The Amazing Numbers Behind the 2015 Ducati 1299 Panigale - Full Specifications and Price

It’s been a few days since Ducati has unveiled their new flagship model, the 2015 Ducati 1299 Panigale. That’s because we really wanted to delve into the figures and technology behind this bike and from what we can see it’s one of, if not the most sophisticated motorcycle ever made. It’s been overshadowed somewhat by the hype surrounding both the 2015 Yamaha YZF R1 and the Kawasaki Ninja H2/H2R but this bike is something else again.

First, let’s look at a few numbers key numbers. 205 horsepower, 144.6 Nm of torque and 190.5 kg wet weight. In isolation they already sound impressive, but when compared to other contemporary motorcycles they are in fact quite amazing.

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Two numbers really stand out – the weight of the Ducati 1299 Panigale and the torque of it’s engine. Unfortunately, not every motorcycle manufacturer releases both the wet and dry weights of their bikes, so a perfect comparison can’t always be made. But the Panigale 1299 weighs 14 kg less (dry) than the Aprilia RSV4 and just under 14 kg less than the BMW S 1000 RR with all fluids. These are impressive numbers from what are already light bikes. The Panigale ends up with a power to weight ratio of 1.07 hp/kg – pretty much the best seen in a road legal motorcycle save for Ducati’s own 1199 Panigale Superleggera (which wasn’t really a full production bike given only 500 were made at a cost of $65,000).

And that torque. That number of 144.6 Nm is nothing short of amazing. In fact, it reaches 117 Nm of torque at a mere 7,000 rpm. That’s more than the peak torque of any of the three bikes we’ve compared it to above and they’re the best of the best. Only the new supercharged Kawasaki Ninja H2 would be able to compete with that sort of power delivery, and it’s supercharger causes it to weigh over 30 kg more than the Ducati.

In addition to what is an amazing engine, The Ducati 1299 Panigale also features the most advanced suite of technological gizmos available in the one bike. Like the new Yamaha R1M, it features an Inertial Measurement Unit which measures acceleration in relation to the X, Y and Z Axis and calculates the bikes roll and pitch. With this the IMU and the ECU looks after:

• Cornering ABS


• 8-stage, lean angle sensitive wheelie control


• Ohlins Smart Electronic Suspension (available on the Panigale 1299 S)


• Quick Shift for both up and down shifts


• 8-stage, lean angle sensitive Ducati Traction Control


• Engine Brake Control


• Various Riding modes

There are plenty of bikes with those things available, but there’s not one bike that has them all at once. Also like the new Yamaha R1M, Ducati has fitted a GPS device which works with the Ducati Data Analyser.  It automatically records the timing of each lap every time the 1299 Panigale crosses the finish line of a racetrack. When the rider, crossing the finish line, presses the high-beam flash button, this highly innovative system records the coordinates of the position and then records the timings of each successive lap once it’s been completed. This data can then be downloaded and analysed and even includes details on rear wheel spin and lean angles.

 

And just to confuse things slightly, because the 1299 Panigale’s engine is too big for WSBK, there’s also a 1,198 cc capacity version called the Panigale R. Amazingly, it still outputs the same 205 hp as it’s bigger capacity brothers. And while torque is down slightly to 136.2 Nm, it actually weighs even less at 184 kg with all fluids, hence it’s power to weight ratio is an incredible 1.11 hp/kg.

Ducati has created an incredible machine and it’s so good to see that while they’re pushing the envelope with horsepower, they’re not doing it at the expense of weight. Kawasaki, take note.

Pricing so far has only been released for the United Kingdom, with the 1299 Panigale listed at £16,995, the 1299 Panigale S with it’s electronic suspension at £20,795 and the made for racing Panigale R at £28,995. Release date for the United States and most other countries is expected around February of 2015.

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The Amazing Numbers Behind the 2015 Ducati 1299 Panigale - Full Specifications and Price