Ducati patent: Seamless transmission from MotoGP

Ducati patent: Seamless transmission from MotoGP

Ducati patent: Seamless transmission from MotoGP

6th pictures

Ducati patent: Seamless transmission from MotoGP
Ducati

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The seamless gears from MotoGP are known. For a good 10 years now, the drivers have been shifting load changes here.

Ducati patent: Seamless transmission from MotoGP
Ducati

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The Prinzop is similar to the DCT from Honda, but only needs one clutch.

Ducati patent: Seamless transmission from MotoGP
Ducati

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The frictional connection on the two-part input shaft is controlled by a type of hub gear # 109 via two roller bearings # 105 and # 107.

Ducati patent: Seamless transmission from MotoGP
Ducati

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The shift drum is designed to have two gears engaged at the same time and to take one gear out of gear while the other gear begins to transmit power.

Ducati patent: Seamless transmission from MotoGP
Ducati

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The two roller bearings sit under a hub in the clutch basket.

Ducati patent: Seamless transmission from MotoGP
Ducati

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Depending on the position of the hub, a bearing runs freely.

counselor

technology & future

Ducati patent: Seamless transmission from MotoGP

Ducati shifts seamlessly
Next Panigale with MotoGP gearbox?

Seamless gears have been standard in MotoGP for a good 10 years. They work like a dual clutch transmission, with only one clutch. Ducati seems to be adapting the system for the street.


Jens Kratschmar

07/07/2021

In this article:

  • Seamless vs. double clutch
  • Panigale with MotoGP transmission?
  • Conclusion

When Honda brought the seamless transmission to the 800cc class in 2010, the last MotoGP year, it had to be guarded by its own security guard. That was how revolutionary the system was. The drivers were able to shift up gears under full load and without interrupting the tractive effort and thus prevent the so-called shift shock. This occurs with quick gear changes under high load, causes unrest in the chassis due to torque peaks and also torments the tires. On the road, you can feel the shift shock with the Quickshifter when the rear shakes slightly when changing gears or the motorcycle briefly moves around its vertical axis. Seamless puts an end to the shift shock. It goes without saying that all manufacturers followed suit. Ducati were the first. And they are probably the first to want to bring the function to the road.

Seamless vs. double clutch

Basically, the seamless gear works like the DCT from Honda, just with just one clutch. A conventional shift drum always engages two gears at the same time on a two-part input shaft. One gear pairing runs freely while the other transmits the torque. If the driver initiates a gearshift conventionally with his foot, he not only turns the gearshift drum, but also frees the next gear while the previous gear is taken out. With this rotation, the next gear is already brought forward. The DCT transmission from Honda works in a similar way, only here the traction is controlled by a second clutch. In the case of seamless gears, this task is performed by a kind of freewheel by means of a strong roller bearing that may or may not be subjected to force via a hub.

Now comes the second important part: it is not enough just to take the power off the shaft, the gear wheels of the pairing presented must also run free. Otherwise the gearbox would brake and possibly even destroy itself. This is done by means of locking blades in the bearing of the gears. If there is no load on the part of the shaft, the wheels turn freely. If the power to the next gear is closed by the switching process, small recesses in the shaft close the pawls exactly at the moment when the frictional connection switches. A small, fine mechanical masterpiece. And it is precisely here, as with the two hub-controlled roller bearings, that the greatest potential lies: The parts have to last thousands of kilometers without revision or failure. In racing, the transmissions are regularly revised.

Panigale with MotoGP transmission?

In the end, the construction shown is likely to differ somewhat from that used in MotoGP, as the mechanical solutions clearly indicate use in an existing transmission housing of a conventional engine. Ducati would like to have this clarified in the patent specification. It can therefore be used as a series transmission in a new Panigale V4 conceivable and later also in other powerful engines. The biggest advantage is: The transmission does not need any electronic or hydraulic components. Only the engine control needs information about the type of gearbox, because when downshifting the shafts need a throttle to get the shaft free of load, shifting continues with the quickshifter, only faster and quieter.

Conclusion

Pictures, photos, very precise descriptions, a history in MotoGP spanning almost a decade and indeed a benefit to be recognized in a normal motorcycle: the seamless transmission from Ducati will come into series production, the only question is when.

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