Relax, sit back and enjoy the show....
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Racing Season officailly starts this weekend
Video: FIM Superbike World Championship previews 2012 riders and teams
Relax, sit back and enjoy the show....
Relax, sit back and enjoy the show....
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Rods and Pins
Rossi metal free now...
Once upon a time before Facebook and Twitter you only used to know
when a rider had surgery and metalwork removed because teams issued
press releases, now the riders are taking command of their lives and
getting one-on-one with their fans and that includes posting pics of
their various injuries and scars.
This is the rod and pins that Valentino Rossi had removed from his leg that he injured at the Mugello back in 2010.
After his surgery on February 6th, he promised that he would show a picture of rod and since he didn’t want to disappoint his numerous fans, this is it and Rossi tweeted with the image, “Ciao ragazzi,ecco il chiodo e le viti che avevo dentro la gamba.non sapevo fossero verdi” which translated means, ” Hi guys, here’s the rod and pins that I had in my leg. I didn’t know they were green.
This is the rod and pins that Valentino Rossi had removed from his leg that he injured at the Mugello back in 2010.
After his surgery on February 6th, he promised that he would show a picture of rod and since he didn’t want to disappoint his numerous fans, this is it and Rossi tweeted with the image, “Ciao ragazzi,ecco il chiodo e le viti che avevo dentro la gamba.non sapevo fossero verdi” which translated means, ” Hi guys, here’s the rod and pins that I had in my leg. I didn’t know they were green.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Mum as a riding buddy!
Spanish globetrotter takes 74-year old mom riding in Nepal
You’re never to old to enjoy riding and travelling, so this story of Miquel Silvestre, a former lawyer who is spending 18 months travelling the world on his trusty BMW R1200GS had his mom join him as his pillion exploring Nepal and the Himalayas really captured our imagination.
Mercedes Silvestre is a very youthful and very limber 74-year old woman who is no stranger to motorcycles as it was it Miquel’s father who introduced to her to motorcycles more than forty years ago and her husband is still an avid biker at the age of 74.
“It was wonderful to see the Himalayas, but I’d like to join my son again, when he reaches Manila! I am so proud of my son because Miquel is happy doing what he believes. He is following his own heart, has no boss to answer to and no fear. The only problem is that he is so involved in what he is doing, that he may not always realise how lucky he is. Very few people are free and he is one of them,” said Mercedes. “Some people of 74 might think they’re too old for a big motorcycling trip like this and for some, it’s late in life to do this. Being young at 74 is a hard task and it’s something you have to start when you are still young. It’s about living healthily – eating small amounts of good food and taking exercise. I think Miquel will still be riding at 74 like his father – they are both runners and sportsmen!”
Wonder when he will arrive in Manila.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Radical Ducati
Something Different:
Bored with your old Monster or Superbike, check out this website to see what can be done: Radical Ducati.
Below are some of the previous projects.
Bored with your old Monster or Superbike, check out this website to see what can be done: Radical Ducati.
Below are some of the previous projects.
Friday, February 17, 2012
33
Valentino Rossi turns 33
It won’t surprise anyone that the Italian media and motorcycle oriented websites are wishing Italy’s and MotoGPs most popular rider Valentino Rossi a Happy Birthday .
The nine time World Champion (we don’t feel the need to list all his racing accomplishments) turned 33 today and speaking to Sky Sport 24 gave an update on his recent leg surgery and his future plans (which is more or less the same things repeated ad nauseam).
“Everything is ll right! I’m continuing with rehabilitation, now I I have to fix my leg because I removed a rod last week. Everything is going well, I’m already walking without crutches, in short it’s a Happy Birthday: and without the rod I’m 2-3 ounces lighter and therefore more aerodynamic, faster … “
Rossi also jokingly talked about his father Graziano, who forgets his son’s birthday date “Someone must have told him what I wrote on Twitter ( The best thing about Valentine’s Day is that Graziano will soon call me to wish me Happy Birthday), so he called me on the 14th: but this time he wished me a happy name day … I was sort of disappointed, it was like a family tradition … “
Regarding his birthday, “When I was 20 years old, when I was presented to someone who was 33, I thought that was old .. instead in a moment you find yourself at 33 too! In the end nothing really changes from 24 to 33, I’m just a little older … “ Rossi laughingly also made a promise to his still numerous fans, “I hope to race motorcycles for many more years and then switch to cars. The goal is not to work when I grow up …”
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Hearing good things about the Panigale
Introducing the Ducati Panigale S
Wrench open the throttle, feel the bike beneath you writhe as it punches forward with hungry force, and you’re not thinking about breathtaking technology, taut and feline style or searing performance. It’s much simpler than that: the Ducati 1199 Panigale is just the sexiest motorcycle ever built.
The rest contrives to create that aura of course: it wouldn’t stir those most base of emotions without arresting you visually, with a second rate response to your inputs or reheated engineering. But there’s something extra here, something beyond the reach of CAD and FEM and stopwatches and scales. It’s a sprinkling of magic, an allure that when you go out to your garage in the morning, not even to ride but still you see it waiting there, temptation poised, you will think yes, today is already a better day.
