Ducati Superquadro Mono Engine

So Ducati have done something that changes the game. The most powerful single piston motor developed by a factory.

The most powerful single-cylinder in the world.
It's called Superquadro Mono and it's the latest addition to the Ducati engines. It is a brand-new 659 cc short-stroke single-cylinder engine with desmodromic distribution and is the most high-performance road-going single-cylinder engine ever.


77.5 horses from the crate, 84.5 with the to be available performance exhaust.

15,000 km oil change, 30,000 valve clearance service intervals.

It's been trialled in a Motorcross bike and they have tested in a new hypermotard format.

Ducati YouTube

Ducati world premier


698 hypermotard

The previous Ducati single was built like a v twin with only one cylinder

This new Superquadro Mono Engine was based on the twin-cylinder version designed for the 1299 Panigale.

And the specs for this new engine are impressive! Some highlights from the announcement:

• For a single-cylinder road engine, power output is an impressive 77.5 HP
• When equipped with a racing exhaust, power output increases to 84.5 HP
• Remarkable maximum revolution speed of 10,250 RPM
• Incredibly short stroke of 62.4 mm, resulting in a bore/stroke ratio of 1.86
• Requires checking and valve clearance adjustment every 18,000 miles

And the first application created with this new engine is the new 2024 Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono, with a factory warranty of unlimited mileage for 24 months...

The Superquadro is an interesting new engine from Ducati, and one that fits with their heritage. Using the engine for the supermoto segment makes sense because Ducati will be the defacto kings of that segment.

In my opinion, the real test for Ducati will be getting this engine into a superleggera fully-faired sportbike. If they can make that happen, and they can resist the urge to add a bunch of electronic frills, we can say that Ducati, as it existed historically, is still alive. They are owned by VAG now, and they need to tear a page out of Porsche's book--delete frills and raise MSRP for limited edition models. You can't do that with a 240hp Superbike. You can do that with a 77hp supermono--so make it happen.

40 years ago I had an XJ650. It was a 4 cylinder 2 valve engine with, if I remember correctly a claimed 72bhp output. This single which is of similar displacement puts out slightly higher output than the inline 4 I had back in the day!