Think Italian and it’s a fair guess that Ducati is sure to feature in the list of stylist and sexy things that come to mind. The manufacturer of exotic V-Twin engine motorcycles started off life as producer of vacuum tubes, condensers and other radio components in the Borgo Panigale area of Bologna city, a venture that was started by three brothers, Adriano, Marcello and Bruno Ducati. From its humble beginnings, the company has gone on to do much greater things and has become one of the most recognized marquees across the globe.

From building iconic bikes like the 916, Designed by Massimo Tamburini and Sergio Robbiano and his team at the Cagiva Research Centre in San Marino in 1994, to racing in the premier class of MotoGP with an all Italian dream team featuring Valentino Rossi, Ducati has made strides that stunned the world at large. The company stunned the motorcycling fraternity once more with its technological prowess and innovation when it launched the brand spanking new 1199 Panigale. The successor to the multiple championship-winning Ducati 1198 derives its name from the location of the iconic factory’s location and promises to be laden with all sorts of techno-gimmickry which have never been seen before on road-going superbikes. Let’s dwell a little into what makes the Panigale so different from the amazing machines in the liter-bike class today.

Engine:

Let’s begin with the heart of this amazing motorcycle. Ducati has developed a whole new engine from ground-up for the Panigale. It is called the ‘Superquadro’ for its massively over square cylinder dimensions. The radical design of the 90 degree V-Twin engine enables it to produce 192 bhp at 10,750 rpm and peak torque of 132.4 Nm at 9,000 rpm from bore and stroke dimensions of 112 x 60.8mm. The super short-stroke engined Panigale weighs in at just 188 kg wet (190.5 kg for the Panigale S Tricolore). The cylinders are set 90 degree apart but the V has been rotated backwards by 21 degree from horizontal. Hence Ducati was able to move the engine forward by 32mm compared to the 1198 for better weight distribution.

The desmodromic valve system on the Panigale is another key to the motorcycle’s performance. Ducati has used this system for valve actuation for decades together as it provides a significant advantage in operation at high revs. Instead of using valve springs to return the valves to the closed position, a desmodromic system uses secondary rockers to lift the valves to the closed position. This completely eliminates the phenomenon of valve float at extreme high revs and allows the Superquadro engine to have a super short stroke and extremely large bore. As a knock-on effect of the super-large bore, Ducati was also able to install unusually large valves. The titanium intake valves have grown from 43.5 mm on the Ducati 1198 to 46.8 mm on the Panigale, while the exhaust valves are up from the 1198’s 34.5 mm to 38.2 mm on the Panigale.

Running at such high revs puts enormous load on the valves and hence Ducati has replaced the belt drive for the valve-train with a chain and gear combination. Ducati has been obsessive with weight reduction on the Panigale. For example, it has used an automatic decompression mechanism on the 1199. This system uses a centrifugal weight on each exhaust cam which retracts under idle speed. At this time, it lifts a ramp on the circular section of the opening cam lobe. The result is that one of the exhaust valves is held open by 0.2mm, making it easier to turn the engine over. Ducati says it has hence been able to use a smaller battery and starter motor and has been able to achieve an overall weight saving of 3.3 kg in this way.

Ducati has developed an all-new gearbox for the Superquadro engine. It has used large diameter gears for robustness and for the first time, a wet slipper clutch. To keep the length of the engine down, the gears have been stacked vertically.  Innovations abound on the Panigale, which, like its MotoGP cousin, uses a monocoque frame. The airbox on the motorcycle forms the anchor for the bike’s entire front end. This piece bolts on to the top of the engine, which is also used as the mount for the rear swingarm and is a stressed member. Instead of using separate cylinders, Ducati has cast the cylinder outer walls as part of the engine’s crankcase. The liners are aluminum and the cylinder heads are effectively bolted on to the crankcase. Further weight reduction has been achieved by casting the covers for the primary drive, clutch, sump and cams from magnesium. The Panigale also uses a vacuum pump like its MotoGP cousin to scavenge air from beneath the pistons to reduce pumping losses. The vacuum pump is said to reduce pressure by about 0.7 to 0.8 bar. The pump is essentially an oversized oil scavenge pump which removes most of the air as well as the oil that's drained back into the crankcase.

