We finally have the highly anticipated Ducati 1199 Panigale before us in the flesh. What Ducati describes as its “most ambitious project in history” the 1199 Panigale represents a “new benchmark” among sportbikes. The Superquadro engine is allegedly “the most powerful twin-cylinder ever produced” and powers an incredibly light machine . . . Ducati claims 361.5 pounds dry! Not surprisingly, it comes with advanced electronic controls, including traction control and even ABS. Peak horsepower is claimed to be a remarkable 195 hp. Here are all of the details from Ducati:
Teatro Dal Verme (Milano), 7 November 2011– Ducati has unveiled the long-awaited 1199 Panigale Superbike alongside its entire 2012 range in a stylish Press Conference at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan, Italy. Setting a new benchmark in the motorcycle industry with theirground-breaking and innovative new Superbike, the Italian manufacturer’s incredible line-up of dream motorcycles are now set to be exhibited from 10-13 November at EICMA 2011, the 69th edition of the Milan International Motorcycle Show.
The impressive theatre presentation of Ducati’s 2012 models also gave Gabriele Del Torchio, President of Ducati Motor Holding, the opportunity to announce thepositive business performance of the Bologna-based company. In a market challenged by economy difficulties, Ducati has continued to increase its market share, production volumes and global sales, confirming their solid position and underlining the efficient and well-organized business structure that will now serve the company in the coming years.
“It is the hard work of all the men and women at Ducati that has resulted in the positive results that I present today and it validates the strategy we followed during the period 2007-2011,” said Gabriele Del Torchio during the conference. “Thanks to our focus on product development, increased investment and our work to maintain the desirability of our brand around the world, I take great satisfaction in announcing that 2011 has been the most successful year in the history of Ducati.”
“Sales of approximately 42,000 motorcycles have generated revenues of €480m, a 20% increase over the previous year and just reward for our highly innovative products. It gives us the confidence to believe in the pillars of our strategy and to continue on our ‘mission’ to be specialist leaders of the sportbike segment by further developing innovative and class-leading motorcycles.”
“All of this has enabled us to present the incredible new 1199 Panigale, the newbenchmark in the sportbike arena. Without doubt, this has been the most ambitious project in Ducati’s history and underlines our engineering excellence and ‘product emotion’, an aspect of our brand, which, in such a competitive market place, has become more important than ever. This motorcycle represents pure Italian style, the reference point for performance and a safety-enhanced, confidence-inspiring experience for our customers on road and track.”
“We are particularly proud to have created a special ‘Tricolore’ version of this new motorcycle, in the red, white and green of Italy. What better occasion to celebrate the 150th anniversary of our national flag and underline our role and responsibility as ambassadors of the title ‘made in Italy’, than with a product of such style and technical excellence.” Following Mr.Del Torchio’s announcement, Ducati Motor Holding General Manager, Claudio Domenicali, proceeded to release the details of the 2012 models with particular focus on the 1199 Panigale.
“Throughout our long and successful twin-cylinder history of racing, Ducati has never built a sportbike as advanced as the 1199 Panigale,” said Claudio Domenicali during hispresentation. “We are moving into a new generation with a ‘revolution’ of the species that establishes new limits for the category. Its Desmodromic heart, the new Superquadro engine, is the most powerful twin-cylinder ever produced and represents the base of a new concept of frame and engine integration. This concept enables the 1199 Panigale a dry weight of just 164kg and gives it ariding sensation that is closer than ever to a full race bike. With revisedergonomics, full Ride-by-Wire engine management and enhanced systems of ABS and traction control, we have controlled the beast within the 1199 Panigale so that the full emotion of this motorcycle can be enjoyed easily and safely.”
Indeed, the 2012 DucatiSuperbike family marks the official introduction of the groundbreaking 1199Panigale, 1199 Panigale S and flagship 1199 Panigale S Tricolore and opens a new chapter in the company’s iconic Superbike history. Available early in 2012, Ducati’s new generation Superbike, goes beyond the barriers of motorcycle design and engineering to set the most extreme benchmark ever and the direction for future sport bikes. Developed in the red-hot environment of racing and designed to raise the performance bar to its highest, the 1199 Panigale uses innovative Ducati Corse-derived solutions to make World Championship level technology available to everyone.