The technology alone is seductive, though like a teenage boy with his first willing girl, it’s hard to know where to start. The front, where the high spec Panigale S reveals its motorcycling-first LED headlights? The Brembo monoblocs? Not just Brembo monoblocs, but new Brembo monoblocs for the Panigale, seven per cent lighter than the old. Or beneath the skimpy red attire, the aluminium monocoque frame, just 9.3lb (4.2kg) clamped to the V-twin engine to create a chassis stiff enough to contain 192bhp (195PS, 143kW) and direct it accurately through curves.
For a full insight into this radically new machine, I'll post a separate tech feature very soon, but be warned, if technology turns you on, this is hardcore. In summary, the Ducati 1199 Panigale has the biggest pistons at 112mm of any production car or motorcycle, matched only by the Suzuki M1800S with its 50 per cent bigger capacity. It’s massively oversquare so it can use huge titanium valves for the colossal gas flow needed to generate all that power, and without desmodromics to control them, it simply couldn’t happen.
We know it’s new, but just how new is summed up in an extraordinary fact: this is the first Ducati twin to use different crank and gearbox centre dimensions since the Pantah 500 SL of 1980. Until now, every engine since has continued the belt driven cams and roller bearing crank spec, and retained the distances and angles between the three fundamental shafts, two gearbox and the crankshaft, first laid out by the legendary engineer Fabio Taglioni at the end of the 1970s.
They’ve not done badly since, have they? But in the biggest investment Ducati has ever made in a new model, it’s time to move on. Tradition has not been forgotten, it’s been adhered to, as Ducati tradition at its heart is not retro but high performance married to feel and sensation. So the belts are replaced by a chain cam drive, needed to cope with the heavy loads of operating such big valves at high revs. It’s a service item less too, as it will last much longer than the previous belts – major service intervals are at 15,000 miles (25,000km). The new crank rotates in plain bearings, which because they’re more compact allow space for more crankcase material and greater strength – tuned 916-derived engines could split their cases and they made a lot less power than 192bhp.
The gearbox in the modern way is stacked vertically to shorten the engine and facilitate a longer swingarm, 1.5in (39mm) more than the 1198’s, yet with no weight penalty. This and the svelte rear end are responsible for the bike’s 52 per cent forward weight distribution, similar to race versions of the 1198.
The crankcase is sealed so the oversize oil scavenge pump can suck out air, reducing pressure by up to 0.8 bar and saving the pistons from pumping crankcase gas about needlessly and wasting their energy. The ingenious decompression system pops two exhaust valves open during start up, so a smaller starter and battery are required, saving more than 6.lb (3kg) of the 22lb (10kg) advantage the 1199 has over the 1198.
That’s not the only bike it’s lighter than. Ducati says, after weighing its own and rival machines in the same condition (all fluids present except fuel) that the 1199 Panigale is 31lb (14kg) lighter than the Aprilia RSV4 and 37.5lb (17kg) more slight than the BMW S1000RR.
Those bikes matter, according to chief engineer Andrea Forni, because the Aprilia was the benchmark for the Panigale’s chassis, and almost inevitably, the ferocious BMW set the standard for the Ducati’s engine. But it’s worth repeating because it matters so much when you’re riding: 37.5lb (17kg)!
Neither competes with the Bologna bike’s electronics package – we’re talking Panigale S here, the high spec version which will be the most popular option despite a hefty price premium. The traction control is more refined than ever and includes rear lift-off intervention, there’s a combined ABS system similar in principle to the C-ABS which is such an excellent feature of Honda’s Fireblade – both come from Bosch so the differences are only in detail, and there are of course different engine management settings affecting power delivery and peak output.
You get a quickshift gearchange, and the self-servo slipper clutch is backed up by Engine Brake Control (EBC), a system which looks at braking effort and speed to decide if the throttles need to be opened slightly to reduce engine braking and improve stability. There are different levels for this as well as everything else, changed automatically when you select one of three basic modes, Wet, Sport or Track, and at the same time, Multistrada-style, the suspension settings are altered to suit. Every setting can be personalised within these modes, and the system will keep using your new settings until you tell it otherwise, or revert to default.
Still not hot enough? Then how about the dash… this is not only a generation ahead of the dull LCDs we’re used to, with its crisp definition and multiple colours, it changes according to what you’re doing. For the first 600 miles (1000km) while you’re running the engine in, the red line markings slip down the scale to remind you not to push it too far at first – tempting though that is. Yes, it’s a tease, but it’ll let you have it in the end... It does the same when it’s cold – you don’t just jump straight in there and give it everything, it wants to be warmed up, a little foreplay to help build some heat, and gradually it will slide back the red zone when it’s ready for you.
Wiggle your finger to slip it into race mode and the rev counter scale adapts, the lower figures bunching up because you won’t need those, while the middle and upper reaches extend for improved clarity. People buy bikes for this kind of thing alone.
