Tops Speed

 

When a bike company starts with a clean-sheet style, there are such a lot of ways in which to travel wrong. typically it’s best to attend for Version a pair of.0. however Ducati has knocked one out of the park with its sensational new 1199 Panigale, the primary ground-up mass-production model from Ducati since the 1979 Pantah.

While a definitive verdict can have to be compelled to wait till we have a tendency to check the 1199 on home soil, our short time aboard it at the amazing Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi was enough to confidently predict the Panigale is one in every of the best sportbikes ever created and could be a leading contender for our annual motorbike of the Year award.

There is no space of performance it does not excel in – power, handling, braking, electronics. its everything youll wish in an exceedingly trendy liter-sized sportbike, together with sharp styling that blazes a brand new style path. Compared to the outgoing 1198, the Panigale rocks twenty five additional horsepower whereas weighing twenty two lbs less.

Tech Mate

Ducatis have long been known for horny Italian vogue, however rarely for implementing cutting-edge technology. The Panigale blows that perception away.

Key to its style is its distinctive monocoque frame that uses the V-Twin engine as a serious part of its chassis. A cast-aluminum section weighing simply nine.3 pounds provides the steering-head support for the fork and, like clever engineering solutions, conjointly doubles because the engine’s airbox and aluminum fuel tank base. The alloy structure bolts to the engine for the chassis’s core composition, straightforward as that. Supporting the seat and tailsection is another light-weight (just four.6 pounds) aluminum piece that bolts to the engine’s rear cylinder and rear fringe of the steering box. A magnesium structure up front weighs simply one.3 pounds and supports the higher fairing, headlights and gauges.

Standard equipment on the $17,995 Panigale includes multi-level traction management, 3 riding modes (Race, Sport, Rain) that modify throttle response via the ride-by-wire throttle, Ducati’s fast Shifter and a new-for-2012 Electronic Braking management.

The upmarket S version ($22,995) brings higher levels of specification, upgrading from Marzocchi and Sachs suspension to electronically adjustable Ohlins parts. every riding mode has default compression and rebound damping settings which may even be tweaked individually by pushing a number of buttons on the left-hand switchgear whereas navigating the splendidly legible TFT instrument panel. conjointly on the S is that the industry’s initial LED headlight.

Let’s Ride!

Unlike any of the handfuls of racetracks I’ve been to, the 3.45-mile Yas Marina Circuit is accessible by walking directly from our hotel, the visually spectacular Yas Viceroy, to constant paddock that annually hosts the exclusive Formula one series. prepared within the garage could be a phalanx of gleaming red 1199 Panigales that seem even a lot of sinister than they give the impression of being in footage. they are available across as stylish and up to date however while not being spinoff of anything. Even my mom, who had her 77th birthday on my ride day and dislikes motorcycles, would be able to acknowledge the Panigale could be a special machine.

Anyone who’s thrown a leg over Ducati’s 1098/1198 models are going to be pleasantly shocked by the 1199’s revised ergonomics. It’s seat is moved quite an in. nearer to the handlebars, and also the bars are raised 10mm, that add up to a layout a lot of less stretched and considerably more leisurely. Slinging a leg over its diminutive tailsection is simpler than the 1198’s that had 2 significant exhaust canisters stuffed underneath it. The Panigale has its mufflers placed underneath the engine, Buell-like, for mass centralization. Its seat is alleged to be at thirty two.5 inches however looks lower, and its tank feels nicely slim between the knees.

Thumb the starter button and also the 1199cc V-Twin involves life with an authoritative bark. A clever, cam-mounted decompression device permits a way smaller starter motor and battery, saving 7.3 lbs of weight. A twist of the throttle has the huge four.41-inch pistons rising in revs quicker than the 1198 and makes its rider smile to the angry exhaust note. The new wet clutch contains a moderate pull and engages while not the grabbiness of the previous dry style.