The most high tech, most powerful twin-cylinder production engine on the planet is now anintegral part of an innovative monocoque chassis that combine to deliver anastonishing 195hp from 164kg (361.5lb) of futuristic Italian thoroughbred. The highest production motorcycle power-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratios in the world are fitting trophies for the incredible results that Ducati have achieved. Bred for the track and trained for the road, priced at $17,995(USD) for the standard version, $22,995(USD) for the “S” version, $23,995(USD) for “S” version with ABS and $27,995(USD) for the Italian heritage-inspired Tricolore version, the new 1199 Panigale is a true revolution of the species destined to influence the entire sportbike environment.
With the click of a button, Ducati’s Riding Mode concept delivers performance with enhanced rider confidence by combining seven class-leading technologies. The latest-generation sports ABS system, Ducati Traction Control (DTC), Ducati Electronic Suspension (DES), Ducati Quick-Shift (DQS), Ducati’s new race-derived Engine Brake Control (EBC) and Ride-by-Wire (RbW) are now all programmed into seamless, electronic rider assistance. Even the full color Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display changes to suit the rider’s environment.
State-of-the-art from the ground up and melding latest technologies with exciting new familyfeatures, the 1199 Panigale is totally “Ducati” in every respect. Its no-compromise approach to sport design and stylish attention to incredibly fine detail presents authentic Italian performance at its purist. The highly successful 848EVO and new for 2012, 848EVO Corse Special Edition with enhanced electronics, suspension and stunning Ducati Corse livery, complete an incredible 2012 Ducati Superbike range.
2012 sees the excellent new Streetfighter 848 take its place alongside the awesome firepower of the Streetfighter S to broaden the stylish and exciting, high-performance naked family. The new 848 fighter is dressed in red with a red frame for Ducati traditionalists, while yellow makes a comeback and the stunning dark stealth scheme underlines the Streetfighter’s aggressive image. The Streetfighter S comes to the fight in Ducati red and the brand new for 2012 “race titanium matte”, both schemes with red frames and black wheels.
The innovative Ducati Diavel introduces a new Cromo model for 2012, in addition to the Diavel AMG Special Edition, recently unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. First introduced to an excited public at the 2010 Milan International Motorcycle Show, the Ducati Diavel went on to amaze motorcyclists the world over, collecting awards along the way and becoming one of Ducati’s top selling models. For 2012, the groundbreaking Ducati is available in four exciting versions. The standard Diavel, and theDiavel Carbon – with a character-forming mix of aesthetic and performance components – now stand alongside the brand new and stunning Diavel Cromo and the exclusive Diavel AMG Special Edition.
The press conference for Ducati’s 2012 model range also presented an opportunity for the company to celebrate the winning of the Riders’ and Manufacturer’s titles in the 2011 World Superbike Championship with Carlos Checa and Riders’ and Manufacturers’ titles in the 2011 Superstock 1000 FIM Cup with Davide Giugliano. Both riders rode Team Althea Racing Ducati 1198s to their respective victories and both bikes will be proudly shown on the Ducati stand at EICMA2011.
The entire 2012 Ducati motorcycle range in addition to new accessory and apparel collections will be on show at EICMA 2011 in Milan on stand G64 of hall 18 from 10-13 November.
finally found a video from ducati ft. marinelli and bayliss going over some of the 1199’s design elements…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-s4DqHtlpk&feature=player_embedded
not sold yet. paint scheme certainly improves the lines. the tail section looks quite similar to the zx-10r from a couple of years ago
I really like this design…elements of 1198 with a modern shorter rear end and getting rid of those high pipes which I never did like…..I think they could have styled the low pipe a bit better…but termi will figure that out…the shape of the tank/cover is radical too
love how the rear cyl is just visible enough…and the rear suspension/linkage kind of draws you in…looks complex and business like
I like it…… wonder how the new engine with 195 hp will manage to be rideable at street speeds…time will tell…hope its not too choppy
re: “I think they could have styled the low pipe a bit better…but termi will figure that out”
no worries, you won’t see any of that in race trim due once the belly pan is enclosed.
re: “and the rear suspension/linkage kind of draws you in…looks complex and business like”
exactly, the business of racing.
If I had to choose between this and a 999 which I hate, I’d take the 999. This is just rubbish. I’m sure the engine is super scary and well performing but design took a back seat on this one. I’ll stick with the Diavel for something new and exciting looking.
re: “If I had to choose between this and a 999 which I hate, I’d take the 999. This is just rubbish.”
crazy talk…!!!