Okay, unless you’re made of wood, now you’re gagging to ride.
The figures and Ducati precedent fuel expectations of a radical, wrist-heavy stance, instead the 1199 Panigale is roomy with 10mm higher bars, further back and set wider and with the seat more forward. I’m 6’3” (1.91m) and I fit fine, yet the reach to the ground isn’t too daunting for those of more compact stature. The fuel tank is substantive to grip between your knees too, putting right another persistent Ducati issue – this bike brakes hard enough to make your nose bleed, but now you can hold tight with your thighs and your hands are higher so it’s not a struggle to stay in the seat, while flinging it side to side is made so much easier by your increased leverage.
Not that it takes much flinging. The Panigale’s agility will take your breath away, it makes other superbikes feel like lumbering beasts. Think supersport 600 and you’ll be about right, except for what happens when you turn the twistgrip of course. We’ll come to that…
What’s also surprising is how much difference some of those settings can make. Leave all else alone but change the EBC to increase engine braking and the bike skates more into a turn then starts to push wide as the back drags. Switch a couple of levels and the bike hunkers down as it sheds its huge speed, swaying only gently even with the ABS cutting in, before flicking onto its side and scribing the tightest arc through the turn.
Wind on the power at the apex and the drive out onto the next straight has you laughing maniacally, you can’t believe how much thrust combines with how much lean before the traction control even bothers to get out of bed. The new 200 section Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP, connected to the rest of the bike through that long swingarm and controlled by Öhlins’ finest suspension, is as tenacious as last year’s superbike rubber, which it should be as that’s exactly where the outer, softer bands of the dual compound construction come from.
Okay okay, this is a bloke called BaylissWhen you do contrive to get it to slide, the DTC doesn’t so much cut in as quietly guide you through, rear end swaying rather than kicking, a benign electronic swan gliding serene above the frantic foot control of its unseen horsepower management.
Despite the astonishing agility, the happiest consequence of the huge weight loss, the EBC, the DTC, the ABS – the bike’s acronymic brain – keeps it so stable you feel confident enough to push it as hard as you’ll ever ride a motorcycle, its systems both performance aid and safety net. At high speeds you’re reminded of the bike’s supersport geometry as it starts to wriggle gently rather than tracking straight and true, restless for the next corner as it penetrates the air at 160mph (260kph), still accelerating hard.
The new Brembos are a masterpiece, reassuring with their immense power rather than intimidating, thanks to a level of controllability that will be a whole new experience for many riders. Squeeze the front and the Bosch 9ME CPU will redistribute power to the rear for the optimum retardation and stability while endowing you with the finest control. There’s no grabbing, no fade, no faults at all, just slewing to a stop with a flex of your fingertips.
The core sensuality of this animate machine though is its engine, the offbeat 90-degree beat pulsing like a huge heart pumping blood, a signature you can hear even as it revs high and booms with a sound that will make the hairs on your neck stand proud. It really is disconcertingly stirring, and a fabulous thing to have in your command. You do have to rev it: the low and mid-range outputs are less than the 1198 offered, while the top boasts 25bhp (18.6kW) more, a huge jump in this sector. The character of the engine then is quite different to the 1198’s, demanding you work for its maximum where the 1198 was more relaxed about its performance. For many riders though, the 1198 could be too much when driving out of turns, as its power needed to be carefully modulated, especially on the non-traction control versions.
The 1199 Panigale might have less output in the middle but it still has enough, even on track with grip and confidence, and the longer wheelbase means you’re not constantly fighting wheelies. On the road you’ll need to work the gearbox more than an 1198’s to fire past cars and the like, but as an excuse to play the soundtrack it’s a good one. Gear selection itself is as slick as any you’ve tried, and with the quickshift the bike fires up the ratios with almost imperceptible speed. This is the best production quickshift yet, and another aspect of the Panigale experience which brings satisfaction and pleasure to cold performance.
Through traffic it’ll unlikely to be entirely happy, there’s a harshness and staccato delivery on a whiff of throttle in the lowest gears that’s the only clue you have as to the difficulties the engineers went through in persuading cylinders that wide and that shallow to combust their contents cleanly. Come at it from an old school Ducati though and it’ll feel smooth and compliant, so it’s nothing to turn you away.
The 1199 Panigale is, as you’re expecting, shockingly fast, although it lacks that missile-blast of immense, raw thrust at the very peak that still singles out the S1000RR. Ducati’s horsepower claim might be the same as the Germans’ but the gearing is taller than the screaming BMW’s, while the S1000RR’s power claim anyway is notoriously pessimistic – it feels like even more than they say.
But if the Panigale 1199 can’t quite match that final hit of energy of the BMW, it’s still the quicker bike. Given circuit or sinuous strip of bitumen laid across the landscape, the Ducati’s astounding agility with its major weight advantage, the force of its drive out of turns, the tactility of its braking and the sheer confidence it instils in whoever is lucky enough to be riding her, means the Italian will ease in front.
