Editing Ducati (section)

=== Desmodromic valve ===
Ducati is also famous for using the desmodromic valve system championed by engineer and designer Fabio Taglioni, though the firm has also used engines that use valve springs to close their valves. 

Desmodromic valves are closed with a separate, dedicated cam lobe and lifter instead of the conventional valve [[spring (device)|springs]] used in most internal combustion engines in consumer vehicles. 

This allows the cams to have a more radical profile, thus opening and closing the valves more quickly without the risk of valve-float, which causes a loss of power that is likely when using a "passive" closing mechanism under the same conditions.

On current Ducati motors, except for the Desmosedici and 1199 Panigale, the valves are actuated by a standard valve cam shaft which is rotated by a [[timing belt (camshaft)|timing belt]] driven by the motor directly. The teeth on the belt keep the [[camshaft]] drive pulleys indexed. 

==== Past variants ====
On older Ducati motors, prior to 1986, drive was by solid shaft that transferred to the camshaft through bevel-cut gears. This method of valve actuation was used on many of Ducati's older [[single-cylinder]] motorcycles — the shaft tube is visible on the outside of the cylinder.

In the early days, Ducati reserved the desmodromic valve heads for its higher performance bikes and its race bikes. These valves do not suffer from [[valve float]] at high engine speeds, thus a desmodromic engine is capable of far higher revolutions than a similarly configured engine with traditional spring-valve heads.