As an engineer, I’m all for form following function. I get that. But this does not have classical design cues such as a flowing lines, continuity, harmony. The lines are disrupted, cut, and “transformer” like.
No doubt this is intentional, perhaps they want the hard edge look to match the performance. That’s fine, but as for beauty, meh.
The most stunningly beautiful sport bike of all time IMHO is the Honda NR750. So stunning that it stopped Massimo Tamburini in his tracks; he tossed out his design for the 916 and redesigned it in the spirit of the NR750. The 916’s twin headlights, underseat exhaust, single sided swingarm, flowing lines were directly inspired by the NR750. Look it up.
I agree with you 100%. The NR750 was so advanced looking, it took many years for it to look dated and even then some things about it still looked futuristic. I wish this company that came out with that bike, the RC30, and original CBR900RR would get back to the cutting edge instead of building such boring bikes—they don’t even have the decency to update their archaic XR650L. Not to totally snub Honda—I like all bikes, but the company is lagging in creativity.
You have a point about the Honda NR750, but what has Honda done for us consumers lately? The 1200 Interceptor with its dual clutch transmission? Honda (and its Japanese compatriots) seem to be asleep at the switch compared to the Europeans.
Well I must admit I own the new VFR1200 with dual clutch. It is an incredible machine, the DCT is ahead of it’s time and something I will always have in bikes I own going forward.
Bill, that Honda 1200 dual-clutch trans is OK, but where is the product innovation in something a bit more sporting? In a sense that transmission is “the answer to a question no one asked” in motorcycles – bikes are so easy to shift that there is little need for automatic-type transmissions, except for neophytes to the sport.
re: “and “transformer” like.”
there goes that word again…!? 🙂
California state law requires this THING to be registered as a sex offender!
looks awesome..i would mortgage my life for one..i’m glad they didn’t just release a warmed over 916 or 1198..
Me likey… Sign me up.
not sure what’s more interesting. this 1199…? or the fact that rossi appears to be immediately competitive on the new ally twin spar GP12…?
Rossi didn’t impress me on the perimeter GP12 as much as De Puniet did on the 800 GSV-R. Whoa! Give that man the keys to the 1,000CC bike!
I know, I know, it was Rossi’s first test on the perimiter frame and Suzuki has had all season to perfect the GSV-R, but it was De Puniet’s FIRST TIME on the machine…
STUNNING!!! I love the direction Ducati is going lately with all its designs. The new Monster, Streetfighter, Diavel and now the 1199…Uncompromising and GORGEOUS!!!
Streetfighter, Diavel, and gorgeous do not belong in the same paragraph.
To each their own Justin. As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I guess some of us (you) have lost that ability 🙂
Meanwhile, back in Milwaukee, HD engineers are busy opening another can of alphabet soup and removing the vowels so that they can come up with a new name for their next V Twin.
I think it’s going to be called the VRXFDGDFLHMOUSE but will look JUST like the bike(s) they currently don’t sell.
Love the numbers, hate how ugly it is. Heck, Ducati has gone back to 999 ugly.
Being a roads racing fanatic for over three decades,form has always followed function for me.What I see when looking at the pics is a very sharp tool configured for a task,this thing looks very serious and finely honed as perhaps a surgeon’s wares.If it goes half as serious as it appears?Look out!And already a big fan of it,when does the 848 ‘Panigale’ arrive and what will its specs be?Actually I feel a little guilty asking of that now,but?G.
anybody remember the conan skit, “what if they mated”…? think of the result of a GP6 doin’ the “hibbity-dibbity” with an 1198. 🙂 if this flashed by in you sprayed in marlboro red the uninitiated (which are more than a few) would think, “desmosedici RR”…? it’s a “Baby-Sedici”.
I think they copied KTM not Buell. The under-enginer exhaust is a good solution. KTM RC8 still looks better IMO.
I’m really excited to see the real-world numbers on this. Two comments/concerns at 1st impression; it’s unfortunate to see the inherent beauty of most Ducatis dwindling over the generations (looking at you StreetFighter!), those droopy eye lids are sad 🙁 definitely moving away from utter class of the 916/998, and to a lesser degree the 1098/1198. Second, I really hope this thing doesn’t suffer from the same numbness that Ducati’s other frameless racebike does. Trellis frames work, I’ll forever be perplexed by Ducati’s deviation from them, particularly on a SBK (just look at Checa).
