Reports from Cycle World have indicated that Ducati is developing a semi-automatic transmission technology aimed at production and motorsport.

1. Ducati’s patent indicates a system similar to that of Honda’s E clutch
2. The mechanism is aimed at performance and motorsport

Ducati’s semi automatic system is more performance focused

Two distinct versions have been proposed 

In recent years, quite a few manufacturers have introduced automatic or semi-automatic transmissions, including Yamaha, BMW, KTM, and most famously, Honda, with their DCT as well as the new E-clutch system. 

Ducati’s plans for a semi-automatic system are quite similar to Honda’s E-Clutch, albeit with a few minor differences, according to the two propositions seen in two patent drawings.  

Both patent drawings feature a computer control unit connected to an electric motor that operates a hydraulic clutch master cylinder. Like Honda’s system, this means that the clutch can be automatically controlled, but the rider still has to shift gears themselves.

In Ducati’s first version, the master cylinder is hydraulically actuated by the clutch lever, as usual, with an added chamber and piston being actuated by the electric motor when you aren’t engaging the clutch.

In the second, the added chamber and piston remain the same, with the difference being that the clutch lever speaks to an electronic control unit, which then tells the actuator to disengage the clutch but could do so on its own as well. 

Both systems mean the exact same thing for the rider – you can shift gears with or without manually using the clutch, depending on your preference.

Ducati reportedly also mentions a launch control system with this technology, allowing you to rev out the motor and dump the clutch, letting the electronics maximise your acceleration. 

The gear shifting would be managed using load sensors in the shifter to detect an upshift or downshift, while engine management would handle auto-blipping the throttle.

In its patent application, Ducati has been clear that this mechanism is aimed at performance and motorsport, indicating applications to the production bikes, hence allowing legal use in WSBK and WSS as well. 

WSBK bikes are largely dictated by the road bikes that they are based on, which is why they can’t use technologies like the seamless shift gearboxes seen on MotoGP bikes. A performance-oriented semi-automatic gearbox could give Ducati a crucial advantage.