2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale - Feature

Ducati announced today in a press release and video containing as little actual information as possible that its new 1199 sportbike will be named “Panigale,” that it will be revealed at the EICMA show in Milan in November, and that, after racing in the FIM Superstock Championship in 2012, the Italian manufacturer will return to World Superbike with the 1199 the following year.

What is it? By sniffing here and there, we find the basic idea is to build a bike that makes 10 percent more power, weighs 5 percent less and will cost about 10 percent more than the current 1198. Power (200 horsepower in the maximum version) will come from an evolution of Ducati’s traditional eight-valve, 90-degree V-Twin but with a no-compromise cam drive by gears (some say, in conjunction with chain) in place of the long-serving toothed belts.

Ducati adopted the belt drive in the first place to achieve both more rapid manufacturing and lower production cost. Purists loved the earlier “bevel-drive” engines but their correct installation required seven hours. Toothed belts made Ducatis accessible to many more buyers.

Ducati’s D16 MotoGP engine has always driven its cams with stiff, accurate spur gearing because that is what pure race engines require. As the performance of production bikes, like the 1199, has approached that of pure racers, the need for more accurate valve timing has grown. The use of gear drive in the new 1199 will add performance and durability.

This new 1199 will also introduce frameless construction with its important weight savings. The steering head will be supported on a short, stiff box structure—like that of Ducati’s struggling MotoGP entry, but in aluminum, not carbon fiber—extending forward from the engine’s cylinder heads. The swingarm and rear suspension linkage will attach only to the engine/gearbox unit.