Time will tell…
Should Ducati be paying Eric Buell for the under slung exhaust…….?
maybe…? did eric file for and have a design patent successfully issued to him within the last 14 years…?
I think they took this exhaust straight off a Kawasaki 650 Ninja
I agree. I need to see what Termi is going to do down there, pronto.
Every bike should have ABS and traction control in 2011.
If you don’t like it, turn it off the day you get the bike.
Not all ABS systems can be turned off. All depends on the MFG… The new 10R for instance does not allow the ABS to be turned off if you get a bike with that option.
I do agree though. All bikes should come with those systems. Multiple settings including “off” would be nice. Kind of like on the BMW, but hopefully with more refined software.
ABS is a definite safety asset especially on the street. But on the track, TC is a crutch. In MotoGP it’s robbed the control from the riders; just whack open the throttle with a ham fist on corner exit and let the electronics take over. Where is the skill in that? All of these electronic “aids” emasculates the pilot and making him nothing more than an operator in one sense. I would like to see one manufacturer come out and actually say this. Honda of all manufacturers is the closest to this spirit by not including such aids in the 2012 CBR1000rr even though all the elements are there to implement it. No wonder this bike is priced thru the roof.
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills. That bike is so hideous I can hardly look at it and everyone else doesn’t seem to notice a thing.
Look closely at the pic at the very top of this page. Look at all the incongruous lines and shapes. It looks awful!
While I’m not hating it, that photo says two things very loudly to me:
1. Is that really the fuel tank? If so, it won’t make WSB race distance or 100 miles on the street.
2. They are completely out of room in fitting the 90* V-twin in the bike. Time to explore new engine architecture. Clocked-crank parallel twin?
Some of the fuel tank is probably under the seat… The 1198 has a 4.1 gallon tank (I think), hopefully this isn’t any smaller. WSBK allows larger fuel tanks to be fitted. 6 gallons in WSBK I think… The fours are allowed the larger fuel tanks as well.
Previous Ducati’s had an L-twin layout. For this bike they rotated it backwards for a true V-twin layout.
Can’t wait to see it in person.
re: “Previous Ducati’s had an L-twin layout. For this bike they rotated it backwards for a true V-twin layout.”
it’s still an L-twin and it’s only “slightly” rotated back (they have a ton more degrees available). and not for anything “V-twin”, but to advance the agenda of the new monocoque frame design they went to the trouble and expense of lawyers and filing paperwork to secure a patent on.
re: “They are completely out of room in fitting the 90* V-twin in the bike.”
not even a little bit.
No? So that shock placement is “optimized”?
Wish they’d drop the “L” Twin marketing speak. It’s a 90* V-twin, not matter what orientation it’s adjusted to in the frame..
re: “No? So that shock placement is “optimized”?”
yup. but stay with me, it’s complicated. what you’re not seeing (more specifically haven’t been told) is the added bonus of switching to a mono/backbone frame is there’s actually more room for stuff. the absence of a wrap around frame (be it ally twin spar or trellis) means the sectional width of the bike was just narrowed by a whopping 5″ (+/- 1″) overnight…!
the width of the bike for all intents is now dictated by the width of the engine itself (more specifically the cylinder head at the rear and the radiator needed to cool it at the front). the shock couldn’t be placed on the side heretofore because there was a FRAME there. keep in mind this bike has to be viewed not in the context of “exterior decorators” sippin’ double mocha lattes down at starbucks (oh god no)…? but in the context of what is now a 30 YEAR pedigree of racing…! that’s easily 20+ years in production (this i’ve mentioned ad-nauseum before) and now spoon on the icing of a DECADE spent in the crucible of MotoGP and you’ll see what I mean. in the arena of CV’s, it’s the 1199 that is unmatched.
in short, this placement is deliberate. yet another something else marketing has dropped the ball on telling you, is with it on the side, you now have quicker access to the adjusters (less critical though with TTX). you now have basically quick change access for pulling the shock during practice and qualifying to swap spring rates, change valving, pre-load, swap out the damn shock wholesale, etc. and finally with the linkage ALSO exposed you can dial in the rising rate and adjust ride height (something critical when you have eccentric chain adjustment that inadvertently alters ride height). what all this means is ducati just gave the japanese something else to keep them up at night. stanboli of attack is all over this. if you knew the total-sum knowledge he has regarding the variety of rising rate linkages, it’d make your headspin. as some have eluded, ktm uses an underslung on the RC8 with a true V-twin layout. it’s only a 75 degree spread, but it’s even more rotated back with a traditional “wrap around” frame, as such THEY are the ones with less room. yet and still, they managed to mount the shock in the back. so ducati COULD have done it if they wanted to. the answer is, they DIDN’T WANT TO. the shock placement is now optimized… ie. for RACING…! get it…?