The riding satisfaction is huge, but there’s more, a quality the specifications and performance figures can’t describe, that heat implied by the flared intake nostrils beneath the cool white LED lights. It’s a big cat aura suggested by the leanness of the lines, the forward visual weight stretched and low, the blood red hue.
It is, because of everything it has, the quantifiable excellence which is alluring in itself combined with undefined yet blatant desirability, a very sexy motorcycle. If I’m wrong and it turns out not quite to be a match for the BMW on a track… I’d want an 1199 Panigale just the same. As a motorcycle to live with, for the sheer pleasure of doing no more than owning it, then for the utterly involving riding experience it gives, and finally for the wild thrill of its performance, the Panigale is unsurpassed.
It even has a fault, a blemish to complete its beauty: the sidestand is quite hard to kick down. The perfect flaw.
Specifications
Model tested: Ducati 1199 Panigale S
UK price: £19,750
Available: end Feb 2012
Engine: 90 degree V-twin, liquid cooled, dohc 8v, 1198cc
Power: 192bhp (195PS, 143kW) @ 10,750rpm
Torque: 98lb.ft (13.5kgm, 132Nm) @ 9,000rpm
Economy: n/a
Tank/Range: 3.75 gallons (7 litres, 4.5 US gallons) / n/a
Transmission: Six gears, wet multi-plate slipper clutch, chain final drive
Chassis: aluminium monocoque, engine stressed
Seat height: 32.5in (825mm)
Wheelbase: 56.6in (1437mm)
Rake/trail: 24.5°/3.94in (100mm)
Weight: 415lb (188kg) wet
Written by : Kevin Ash
Wrench open the throttle, feel the bike beneath you writhe as it punches forward with hungry force, and you’re not thinking about breathtaking technology, taut and feline style or searing performance. It’s much simpler than that: the Ducati 1199 Panigale is just the sexiest motorcycle ever built.
The rest contrives to create that aura of course: it wouldn’t stir those most base of emotions without arresting you visually, with a second rate response to your inputs or reheated engineering. But there’s something extra here, something beyond the reach of CAD and FEM and stopwatches and scales. It’s a sprinkling of magic, an allure that when you go out to your garage in the morning, not even to ride but still you see it waiting there, temptation poised, you will think yes, today is already a better day.
The technology alone is seductive, though like a teenage boy with his first willing girl, it’s hard to know where to start. The front, where the high spec Panigale S reveals its motorcycling-first LED headlights? The Brembo monoblocs? Not just Brembo monoblocs, but new Brembo monoblocs for the Panigale, seven per cent lighter than the old. Or beneath the skimpy red attire, the aluminium monocoque frame, just 9.3lb (4.2kg) clamped to the V-twin engine to create a chassis stiff enough to contain 192bhp (195PS, 143kW) and direct it accurately through curves.
For a full insight into this radically new machine, I'll post a separate tech feature very soon, but be warned, if technology turns you on, this is hardcore. In summary, the Ducati 1199 Panigale has the biggest pistons at 112mm of any production car or motorcycle, matched only by the Suzuki M1800S with its 50 per cent bigger capacity. It’s massively oversquare so it can use huge titanium valves for the colossal gas flow needed to generate all that power, and without desmodromics to control them, it simply couldn’t happen.
We know it’s new, but just how new is summed up in an extraordinary fact: this is the first Ducati twin to use different crank and gearbox centre dimensions since the Pantah 500 SL of 1980. Until now, every engine since has continued the belt driven cams and roller bearing crank spec, and retained the distances and angles between the three fundamental shafts, two gearbox and the crankshaft, first laid out by the legendary engineer Fabio Taglioni at the end of the 1970s.
They’ve not done badly since, have they? But in the biggest investment Ducati has ever made in a new model, it’s time to move on. Tradition has not been forgotten, it’s been adhered to, as Ducati tradition at its heart is not retro but high performance married to feel and sensation. So the belts are replaced by a chain cam drive, needed to cope with the heavy loads of operating such big valves at high revs. It’s a service item less too, as it will last much longer than the previous belts – major service intervals are at 15,000 miles (25,000km). The new crank rotates in plain bearings, which because they’re more compact allow space for more crankcase material and greater strength – tuned 916-derived engines could split their cases and they made a lot less power than 192bhp.
The gearbox in the modern way is stacked vertically to shorten the engine and facilitate a longer swingarm, 1.5in (39mm) more than the 1198’s, yet with no weight penalty. This and the svelte rear end are responsible for the bike’s 52 per cent forward weight distribution, similar to race versions of the 1198.
The crankcase is sealed so the oversize oil scavenge pump can suck out air, reducing pressure by up to 0.8 bar and saving the pistons from pumping crankcase gas about needlessly and wasting their energy. The ingenious decompression system pops two exhaust valves open during start up, so a smaller starter and battery are required, saving more than 6.lb (3kg) of the 22lb (10kg) advantage the 1199 has over the 1198.
