THE MOTHER OF ALL DUCATIS; Desmosedici RR is a MotoGP bike for the street.(product information of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.)

Byline: JOHN L. STEIN

In the religion of internal-combustion desirability, race-inspired factory supercars such as the Ferrari Enzo and the Porsche Carrera GT are high priests. As that is something enthusiasts know as truth, it is time to canonize the 2008 Ducati Desmosedici RR.

Patterned closely after the 989-cc Desmosedici GP6 race bikes that competed in the 2006 MotoGP series, this new street-legal Desmosedici RR is limited-production-only 300 will come to the United States. Its cost is $72,500, if you can find one; only top-performing Ducati dealers will carry them.

Everything makes the Desmosedici RR special. It shares engineering with its MotoGP racer brother and essentially nothing with any other Ducati. Instead of Ducati's usual V-twin, the Desmosedici RR has the world's first production desmodromic V4 engine, which makes a reported 200 hp at 13,800 rpm. It features an outrageous 2.02:1 bore/stroke ratio, jewellike titanium connecting rods and gear-driven cams that open and close its 16 titanium valves-eliminating the need for springs and giving the bike its name. "Desmodromic'' is derived from two Greek roots, desmos (controlled, linked) and dromos (course, track). Topping it off is a slipper clutch that reduces rear-wheel hop during quick downshifts.

Ducati's most spectacular street bike to date is also prepped for track use, as it comes with a supplemental racing ECU, open exhausts and a racing stand, plus three years of free service.

The Desmosedici RR shares tantalizing details with high-performance cars. Magneti Marelli, long a Ferrari F1 supplier (as well as Yamaha and Ducati MotoGP teams), provides fuel-injection management, while the stout monoblock brakes are from Brembo. Ohlins, the Desmosedici's ...