furthermore, with the absence of a frame, the bodywork if you notice now contours and hugs tighter almost directly against what was already the narrowest of engine configurations. the reason the seat section seems so anorexic and out of proportion with the rest of the bike is because it IS. again, the width between your thighs needn’t be much wider than the width of the V cylinder head (~6”w). the one thing I’ve always loved about the 916/996 generation of superbikes has always been the feeling like your riding the edge of a “knife blade”. not because of any feeling of pain or precision, but simply because the bike is so THIN relative to everything ‘cept for a dirtbike. A 996 is noticeably thinner thru the seat area than either the 999 or 1098 generations. well all that’s just been advanced a step further with the “pani”.
The specs from the website state that the fuel tank is 17 litres (4.5 gallon US), so it’s bigger than the 1198 tank.
I agree looks weird in that photo. No flow.
re: “That bike is so hideous I can hardly look at it and everyone else doesn’t seem to notice a thing. Look closely at the pic at the very top of this page. Look at all the incongruous lines and shapes. It looks awful!”
i encourage you to keep looking. the shots MD chose aren’t necessarily the best. in fact download the (3) 1440X900 circuit shots from portimao onto your computer. you’ll be a convert in short order. (justin wilson accent) i gaurauntee (/justin wilson accent).
Beautiful-ugly are relative terms. Italian renaissance rediscovered ‘magic’ behind beauty – it is harmony of proportions. So in other words it is geometry more than emotion per see. Cold rationalism. If you see some of that, the bike is beautiful; or to contrary. As for me personally – beauty is in purposeful practicality. Does anyone see this here??
“The ‘Superquadro’ refers to the engine’s 4-valve desmo design. Hope this helps. ~Frank”
In fact, Superquadro means ‘oversquare’, i.e. bore is bigger than stroke. In the case of this bike, much bigger.
Phil
The pictures definitely don’t do it justice. Watch the videos, I think it’s a gorgeous bike and I’m glad they didn’t go the sharpedged route like so many have lately.
For Harry: This is not Ducati’s Desmosedici V-4 MotoGP bike. That engine is a V-4 but since each pair of pistons (in each head) move in unison, that engine is similar to two twin cylinder Ducati engines right next to each other. The bike featured above uses Ducati’s ‘L-Twin’ two cylinder engine at it’s highest level of tune (for retail customers). It should find its way to SBK (World Superbike) competition next year. Actually Ducati’s press release tips this off with it’s “2012 Superbike range” remark. The ‘Superquadro’ refers to the engine’s 4-valve desmo design. Hope this helps. ~Frank
The past few years we have witnessed a sea change in sport motorcycles – the Europeans are firmly in the lead, leaving the Japanese makers to wonder “what happened?” All the important performance and electronics advances are coming from Ducati, BMW, Aprilia and MV, not Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki. My, how things have changed!
re: “The past few years we have witnessed a sea change in sport motorcycles – the Europeans are firmly in the lead, leaving the Japanese makers to wonder “what happened?”
hmmmn, i think it’s more complicated than that. what you’re seeing is the euros finally “catching up” to a japanese product that has been OUTSTANDING for a long time… a VERY long time. i contend it’s been good for SOOOO long most have simply become desensitized and jaded to their efforts. another term is “taking it for granted”. while i’m a big fan of ducati (alpha ducatisti top of the food chain), it’s not lost on me that this bike is merely advanced when weighed solely in the context of “DUCATI land”. make no mistake, i absolutely LOVE the 1199.
however by MY objective scorecard, it’s still a japanese entity (ie. yamaha, that’s right i said YAMAHA) who stands head and shoulders above everybody. electronic gizmos are but evolutionary. that’s easy to employ. my lil’ sister makes those. however, when you have the engineering chops (and balls) to bring to fruition an ENTIRELY NEW ENGINE CONFIGURATION…? that’s what the wise men call “REVOLUTIONARY”. i don’t think anybody can begin to fathom the EPIC RISK (marketing and financial) something like this involves…??? MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR (with a B) automobile manufacturers envy yamaha.