That’s not the only bike it’s lighter than. Ducati says, after weighing its own and rival machines in the same condition (all fluids present except fuel) that the 1199 Panigale is 31lb (14kg) lighter than the Aprilia RSV4 and 37.5lb (17kg) more slight than the BMW S1000RR.
Those bikes matter, according to chief engineer Andrea Forni, because the Aprilia was the benchmark for the Panigale’s chassis, and almost inevitably, the ferocious BMW set the standard for the Ducati’s engine. But it’s worth repeating because it matters so much when you’re riding: 37.5lb (17kg)!
Neither competes with the Bologna bike’s electronics package – we’re talking Panigale S here, the high spec version which will be the most popular option despite a hefty price premium. The traction control is more refined than ever and includes rear lift-off intervention, there’s a combined ABS system similar in principle to the C-ABS which is such an excellent feature of Honda’s Fireblade – both come from Bosch so the differences are only in detail, and there are of course different engine management settings affecting power delivery and peak output.
You get a quickshift gearchange, and the self-servo slipper clutch is backed up by Engine Brake Control (EBC), a system which looks at braking effort and speed to decide if the throttles need to be opened slightly to reduce engine braking and improve stability. There are different levels for this as well as everything else, changed automatically when you select one of three basic modes, Wet, Sport or Track, and at the same time, Multistrada-style, the suspension settings are altered to suit. Every setting can be personalised within these modes, and the system will keep using your new settings until you tell it otherwise, or revert to default.
Still not hot enough? Then how about the dash… this is not only a generation ahead of the dull LCDs we’re used to, with its crisp definition and multiple colours, it changes according to what you’re doing. For the first 600 miles (1000km) while you’re running the engine in, the red line markings slip down the scale to remind you not to push it too far at first – tempting though that is. Yes, it’s a tease, but it’ll let you have it in the end... It does the same when it’s cold – you don’t just jump straight in there and give it everything, it wants to be warmed up, a little foreplay to help build some heat, and gradually it will slide back the red zone when it’s ready for you.
Wiggle your finger to slip it into race mode and the rev counter scale adapts, the lower figures bunching up because you won’t need those, while the middle and upper reaches extend for improved clarity. People buy bikes for this kind of thing alone.
Okay, unless you’re made of wood, now you’re gagging to ride.
The figures and Ducati precedent fuel expectations of a radical, wrist-heavy stance, instead the 1199 Panigale is roomy with 10mm higher bars, further back and set wider and with the seat more forward. I’m 6’3” (1.91m) and I fit fine, yet the reach to the ground isn’t too daunting for those of more compact stature. The fuel tank is substantive to grip between your knees too, putting right another persistent Ducati issue – this bike brakes hard enough to make your nose bleed, but now you can hold tight with your thighs and your hands are higher so it’s not a struggle to stay in the seat, while flinging it side to side is made so much easier by your increased leverage.
Not that it takes much flinging. The Panigale’s agility will take your breath away, it makes other superbikes feel like lumbering beasts. Think supersport 600 and you’ll be about right, except for what happens when you turn the twistgrip of course. We’ll come to that…
What’s also surprising is how much difference some of those settings can make. Leave all else alone but change the EBC to increase engine braking and the bike skates more into a turn then starts to push wide as the back drags. Switch a couple of levels and the bike hunkers down as it sheds its huge speed, swaying only gently even with the ABS cutting in, before flicking onto its side and scribing the tightest arc through the turn.
Wind on the power at the apex and the drive out onto the next straight has you laughing maniacally, you can’t believe how much thrust combines with how much lean before the traction control even bothers to get out of bed. The new 200 section Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP, connected to the rest of the bike through that long swingarm and controlled by Öhlins’ finest suspension, is as tenacious as last year’s superbike rubber, which it should be as that’s exactly where the outer, softer bands of the dual compound construction come from.
Okay okay, this is a bloke called BaylissWhen you do contrive to get it to slide, the DTC doesn’t so much cut in as quietly guide you through, rear end swaying rather than kicking, a benign electronic swan gliding serene above the frantic foot control of its unseen horsepower management.
Despite the astonishing agility, the happiest consequence of the huge weight loss, the EBC, the DTC, the ABS – the bike’s acronymic brain – keeps it so stable you feel confident enough to push it as hard as you’ll ever ride a motorcycle, its systems both performance aid and safety net. At high speeds you’re reminded of the bike’s supersport geometry as it starts to wriggle gently rather than tracking straight and true, restless for the next corner as it penetrates the air at 160mph (260kph), still accelerating hard.
The new Brembos are a masterpiece, reassuring with their immense power rather than intimidating, thanks to a level of controllability that will be a whole new experience for many riders. Squeeze the front and the Bosch 9ME CPU will redistribute power to the rear for the optimum retardation and stability while endowing you with the finest control. There’s no grabbing, no fade, no faults at all, just slewing to a stop with a flex of your fingertips.
