The fact that Ducati has the bike out publicly testing is a good sign and one that isn ’ t lost on the team behind the V21L , including Ducati eMobility Director Roberto Canè . “ We are experiencing a truly extraordinary moment ,” he said . “ I find it hard to believe it is reality and still not a dream ! The first electric Ducati on the track is exceptional , not only for its uniqueness but also for the type of undertaking : challenging both for its performance objectives and for its extremely short timescales . Precisely for this reason , the work of the whole team dedicated to the project has been incredible and today ’ s result repays us for the efforts made in recent months . We are certainly not finished yet ; indeed , we know that the road ahead is still very long , but in the meantime , we have laid a first important ‘ brick ’.”
NEW R7 GETS AKRAPOVIC PIPE UPGRADE
If there is one truth in this world , it is that Yamaha ’ s CP2 paralleltwin sounds amazing with a louder pipe ... While regulations worldwide have pretty much tied the hands of manufacturers these days , the aftermarket specialists in the exhaust world really have their work cut out for them in terms of packing in better performance . With that in mind , Akrapovič has launched an all-new exhaust for the 2021 Yamaha R7 with the introduction of the Racing Line range . Constructed with a high-grade , lightweight titanium outer sleeve and end-cap for the muffler , allied to a stainless-steel link pipe and headers , this latest product from Akrapovič weighs in at 0.7kg lighter than the standard stock exhaust .
While that might not sound like a big deal , the pipe remains an EC / ECE type-approved complete exhaust system , with a catalytic converter included in the package , allowing the system to comply with the current Euro 5 approvals – in other words , it ’ s fully road legal . Akrapovič claims that the pipe also has the benefit of a small increase in performance on the R7 , with an extra 1.5kW ( 2.0hp ) at 9200rpm and + 1.1Nm at 5000rpm when tested on the Akrapovič dyno against a standard stock exhaust . A distinctive deep and vivid Akrapovič sound rounds out the package , perfectly tuned to match the bike ’ s sporting credentials . Currently , we ’ ve got no word on when the Racing Line ( Titanium ) will be available , but considering the R7 is yet to be released in NZ don ’ t go rushing out looking for one just yet .
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