Great question, maybe Fred would jump in on this one.
Yes, I will.
Desmodromic is based on the latin "Demondromedary" which roughly means,"Working on this (mechanical assembly) is less fun than taming a satanically possessed camel."
It is believed that desmodromic valves were designed by Nazis as a way of torturing victims, as a valve adjustment was more more painful than the usual drilled teeth or severed fingers. This is incorrect. Ducati is an Italian company, so the Gestapo are the ones who were responsible.
These days Ducati uses desmodromic valves because regular valve springs, after having been used on every other internal combustion engine ever produced, have proven to be reliable.
So, how does the desmodromic valve system work? The system consists of a total of six camshafts per valve. Each shaft has 1/3 of a cam lobe on it, which is engaged to its valve for a portion of the 720 degree engine cycle. Rather than the valve opening and closing once per cycle, it rapidly oscillates due to the six cam lobes alternately opening and closing it. This rapid vibration of the valve creates a pulsed shockwave in the intake, which stalls the incoming air charge at the correct time, effectively closing the valve. The same thing happens on the exhaust, except that the valve is inverted to account for the opposite direction of the exhaust flow. Also the exhaust valve contains magnetic monopoles (North polarity, unless you have a sub 500cc model). These are to trap any escaping thetans in the engine.
Timing of the system is handled by a Saberhagen Proccessing System. The radioactive decay of a piece of plutonium (mounted just below the rider's seat) determines how often the Ducati will win races, attract women, or break down on the side of the road.
To service a desmodromic valve system, first perform the Ritual of Nyarlhotep. Eat the congealed blood of a dung beetle every night for a month prior to the service. On the full moon, arrange your Whitworth sockets and left handed moebius wrench in a pentacle. Repeat the chant,"Ish oodaga tayam aha" two dozen times while walking around the bike in a widdershins direction. Finally call the dealership and book an appointment. If you've performed the ritual correctly, they'll be able to get you on the schedule sometime in the next two months.
Hope this helps.
I heard how a fraged connecting rod on a BSA will make you late for an interview. When you finally get to the job interview, in oil soaked clothes, the boss hires you anyway because the same thing happened to him a few weeks earlier. The list goes on.
I would not want a Duc as a first bike, kind of pricey, tell him to buy a Ninja 250, master it, then get his dream bike.