The core sensuality of this animate machine though is its engine, the offbeat 90-degree beat pulsing like a huge heart pumping blood, a signature you can hear even as it revs high and booms with a sound that will make the hairs on your neck stand proud. It really is disconcertingly stirring, and a fabulous thing to have in your command. You do have to rev it: the low and mid-range outputs are less than the 1198 offered, while the top boasts 25bhp (18.6kW) more, a huge jump in this sector. The character of the engine then is quite different to the 1198’s, demanding you work for its maximum where the 1198 was more relaxed about its performance. For many riders though, the 1198 could be too much when driving out of turns, as its power needed to be carefully modulated, especially on the non-traction control versions.
The 1199 Panigale might have less output in the middle but it still has enough, even on track with grip and confidence, and the longer wheelbase means you’re not constantly fighting wheelies. On the road you’ll need to work the gearbox more than an 1198’s to fire past cars and the like, but as an excuse to play the soundtrack it’s a good one. Gear selection itself is as slick as any you’ve tried, and with the quickshift the bike fires up the ratios with almost imperceptible speed. This is the best production quickshift yet, and another aspect of the Panigale experience which brings satisfaction and pleasure to cold performance.
Through traffic it’ll unlikely to be entirely happy, there’s a harshness and staccato delivery on a whiff of throttle in the lowest gears that’s the only clue you have as to the difficulties the engineers went through in persuading cylinders that wide and that shallow to combust their contents cleanly. Come at it from an old school Ducati though and it’ll feel smooth and compliant, so it’s nothing to turn you away.
The 1199 Panigale is, as you’re expecting, shockingly fast, although it lacks that missile-blast of immense, raw thrust at the very peak that still singles out the S1000RR. Ducati’s horsepower claim might be the same as the Germans’ but the gearing is taller than the screaming BMW’s, while the S1000RR’s power claim anyway is notoriously pessimistic – it feels like even more than they say.
But if the Panigale 1199 can’t quite match that final hit of energy of the BMW, it’s still the quicker bike. Given circuit or sinuous strip of bitumen laid across the landscape, the Ducati’s astounding agility with its major weight advantage, the force of its drive out of turns, the tactility of its braking and the sheer confidence it instils in whoever is lucky enough to be riding her, means the Italian will ease in front.
The riding satisfaction is huge, but there’s more, a quality the specifications and performance figures can’t describe, that heat implied by the flared intake nostrils beneath the cool white LED lights. It’s a big cat aura suggested by the leanness of the lines, the forward visual weight stretched and low, the blood red hue.
It is, because of everything it has, the quantifiable excellence which is alluring in itself combined with undefined yet blatant desirability, a very sexy motorcycle. If I’m wrong and it turns out not quite to be a match for the BMW on a track… I’d want an 1199 Panigale just the same. As a motorcycle to live with, for the sheer pleasure of doing no more than owning it, then for the utterly involving riding experience it gives, and finally for the wild thrill of its performance, the Panigale is unsurpassed.
It even has a fault, a blemish to complete its beauty: the sidestand is quite hard to kick down. The perfect flaw.
Specifications
Model tested: Ducati 1199 Panigale S
UK price: £19,750
Available: end Feb 2012
Engine: 90 degree V-twin, liquid cooled, dohc 8v, 1198cc
Power: 192bhp (195PS, 143kW) @ 10,750rpm
Torque: 98lb.ft (13.5kgm, 132Nm) @ 9,000rpm
Economy: n/a
Tank/Range: 3.75 gallons (7 litres, 4.5 US gallons) / n/a
Transmission: Six gears, wet multi-plate slipper clutch, chain final drive
Chassis: aluminium monocoque, engine stressed
Seat height: 32.5in (825mm)
Wheelbase: 56.6in (1437mm)
Rake/trail: 24.5°/3.94in (100mm)
Weight: 415lb (188kg) wet
Written by : Kevin Ash
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Ducati FOR SALE!
If you have 1 Billion Euro's you can own Ducati:
Last August the financial comunity was reporting the rumor that Italian private equity group Investindustrial (backed by the Bonomi family) who has owned Ducati for the past three years, had sounded out a Hong Kong public listing for Ducati for an initial public offering (IPO) of £875 million, however now the Financial Times is reporting that they could be looking to sale to a rival or large car group for up to 1 billion pounds.
“Ducati is now a perfect company but the further growth it requires needs the support of a world-class industrial partner,” said Andrea Bonomi, Investindustrial’s chairman. “This year, we will work towards that partner.”
A handful of industrial groups in Asia, Europe and the US are interested in Ducati with possible buyers including Indian motorcycle group Mahindra and German car groups such as Volkswagen and BMW.
Last year Ducati reported selling 42.200 motorcycles with an increase in sales of 21,5%.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Wishing I was in Abu Dabi right now!
Bayliss Puts the Ducati 1199 Panigale to the Test
Although Troy had been involved in the Ducati 1199 Panigale’s development, he hadn’t ridden the finished street bike until yesterday, only the Superstock and World Superbike racers. And his (obviously partisan) view?
