Marc Márquez has started the 2025 season as a real predator. Removing Austin’s mistake has won everything else and has taken the pole and the quick return. Not even the rest of Ducati have been able to with him but what if everything were the fruit of a small black tube?
If you have noticed the details of Marc in Losail’s motorcycle in the back of the right side of his ducati’s tilting, he has that small black tube, which is anchored behind the axis and that almost no other pilot of the Italian brand carries it. Pecco does not carry it, Álex does not carry it, Morbidelli does not carry it, Aldeguer does not carry it … and Di Giannantonio yes.
Well, that little black tube that has “appeared” on Marc and Fabio’s motorcycle during Qatar’s GP and we had not seen before in the Ducati is actually an old acquaintance not only in the competition but in the street itself. Moreover, before telling you nothing more is one of the few pieces that you could buy from that MotoGP and put it directly on your motorcycle.
The little black tube is actually a “mass damper” and is known as over suspension
The system is “simply” a mass shock absorber, known as Mass Damper and, as we tell you, you can buy it for your street motorcycle for a long time. Therefore it is not a revolutionary even though it seems to the naked eye. Moreover, we have been talking about him for two years and we have seen him in other categories such as Moto2 or Superbike without having caught both attention because he did not carry it or Marc Márquez or someone who was dominating that way.
But what is this system and what is its function? Well, in broad strokes what this system does in which there is a dock and a weight, counteracts the movement of the tilting. In theory, it cushions the excess vibrations of the rear trench and in turn the chassis, the tire and the rear shock.
Theoretically, a better motorcycle control is achieved in the braking, keeping the wheel more attached to the ground, traction is gained, the rear shock absorber is made less and, therefore, it warms up less and more homogeneously surrenders all the time. And, to finish off, it seems that the wear of the tire improves.
The most surprising thing is that this system that offers so many benefits is simple in its operation and that small black tube directly applies physics to make a difference. A difference that, if you are wondering, can be achieved for just under 500 euros.
