Sporty – Test Ducati 848 Evo Corse SE: rough on the track! – Track: the circuit written in the genes

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Ducati 848 Evo Corse SE test: rough from the track !

Sporty - Test Ducati 848 Evo Corse SE: rough on the track! - Track: the circuit written in the genes

Launched in 2008, the Ducati 848 continues its track man by remaining faithful to the fundamentals of the Italian manufacturer. Improved for 2011, it has since been available in an Evo Corse SE version: an uncompromising motorcycle, 100% passion ! Road and track test.

Track: the circuit written in the genes

On the other hand, one cannot say that there is deception on the goods: conceived as a racing motorcycle, the Ducati 848 Evo Corse SE has all the characteristics and, in fact, most of the faults..

If this lack of compromise and spartan comfort seem prohibitive when it comes to going up a congested avenue or when the asphalt crumbles, it is quite different when the horizon emerges on a winding and well paved portion. !

Moreover, precisely: here is one that comes under the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP, tires whose speed of activation and grip in the dry is truly astounding. After all, even if it means reselling it at the end of this final ride, you might as well enjoy this Ducati one last time. At worst, there will still be time to bring her back tomorrow morning, if the dealership is closed when you return…

Nose in the – very short – bubble, the racing-style ergonomics of the 848 Evo Corse SE no longer seem so disturbing, on the contrary. The incredible narrowness of the 15.5-liter tank first of all gives a pleasant latitude of movement and allows the bike to squeeze between its legs when braking.

Ah, this braking! Admittedly, its colossal power can frighten at first glance, just like the heightened sensitivity of its lever adjustable in spacing (ditto for its left counterpart). By exaggerating, you would almost come to fear doing a front somersault just by putting your index and middle fingers on it. !

Yes, but voila: at the time of sounding the charge, its extraordinary capacities allow slowdowns of another dimension and shatter the usual benchmarks. Ultimately very dosable once its instructions for use have been assimilated, this braking requires the finesse and skill of a Swiss watchmaker, but in return offers "MotoGP-esque" precision and endurance..

To avoid spoiling anything, its action has almost no effect on the steering functions of the full adjustable Showa fork. Clearly, it is possible to keep the brakes for a long time without freezing the front, or even to resume them in the middle of a turn. That’s good: the rear disc is anyway too timid to be used to correct an optimistic trajectory.

Head to Testastretta…

Confidence by the formidable stability and sharpness of the front axle, the pilot increases the pace to the limits of (de) reasonable: it is time to stop opening wide the butterflies of the perfectly calibrated injection before starting. ” blow up the stopwatch … of a speedometer !

Unless you take advantage of the rest of the day to continue this intoxicating Testastretta head (narrow head in French) on the track? Your significant other and the dealer will be waiting a few more hours! And then that’s good: organize a race on the circuit a stone’s throw from here and give 5% discount to the lucky owner of the that you are !

A few hundred grams of air less in the tires and here is your queen of the paddocks ready to launch an assault on the Écuyers track (02). Immersed in its natural element, the 848 Evo Corse SE moves there with the ease and fluidity of a siren. The rigidity of the tubular frame (read our Technical point on the next page) and the steering damper allow incredibly high shift speeds, without the slightest parasitic movement..

Penalizing in the hollows and bumps of a "crumpled" roadway, the firm setting of the suspensions here serves the cause of stability and allows placements to the millimeter, without having to worry about a possible too pronounced mass transfer . However, the beautiful request for commitment and not open to the first comer !

Far from being intuitive, the Ducati rider demands firm orders, a precise sequence of gestures and body movements. It is the bit with the teeth and the whip that the "stallion" 848 Evo Corse SE must be presented to the "obstacle". Not at the end of a lanyard like when warming up a double pony in a merry-go-round !

Thus, once the bike has been placed – or rather "riveted" – on the angle, it is difficult to make an impromptu change of course: its front end has certainly the surgical precision of a scalpel, but its edge imposes trajectories. strained from which it is difficult to deviate. Accustomed to messy "cuts" made with a "knife" with big teeth, go your way…

Riding the 848, improvisation actually requires … anticipation! Yes, it is special a Ducati. But that’s the ransom to pay to experience the thrill of the competition! The four-indicator shift light and the shifter also reveal all their strengths on the track: full throttle in the straight lines, the gears are linked without downtime – and without a hitch this time – under the vigorous thrust of the L-twin.

Too bad, however, that such a "beast of the track" has neither a gear indicator on its ultra-complete console (read the "Instrumentation" part of our technical sheet on the following pages), nor an anti-dribble clutch. Because because of its long gear ratio, the Ducati asks to be the first to enter very winding parts, an exercise which requires perfect "accelerator-clutch-selector" synchronization when entering curves on slopes..

On the other hand, when exiting, the pilot can twist the handle in complete peace of mind, as the excellent traction of the 848 is frankly hard to fault … Especially in the "horse-less" version! At worst, the Ducati Traction Control (DTC!) Keeps an eye on the grain with an efficiency and discretion that can be configured according to your wishes and capacities (read the "Electronics" part of our Technical point on the next page).

Verdict: dream machine…

A blissful smile on your way back, you pass the Ducati dealership which has long since closed its doors … At this point, it doesn’t really matter anymore: you will come back tomorrow…

The competitors of the 848 Evo Corse

  • : 4-cylinder in-line, 750 cc, 150 hp and 86.3 Nm, 190 kg in running order – € 13,499

  • : 3-cylinder in-line, 675 cc, 124 hp and 72 Nm, 185 kg all full facts – € 13,390

Not to give it back, oh no! But to mount a 14 tooth pinion in order to shorten this decidedly too long original transmission! And maybe also to add the optional 30 mm extensions on the mirrors to improve efficiency, because we must admit that it would not be luxury.

Surprised to see you finally come home with the 848 Evo Corse SE, your wife wonders at the loving gaze thrown at your Ducati before closing the box door: "but i thought you had to sell it ?"She launches half astonished, half amused … Sell it? A motorcycle like that? Never! Ah, women, I swear to you…

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