From the pics, Troy obviously wasn’t exactly hanging around and offered up a photo of his destroyed boot to indicate just how much lean angle the Panigale can handle with the right talent on board.
Media reviews are starting to appear with MCN describing the 1199 Panigale rather predictably as ‘Like No Ducati I’ve Ridden’ with fast steering, less torque and over the top top end power. And as to that monocoque frame that caused so much trouble in MotoGP (at least with a Bridgestone spec tire)?”
There is a strong rumor that the Philippines has sent a lone representative to the test! If this is true, then I have a good idea who it is!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Why Buy One in 2012?
Aprilia to replace the RSV4 Factory at the end of 2013
What Aprilia has in store for fans has yet to be leaked, but if they want to compete against the stunning 1199 Ducati Panigale, we could see another important step forward in Italian design and performance.
HRC PR Stunt back fires!
HRC Makes the Comparison: Stoner vs. Rossi
Breaking down Stoner’s win percentage over the past five years, the results of course paint an interesting picture. Of course the image “didn’t say it all” as the reaction on Twitter is about what you’d expect from a world widely divided by international boundaries. This of course lead to the image’s immediate removal, but alas nothing truly dies in the digital age.
In case you aren’t already aware, Valentino Rossi is a nine-time World Champion, and also happens to be the favorite son the of MotoGP Championship. Casey Stoner on the other hand…well, the Australian has at best a tumultuous relationship with the public. Naturally, backlash ensued, and HRC finally removed the graphic from its Twitter account.
Asserting that it was all in good fun and simply pointing out some statistics about the last five years, HRC surely was trying to bolster Stoner’s record, and remove the Repsol Honda rider from the “Most Underrated” list in MotoGP — a hard thing to do, even on the heels of a World Championship.
Is Casey a force to be reckoned with in MotoGP? Absolutely. Has a new dawn of riders entered MotoGP? Certainly. Has Rossi’s complete domination of premier-class racing been challenged by riders like Stoner, Lorenzo, and Pedrosa? Only a fool would say no. Does Rossi still have a rabid pack of fans inside and outside of the MotoGP paddock? You bet.
Commenting on HRC’s graphic, Rossi’s response to the matter was interesting. “eh eh,very easy compare the numbers between me and Stoner from 2006,when I won already 5 champs and 53 races mgp,” tweeted Rossi. Here’s the question though, do past laurels count for anything on race day? While we already have our favorite response so far, leave yours in the comments.
Source: Twitter (Original Post Removed)
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The GS I want!
-- Special edition BMW R 1200 GS Rallye
Extended tours, long distance travels, and even journeys to the remote places of our planet run like a thread through the history of BMW GS, just like spectacular adventure rallies and magnificent sporting success. All of this now finds testimony in the special model R 1200 GS Rallye from BMW Motorrad.
Body parts in solid Alpine white, graphics in the legendary BMW Motorrad Motorsports colours, and fork and engine in black. The Paralever swingarm in Asphalt grey metallic, cylinder head covers in Granite grey metallic, and an all chrome exhaust system. A particular eye-catcher is presented by the rear frame with Magma red paintwork.
The sporting look of the 110hp travel enduro is underscored by the seat in black and white.
Cross spoke wheels, heated grips, hand protectors in white, case holder, onboard computer, and the electronic suspension adjustment Enduro ESA make this extraordinary GS ideal for a very wide range of applications.
The highlights of the BMW R 1200 GS Rally special model:
- body parts painted in Alpine white
- graphics in the BMW Motorrad Motorsports colours
- fork slider tubes lined in black
- engine lined in black
- rear frame lined in Magma red
- swingarm (Paralever) lined in Asphalt grey metallic
- cylinder head covers in Granite grey metallic
- seat in black and white
- Enduro ESA
- all chrome exhaust system
- cross spoke wheels
- heated grips
- hand protectors in white
- pannier holder
- onboard computer
Monday, February 6, 2012
New KTM Super Duke
MCN spies the Super Duke!
KTM's all-new 1290cc V-twin Super Duke has been spotted strapped onto a trailer in Tenerife as the prototype machine undergoes endurance testing before its launch later this year.
It is clear from the picture that the Austrian firm is using a modular design concept - the main chassis, engine and fuel tank of the naked Super Duke are identical to the Adventure seen last week.
The picture also shows the extent of the Super Duke's redesign. There is little remaining of the current 990cc V-twin super naked which has kept its hardcore nature since its launch in 2005.
The bike has a new LC8 engine, completely new steel trellis chassis, a single-sided swingarm to replace the double-sided version of the current bike, a new side-mounted exhaust and it appears the bike is getting a full compliment of electronics judging by the number of sensors on the bike.
KTM's all-new 1290cc V-twin Super Duke has been spotted strapped onto a trailer in Tenerife as the prototype machine undergoes endurance testing before its launch later this year.
It is clear from the picture that the Austrian firm is using a modular design concept - the main chassis, engine and fuel tank of the naked Super Duke are identical to the Adventure seen last week.
