Originally intended for braking and to be active, rather than in the acceleration phase and controlled by the rider, the system for correcting the attitude of the motorcycle while driving was patented in 2002 by Claudio Domenicali, at the Former head of Ducati Corse and currently CEO of Ducati Motor Holding.
A patent filed by Ducati almost 20 years ago, authored by Claudio Domenicali and Filippo Preziosi, describes a rear suspension system with a hydraulic actuator in the linkage that allows the chassis height to be automatically adjusted. The application and issued patent are titled “Motorcycle with active rear suspension offering improved braking”. While it is by no means a fully active system, the basic concept and first building block is there.
The system detects when the motorcycle is braking, either via a pressure sensor, a travel sensor located on the fork or if the throttle is abruptly closed, and lowers the rear of the motorcycle by folding the actuator. This lowers the overall center of gravity and allows the rider to brake more aggressively without the motorcycle's rear wheel leaving the ground. Once braking is complete, the actuator returns to its initial position, returning the chassis to its normal position.
Operating only when braking, the actuator would not be intended to quickly change the height of the chassis: a fully active system must be able to move the wheel in a few milliseconds, and this is the essential difference between what is described in the Ducati patent and a truly active suspension system. Active suspension technology is available and some high-end automobiles are equipped with it, but for motorcycles the main stumbling block is the actuator. The electromechanical units used are bulky and require a considerable amount of electrical energy. Additionally, even though hydraulic cylinders are conventional in size, they require pumps and power to operate them.
Until then abandoned by Ducati, Gigi 'Gadget' Dall'Igna used the idea of its current Director by adapting it to a new problem and to current MotoGP regulations. Thus, the current system makes it possible to manage the geometry and the center of gravity of the motorcycle during the corner exit phase, during acceleration, and is operated by a joystick on the handlebars, given that an automatic system is prohibited by the regulations . We had written a complete file on this subject.
The rest of the story is known, all the teams looked into the subject last year. So there's no point in reinventing the wheel...
