If there is a common thread for Ducati’s upcoming EICMA reveal, it is the influence and benefits of owner Audi AG. We have already seen the German car manufacturer’s variable valve timing technology find its way into the Testastretta engine, in the form of Desmodromic Variable Timing (DVT).

Our sources say that the all-new Ducati Multistrada, which will debut in just a few weeks’ time, will be the first model equipped with DVT. While Ducati ups its ante in the ADV market, our Bothan spies have tipped us off to another piece of Audi tech that will find its way onto a Ducati motorcycle, as the 1299 will received a “Tiptronic-like” gearbox that allows for touch-button upshifts and downshifts.

It’s not clear if the Ducati 1299 superbike will have a dual-clutch gearbox with its new shifting abilities, but riders will be able to rapidly click through the gears without using the clutch. Our sources make the system sounds like an enhanced version of Ducati’s Quick Shift system (DQS), which already allows for clutchless up-shifts.

Adding now clutchless downshifts to the list of features coming to Ducati’s superbike line, the Italian company is trying very hard for this mid-model update to be more than just that.

We know already that the 1299 will feature an extra 100cc on the base and “S” models, while the “R” model will remain at 1,198cc for World Superbike regulations. The bump in displacement is a new philosophy for Ducati, which is using the weight savings in its v-twin design to bust category trends with larger displacement machines — a move first seen with the Ducati 899 Panigale middleweight.

Start counting the days to EICMA, Ducati fans. Good stuff is ahead.

Source: Bothan spies