Say what? Give us some history please.
125 GP: The Rarest Ducati (1966)
This competition engine will always be remembered as the first and only in-line 4-cylinder engine and the first with 4 valves per cylinder in Ducati's history.
The 125 cc in-line engine featured timing that was controlled by a gear train and 4 spring-loaded valves per cylinder (!). Needless to say, Desmodromic timing was considered to be inapplicable to cylinders with a unit capacity of just... 31cc!
Despite the refined design work, the engine produced a "mere" 23 HP at 14,000 RPM: not enough to contest the brawn of the 5-cylinder Honda with its 30 HP.
This prototype was track-tested only (by Franco Farnè) and never went into production, becoming instead a display-case oddity to be exhibited during trade fairs and other events.
Technical specifications
* Engine: across the frame, in-line 4-cylinder, twin overhead camshaft, air-cooled.
* Cylinder capacity: 124 cc; (34.5 x 34mm).
* Compression ratio: 12:1.
* Timing: four valves per cylinder, controlled by a gear train (non- desmodromic timing).
* Fuel feed: 4 Dell'Orto SS1 carburetors.
* Gearbox: 8 gears.
* Maximum power: 23 HP at 14,000 RPM.
* Maximum speed: 200 km/h.