Electronics:

The electronics package on the new 1199 Panigale is the most advanced offered till date on any Ducati and is an integral part of the bike, instead of being bolter on as an afterthought. The list includes Ducati Data Analyzer (DDA+), Ducati Riding Modes (DRM), ABS, Ducati Electronic Suspension (DES), Ducati Traction Control (DTC), Ducati Quick Shift (DQS), Engine Brake Control (EBC) and full Ride-by-Wire (RbW). Ducati sure loves acronyms.

Let’s begin with DDA+. It is offered as standard on the Ducati Panigale S Tricolore and can be had as an option on the other variants for just £2159. The system is a heavily revised version of the original and maps gear, speed, throttle position, DTC and coolant temp. The system can also plot the rider’s course around a track, time the laps and overlay the rider’s lines on a satellite image if the optional (£323) GPS unit is also installed. Quite comprehensive, but that is not all.

DRM offers the rider the option of choosing the kind of power and traction control intervention that he/she desires. It works together with all the other systems of the bike. In ‘Race’ mode, gives the rider an unrestricted 195 bhp and a very direct throttle response through the RbW throttle. The S version also sets the electronic suspension into track setting. ‘Race’ mode also reduces the level of DTC intervention, provides a race level EBC (engine brake control) and activates ABS only on the front brake which also reduces rear wheel lift under heavy retardation. ‘Race’ mode also reconfigures the full-color TFT instrument panel layout to a track-oriented display. 

When the ‘Sport Riding’ mode is selected, the rider can access the full 195 bhp, but with smoother response from the RbW throttle. On the S version, the electronic suspension switches to a sport-oriented suspension setup. DTC intervention is also increased, as is EBC and ABS is activated on both front and rear wheels with increased anti-lift under heavy braking. When ‘Wet Riding’ mode is selected, the bike delivers just 120 bhp. Throttle response through the RwB throttle is smoother, while DTC intervention is increased. The EBC and ABS responses are also set as per the low-grip riding environment. ABS comes as standard on the S model and up and is an option on other models. The system incorporates the latest 9ME Bosch processor. As mentioned before, the system works together with the riding modes and provides anti-lift for the rear wheel under severe braking.

For the first time, Ducati has offered electronically adjustable suspension on the 1199 Panigale. A first for the industry as well, Ducati Electronic Suspension (DES) basically incorporates top notch Ohlins suspension which feature servo motors controlled by the bike’s brain to adjust compression and rebound damping. Preload adjustment remains manual. DES is only available on the S version and also allows the rider to save his/her own settings, apart from the default settings activated by the riding modes. Wickedly complicated this! DTC, or Ducati Traction Control, is an evolution of the older system and is said to be much better than its predecessor. DTC comes as standard on all Panigale variants and puts the bike in line with its Japanese and German rivals. The system features eight settings. As a first resort, it retards ignition to cut wheel-spin, then moves on to limiting fuel delivery if things start to get really out of shape.

DQS, or Ducati Quick Shifter, allows the rider to shift up without letting off the throttle or using the clutch. This makes for lightning quick up-shifts. RbW, or Ride by Wire throttle allows the mapping to be extremely accurate at all times. It comes as standard on all versions. Engine Brake Control (EBC) comes as standard on all models and is designed to keep the bike stable under hard braking and down shifting. The system applies minute throttle inputs to prevent rear wheel hop under hard braking. The system is said to work so brilliantly that it gets really hard to make the bike slide into corners under heavy deceleration. One concern with the system is that the slightly open throttle gives an disconcerting feel during corner entries, especially when the rider lets go of the brake and is about to open the throttle. The issue is a minor one and is said to be unnoticeable after a couple of laps.

Coming to the brakes, the 1199 Panigale uses Brembo’s latest all-singing all-dancing Monobloc M50 calipers on the front. These give the bike phenomenal stopping ability while also reducing weight by 0.5 kg. Each caliper features four 30 mm pistons which grip 330mm discs. Prices start at £14,995 for the 1199 Panigale, £15,750 for the 1199 Panigale ABS, £19,750 for the 1199 Panigale S ABS and £23,495 for the 1199 Panigale S Tricolore.

Technical Specifications:

*Wet weight

*Wet weight includes all fluids and fueled to at least 90% of useable tank capacity