The Ugliest MotoGP Bike In The History of The World

[Urban Chaos 2.0]

Have a look at this shit --> http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/241797/1/ducati-reveals-special-winglet-fairing.html

It's Ducati's new "winglet faring"

[miki]

It's...uhhhhh...something 

If it serves the purpose I'm okay with it (not that anyone at Ducati cares  ) but I hope nothing like this makes it to road bikes.

[matty0l215]

Well this is different....

But as Miki says, if it serves a purpose and can get them to win, then go for it!

[HornetMaX]

As far as I know MotoGP racing is not a beauty pageant

If it follows the trend of winglets, expect other teams to follow suite.
Got to give it to Ducati, they are definitely investing in aerodynamics.

And if it wins on track, I expect it to hit the road as well ... I mean, people buy Yamaha's crossplane stuff on road bikes (including 2 cyl) ...

[MonJue]

Im sure like anything we will all get used to it. I dare say if they revert back to the old shape in the future we will prefer this shape.
But then i do like this...

[Hawk]

One word, "Ugly!" 

Hawk.

[Urban Chaos 2.0]

Haha, surely people will get used to it, but that won't change the fact that it's ugly as hell. Look at what Yamaha have managed to do with the "winglet fairing" idea. Yamaha's looks even better than before.

[Hawk]

That more like it Urban. Looks a lot prettier on the Yammy. 

But I seriously don't think these winglets make that much difference to the handling of the bike, if at all, that would give any great advantage..... Bikes corner speeds are just not high enough for effective wings(especially not of that small size), and if a rider needs them for the straights then theirs something seriously wrong with the bike. Lol! 
I personally think it's just a sales gimmick to sell more road bikes once it becomes the fashion. 

Hawk.

[HornetMaX]

But I seriously don't think these winglets make that much difference to the handling of the bike, if at all, that would give any great advantage..... Bikes corner speeds are just not high enough for effective wings(especially not of that small size), and if a rider needs them for the straights then theirs something seriously wrong with the bike. Lol! 
I personally think it's just a sales gimmick to sell more road bikes once it becomes the fashion. 

I personally think you're wrong by a mile.

[Hawk]

But I seriously don't think these winglets make that much difference to the handling of the bike, if at all, that would give any great advantage..... Bikes corner speeds are just not high enough for effective wings(especially not of that small size), and if a rider needs them for the straights then theirs something seriously wrong with the bike. Lol! 
I personally think it's just a sales gimmick to sell more road bikes once it becomes the fashion. 

I personally think you're wrong by a mile.

Well if someone could explain to me in detail exactly what those winglets are supposed to achieve and how, I'm well open to change my opinion. 

Hawk.

[Urban Chaos 2.0]

The wings increase front wheel downforce for high-speed corners. In Ducati's case, there is an anti-wheelie benefit as well as reduced drag during upright acceleration. It's apparently an effective design, but still it's damn ugly. Trust me, Ducati wouldn't butcher the Desmosedici like this, for a fashion statement. 

[Hawk]

The wings increase front wheel downforce for high-speed corners. In Ducati's case, there is an anti-wheelie benefit as well as reduced drag during upright acceleration. It's apparently an effective design, but still it's damn ugly. Trust me, Ducati wouldn't butcher the Desmosedici like this, for a fashion statement.

Somehow I just don't think that rings true. The winglets are no where near big enough surface area to give any really effective downforce at all at the normal speeds a MotoGP bike takes through most corners, and the sort of corner speeds required for such a small surface area to be really effective you have to be somewhere like the Daytona banking. Plus surely there is more than enough downforce from the natural G-forces a bike generates through a high speed corner anyways?
Now if you were talking more about the winglets being there for stability, that I could believe, but really something that shouldn't be required unless they are designing the bikes to be unstable on purpose for some reason these days?

This winglet business just doesn't really make any sense to me personally..... Sorry mate, I'm still not convinced. 

As far as a motorcycle company creating something like this as a fashion statement: Ask any good salesmen - Most products are sold and wanted because they are in fashion. Fashion is a VERY powerful sales tool with a little media and industry brainwashing to push things along nicely. And what better way to get road riders to buy the latest bikes in-fashion than promote it in MotoGP first to create the market for it.

Hawk.

[HornetMaX]

First sight I'd say they help more on straight, keeping the nose down when accelerating hard. of course you need to be at decent speed, but these bike can hit 350Kmh so ...
For motgp bikes, keeping the nose down is probably the #1 problem.

I'm not so sure about their effect in corners, If I recall correctly the initial designs of winglets had actually some troubles in corners.

[Warlock]

Put your hand out of the window at 100km/h in your car, will give you an idea. At this level of racing any minimal detail could count.

[Urban Chaos 2.0]

Lmao, Hawk, effective downforce is not the result of whatever the surface area of contact is. It's the result of the surface area relative to the size and mass of the object to which that surface area pertains, and it's dependant on the medium through which the object is travelling. Those winglets despite their size, provide a very tangible benefit with respect to downforce. If that wasn't the case, manufacturers wouldn't be using them. Additionally, their effects are so significant, they can be felt by other riders as they attempt to slip stream behind a bike equipped with the wings. There were complaints last year about the turbulence those wings caused, and how that would destabilise the bikes of riders behind.

A fluid like air can become very heavy at 200km/h, and increasing the surface area to which it comes into contact can have great consequences. Look at F1's DRS feature and the effect on speed when the small flap on the rear wing opens to allow air through. Despite its small size, that flap means a lot.

Now, a MotoGP bike travels through air at high rates of speed. Rates of speed it reaches very quickly. You see, it's one thing for rapidly approaching air to push against an object, and it's another thing when that object is accelerating in the direction of said air. As an experiment, place your hand about 30cm deep in a pool, and run your hand through the water at a constant speed. Then do the same thing while attempting to accelerate your hand. You will feel a much greater resistance.

An accelerating motorcycle effects a greater force on the air it comes into contact with, so the difference when accelerating from 100km/h to 250km/h can be quite meaningful with wiglets equipped.