Pulling the throttle arduous at 5500 rpm could be a very little disappointing compared to the 1198’s lump, because the most oversquare bore/stroke ratio of any production motorbike would lead one to suppose. however the gentle disenchantment is entirely forgotten once past 7500 rpm when the Superquadro engine piles on revs with ferocity previously unknown from any V-Twin.

Peak torque arrives one thousand rpm later than the 1198 at 9000 rpm with a stonking ninety eight.1 ft-lb of force (measured at its crankshaft). From there, horsepower builds viciously to its 195-horsepower climax. It’s price noting the Panigale’s rating could be a try of ponies quite BMW’s scintillating S1000RR, though we’ll have to be compelled to strap it to a dyno to prove if its horsepower really reigns supreme.

The Superquadro’s love for revs is distinct from the other liter-size Twin. considerably larger intake and exhaust valves, still desmodromically actuated however currently with titanium intakes, let the engine breathe within the higher revs allowed by the short-stroke style, screaming all the thanks to eleven,500 rpm. The 1199’s engine designer, Marco Sairu, says the Panigale’s final piston speed of twenty-two meters/second is almost a dead ringer for the four-cylinder S1000RR. Despite all this new performance, a switch from rubber cam belts to a chain-and-gear cam drive nearly doubles valve adjustment intervals to fifteen,000 miles.

My initial session {on track|on target|on course|on the right track|heading within the right direction|not off course} was spent in the ECU’s Sport mode that permits all 195 horses however with suppler throttle response than in Race mode. The Panigale’s ride-by-wire throttle permits the 2 fuel-injecting throttle bodies to work independently, using pc brain-power to best deliver what a rider’s wrist is requesting. There are 2 injectors in every throttle body, the one closest to the intake tract utilized at lower revs, whereas the higher showerhead-style injector engages at high rpm.

This sounds a lot of HAL 9000 than it feels, as response from the throttle is surprisingly direct and intuitive. Reaction in Race mode is sort of a little sharper than in Sport however still quite manageable. A secondary-air system will inject air into the exhaust ports for a lot of complete combustion, permitting a richer intake charge whereas still meeting emissions regs and eliminating the on-throttle abruptness caused by lean mixtures.

After changing into acquainted with the Superquadro’s gobsmacking top-end wallop, i noticed the Panigale is undoubtedly the foremost agile Superbike-series Ducati ever created. Rake remains at twenty four.5 degrees whereas path is lengthened a nominal 3mm to 100mm. Despite a traction-enhancing longer (by one.53 inches) swingarm, the 1199’s wheelbase is up simply 7mm due to Sairu’s thoughtful tight arrangement of transmission gears.

Regardless of the hardly altered geometry, the Panigale responds with eagerness the 1198 might solely dream of. It’s less unwavering than the freight-train-like 1198 however not unstable. Its enthusiasm to tip into corners is due in giant half to its higher and one.26-inch wider handlebars that deliver a lot of leverage, however credit conjointly its lighter weight (415 lbs with its larger fuel tank full) and mass-centralization efforts that lower the inertia moment around its roll axis. Also, the S version of the one99 we have a tendency to tested is shod with light-weight solid and machined Marchesini wheels that are nearly 1 lb lighter than the cast wheels on last year’s 1198SP.

But there’s a lot of to judging a bike’s handling than simply fervent tip-in behavior, {and the|and therefore the|and conjointly the} Panigale’s mid-corner feedback and composure also impress. Its weight distribution of 52/48 F/R is a dead ringer for Ducati’s World Superbike, and is advantageous for front-tire loading as compared to the previous 50/50 balance. The ergo layout makes it straightforward to hold off in corners.

It was a windy day in Abu Dhabi, bringing in an unwelcome dusting of sand on the track. Clouds of rooster-tails burst from the tires of bikes ahead and brought major anxiety for adhesion levels. however a mixture of a grippy track surface from combination shipped in from England to pave the track and Pirelli’s wonderful Supercorsa SP street tires yielded rather more traction than expected. The rear Pirelli’s size is that the new 200/55-17, and its pure gold larger naked (no tread) edges feature a softer compound to produce tenacious grip. The front donut is molded with one compound in an exceedingly ancient 120/70-17 spec.

