Ducati recently unveiled the 1199 Panigale at a press conference in Teatro Dal Verme in Milan, Italy. Ducati’s all new flagship breaks tradition by adding the name ‘Panigale’ to the engine capacity 1199, a tribute to Ducati’s historic roots in the Borgo Panigale area of Bologna.
Ducati says its engineers were allowed to start from the scratch to achieve a bike that is 10kg lighter than its predecessor and produces 25hp more. The 1199 Panigale S and Tricolore are fully equipped with front and rear Ducati Electronic Suspension (DES) system by Öhlins. While the 1199 Panigale illuminates with LED positioning lights and main light bulbs, the 1199 Panigale S and Tricolore boast full LED positioning and lighting solutions, for the first time in the motorcycle world. A TFT screen, provides a full colour display that is programmed to automatically change its layout according to the Riding Mode selected, and Ducati says it even changes background colours in low light conditions.
The 1199cc Superquadro engine, so called because of its massively over-square bore and stroke ratio, has increased power to an what Ducati terms an ‘absolute production twin-cylinder milestone’ of 195hp. Ducati’s unique Desmodromic system has its place on this engine, as always. The valves previously driven by a belt from the crankshaft, has been replaced by combined chain and gear-drive arrangement.
The 1199 Panigale will be available in three versions, the 1199 Panigale, 1199 Panigale S and the 1199 Panigale Tricolore. Watch the ‘Design’ section on Riot Engine, where we’ll bring you in-depth coverage of the new Ducati 1199 Panigale.