| Make
|
Ducati |
| Model |
Strega |
| Concept
year |
2010 |
| Production
year |
- |
| Engine |
V
twin |
The Ducati Strega concept is the product of South African
designer Albie Spangenberg. The Strega - Italian for Witch
- is a bike targeted at more experienced and mature riders
who want a performance motorcycle which can easily handle
long journeys, and also offer a high degree of exclusivity.
Design inspirations for the Strega came from a variety
of sources including modern fighter aircraft like the
Dassault Rafale, classic motorcycles which employed all-enveloping
"dustbin fairings", and of course past and current
Ducati models.
Many aspects of the Strega's design were influenced by
packaging considerations for the unusual girder-type suspension
setup and additional aerodynamic factors. Often motorcycles
with all-enclosing bodywork appear bloated and heavy (the
CBR 1000 Hurricane of the 90's, Bimota's first generation
Tesi,
and the BMW
K1). But on the Ducati Strega the rear cylinder bank
is deliberately exposed to display the Desmo V-twin engine,
exhaust header and gorgeous trellis frame. This clever
decision has added visual lightness and technical interest
to the overall design.
The most striking aspect of the Strega's design is the
enclosed front wheel and fairing. At first glance this
fairing section appears to be a single piece - but if
this were true the first corner the Strega came across
would also be the last! Instead the fairing is made up
of several different pieces which allow the wheel to turn
while remaining enclosed for a superior aerodynamic profile.
Other technical highlights of the Ducati Strega concept
include:
• Rear monoshock suspension system which is mounted
extremely low down - almost level with the swingarm.
• Exhaust canister formed from high-temperature polymer
(not carbon
fibre).
• Lightweight hydroformed swingarm
While many concept vehicles nowadays are solely constructed
using computer software programs like 3D Studio Max and
Maya, Spangenberg used not only computer modeling, but
he also created multiple sketches and developed a detailed
1:6 scale model of the bike using polyester resign which
was sanded and painted. Many of the smaller elements had
to be made by hand from scratch.
All in all the Ducati Strega concept a very interesting
and thoroughly developed project which proposes several
radical and intriguing ideas in terms of both form and
engineering.
All images © Albie Spangenberg,
All rights reserved. Images used with the permission of
Albie Spangenberg.
|
|