Strong drive out of corners is aided with the security web of an updated version of Ducati Traction management offered in eight settings. I rode most of the day in Race mode that contains a default DTC setting of level three, and it proved to be unobtrusive and engaged discretely.  An orange light-weight at the highest of the gauge pack shows when it’s cutting in. If you’re TC-phobic, it are often fully shifted.

Hard on the gas, the Panigale hurls itself out of corners, piling on revs voraciously and demanding fast upshifts as indicated on the distinguished sequential shift lights. commonplace on all 1199s is that the Ducati fast Shifter that briefly interrupts the ignition to permit full-throttle clutchless upshifts. The bike gathers speed with S1000RR-like alacrity, pulling up its front wheel over a small rise even when in fifth gear. At the top of Yas Marina’s one.2-kilometer straight, the speedometer of the Termignoni and up-spec-kitted version I rode saw an astonishing 296 kph! That’s 184 mph for the metric-disinclined.

Bleeding off speed is that the responsibility of a potent set of brakes. New Brembo M50 monoblock 4-piston calipers up front are seven-membered lighter than the 1198’s and are exclusive to the Panigale. Biting on 330mm discs, the petite clampers deliver an ideal mix of power and sensitivity. scores of feedback encourages trail-braking to corner apexes, however the bike is modestly reluctant to tip in totally with the brakes still on, therefore it’s best to unleash them slightly before the apex.

We tested the optional Bosch antilock system that uses four channels of information (one at every master cylinder and one at every caliper) for the utmost in precision. Forget no matter you thought you knew regarding ABS on a racetrack, as this is often one sensible and powerful system that provides up nothing in performance and adds solely five lbs. Levels a pair of and three link the rear brake to the front lever to varying degrees, however level one doesnt and disengages rear ABS to permit stoppies when braking arduous.  And if you’re feeling brave, ABS are often disabled.

Fears of braking zones are assuaged by the slipper perform of its back-torque-limiting clutch and new Electronic Braking management that cracks open the throttle butterflies when decelerating to cut back the engine’s compression-braking result over 3 levels or disengaged entirely. I kept EBC on Level one and had no problems with the rear tire dancing around throughout the toughest braking I dared to explore.

Yas Marina’s sleek surface did very little to check the electronically controlled Ohlins suspension, however we’re assured the high-quality Swedish dampers are totally up to task. I didn’t bit the taut settings that are programmed within the ECU’s Race mode as a result of they felt ideal.

Conclusion

To anyone noticing this has to date been a sugary-sweet review, you would possibly doubt this author’s objectivity. However, the Panigale very is that this sensible. In fact, it’s the foremost spectacular new sportbike I’ve ridden since the debut of Yamaha’s landmark R1 in 1998.

As for negatives, theyre few and minor. Its windscreen provides solely modest protection, and its clutch pack stands out so much enough to interfere with a rider’s right calf when at a stop. Heat from the engine may be excessive when ridden at low speeds, though possible no worse than the 1198 and possibly higher.

Otherwise, the Panigale could be a totally entertaining superbike for the road with a lot of technology than any sportbike on the market. Even its mirrors give a moderately helpful read, that are a few things unprecedented from Ducati’s superbike series.

Riders of various talents were highly impressed with the Panigale. Rishad Cooper, our correspondent from India who rarely rides such powerful machines on a racetrack, had solely glowing comments regarding the bike. At the opposite finish of the spectrum is AMA Superbike racer Chris Ulrich, a bloke generally not averse to speaking negatively regarding street-compromised bikes, who said he had no performance problems with the Ducati.

Simply put, Ducati’s Panigale astounded me with its sheer performance and its high level of refinement, and its mouth-wateringly gorgeous. The 1199 could be a very good machine that had many jaded motojournalists considering shopping for one for themselves. itd even be the simplest sportbike ever created.