all the stuff the euros and the other japanese have done in the 21st century COMBINED pale in comparison to the singular accomplishment of adding variety to the “motor pool” with the CROSSPLANE engine (did i mention honda introduced the I4 “en masse” back in ’69?). forget the shallowness of exterior appearances for a sec, yamaha put this engine in PRODUCTION 3 years ago and had “gizmology” like variable throttle bodies (VTB) and ride-by-wire (RBW) on both the R1 and R6 going back now a whopping 6 years…!? i can name many other things but see, we’ve “devalued” product from the far east so much that we can’t even see it…?
not that this has anything to do with you, but it seems lacking an ACUTE historical reference of what’s already occured also serves to compound this problem.
they say, “those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it”. well i’ve coined a motorcycling variant. i say, “show me someone IGNORANT to history and i’ll show you someone prone to devalue”.
How much has the price risen over the 1198?
About $1500!
2011 Ducati 1198 Base $16,495
2011 Ducati 1198 SP $21,995
2011 Ducati 1198 R Corse $39,995
2012: “Bred for the track and trained for the road, priced at $17,995(USD) for the standard version, $22,995(USD) for the “S” version, $23,995(USD) for “S” version with ABS and $27,995(USD) for the Italian heritage-inspired Tricolore version…”
Hey they forgot to design a tailsection. No imagination.
Why do they call the superquadro a twin cylinder? A v4 is not a v2. Please un-confuse me.
You didn’t read my story on the Superquadro motor, did you? “Superquadro” means “oversquare,” not “Super four.” This bike is a 90-degree V-Twin.
re: “Please un-confuse me”
plenty o’ cash on the table in the v-twin trade. besides, no bike needs more than 2 cylinders, we just WANT more than 2 cylinders. motorcycling’s been stuck (like so much broken record) in this thought process since honda introduced the cb750 way back in ’69.
Wayyyyy ugly. The tech specs sound impressive though, but it’s still ugly. I don’t like the big slit in the side of the fairing.
Like someone already mentioned, beauty is in the eye of he beholder.
It’s Italian for over-square, describing the unuwsually squat dimensions of the cylinder.
Absolutely beautiful. The exhaust, the fairing form, the swingarm. To this beholder, it looks fantastic. No doubt it goes too.
Very interesting, I agree it doesn’t have the iconic appeal of the 916 and 1098 series, but yes, it probably looks a great deal better in the flesh. The design is very much “in the moment”, with the tiny seat etc, and may not age as well as the earlier bikes which still look stunning now. Would love to get a ride on one. Definitely the most “Japanese” Ducati ever; no cambelts, dry clutch, or underseat pipes. Wonder if it will still break down and constantly lose bolts/fittings like my old S4R did. Ducati may have struck the perfect balance between character and real world liveability (is that a word?), provided they haven’t sanitized it too much…
this bike sounds like an answer to a question no one asked…hmmm lets see, what do mortals (everyone besides pro-level riders) need?? Yes yes 195 bhp on a 300 plus pound bike….thats what was missing all along! NASA must have kicked in some grunt (and styling) since they’re challenger project was scrapped.
Its a very light weight bike. Light enough to take it off road, and pick it up when dropped on a single-track? Probably not a good idea, but better than a GS adventure tank.
Not enough design or sex appeal? What, are you shopping for a SUPER-bike or a fashion accessory? Go drool on the Harley’s if you don’t like it.
Too much engineering, not enough design.
At first take, it doesn’t appear to look super iconic and have the sexy lusty appeal of the 916/996 & 1098/1198. I’m sure it’s a great bike, but it looks… stubby? The tail section is so light and airy that it doesn’t feel balanced. That being said, on paper, it sounds like a ridiculous power/weight ratio, and is probably a blast…
Where’s the sex appeal, Ducati?
Oh, its there; you probably need to see it – its one of those that pictures don’t do justice.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Will be interesting to see how many people behold any beauty… then we’ll be able to distill if it’s a design success or not.
re: “Where’s the sex appeal, Ducati?”
don’t know about you, but i’m sportin’ wood ovah heere…!? wait, maybe that’s my wife running around with her top off again.
Ha! You know I hated the Multi 1200 when it came out, and I have a beautiful red example sitting in my garage. Maybe it will grow on me. No pun intended.
Gone are the beautiful clean lines of the previous model. Looks like a bad Suzuki design…..all technical improvements aside. Too bad.
DAMN! That $hit is NICE!!!