The picture also shows the extent of the Super Duke's redesign. There is little remaining of the current 990cc V-twin super naked which has kept its hardcore nature since its launch in 2005.
The bike has a new LC8 engine, completely new steel trellis chassis, a single-sided swingarm to replace the double-sided version of the current bike, a new side-mounted exhaust and it appears the bike is getting a full compliment of electronics judging by the number of sensors on the bike.
BMW trumps Aprilia and Ducati in their own back yard!
BMW GS Riders have attitude!
Don’t expect to find Ducati, an Aprilia or a Moto Guzzi to be the best selling motorcycle in Italy, that title in 2011 went to the BMW R1200 GS (5.134 units sold) and to celebrate the model a special website for GS riders has been launched called ‘GS Attitude’ (in Italian only so far).
GS Attitude is where GS riders can post their personal thoughts, stories and photos of their adventures and they even have their own seven point manifesto:
Some people prefer the stars to a 5 star hotels
There are those who challenge the intense cold because the road warms the heart
It doesn’t matter where you sleep, but when you start.
Some people don’t choose the destination, but the trip
There are those who still prefer the fascination of silence and history
There are those who create their own trails
There are those who still believe in adventure and the challenge
Check out the video to see some great footage from the winners of their latest contest.
Source | motoblog.it
Don’t expect to find Ducati, an Aprilia or a Moto Guzzi to be the best selling motorcycle in Italy, that title in 2011 went to the BMW R1200 GS (5.134 units sold) and to celebrate the model a special website for GS riders has been launched called ‘GS Attitude’ (in Italian only so far).
GS Attitude is where GS riders can post their personal thoughts, stories and photos of their adventures and they even have their own seven point manifesto:
Some people prefer the stars to a 5 star hotels
There are those who challenge the intense cold because the road warms the heart
It doesn’t matter where you sleep, but when you start.
Some people don’t choose the destination, but the trip
There are those who still prefer the fascination of silence and history
There are those who create their own trails
There are those who still believe in adventure and the challenge
Check out the video to see some great footage from the winners of their latest contest.
Source | motoblog.it
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Interesting 3 day MOTOGP test at SIC
Look at Stoner and Rossi slide the rear...
Pictures taken at the same corner... with shots like this. 2012 MOTOGP will get very interesting indeed.
 |
| Stoner backing it in... |
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| Rossi backing it in... |
Pictures taken at the same corner... with shots like this. 2012 MOTOGP will get very interesting indeed.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Ducati Team happy with first results from Sepang test
When was the last time you saw Rossi doing this:
Ducati’s aim during this final day of testing at Sepang was to be within a second from their rivals, which didn’t exactly happen as Valentino Rossi finished 1.2 seconds adrift and in fifth spot, but that was also due to the fact that Casey Stoner set the new record, but the Italian managed to improve 1.568 seconds over the three days.
It may not seem much compared to the Honda’s and Yamaha’s, but considering that the GP12 got its first real test with the factory riders at Sepang and had no big technical problems, something that Filippo Preziosi was afraid of with a new bike, the Ducati team left Sepang seemingly happy that both Rossi and Nicky Hayden seem happy and confident.
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 5th, 2:00.824 (42 laps)
“We on the team are all happy with how this test has gone, especially today. With a 2:00.8, we’re starting to get to a decent time. The two Hondas and the two Yamahas are still ahead of us, but we consider this test to be a starting point. The most positive things we’ve achieved are that the front now lets me ride a little more as I’m able, that the bike reacts well to changes and that we have very clear ideas on what’s still missing. In particular, if we manage to improve the bike’s behaviour on acceleration, we’ll be able to take a consistent step forward. I know that the work has never stopped at Ducati, and now with the information we’ve gathered, they’ll keep working on the areas that we’ve identified. That might take a while, but there’s still some time before the first race. We have to keep improving, so we’re not getting too excited, but I’m pleased with how things have gone so far.”
Posted: Thursday 02 February 2012 by Toni M.
Ducati’s aim during this final day of testing at Sepang was to be within a second from their rivals, which didn’t exactly happen as Valentino Rossi finished 1.2 seconds adrift and in fifth spot, but that was also due to the fact that Casey Stoner set the new record, but the Italian managed to improve 1.568 seconds over the three days.
It may not seem much compared to the Honda’s and Yamaha’s, but considering that the GP12 got its first real test with the factory riders at Sepang and had no big technical problems, something that Filippo Preziosi was afraid of with a new bike, the Ducati team left Sepang seemingly happy that both Rossi and Nicky Hayden seem happy and confident.
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team) 5th, 2:00.824 (42 laps)
“We on the team are all happy with how this test has gone, especially today. With a 2:00.8, we’re starting to get to a decent time. The two Hondas and the two Yamahas are still ahead of us, but we consider this test to be a starting point. The most positive things we’ve achieved are that the front now lets me ride a little more as I’m able, that the bike reacts well to changes and that we have very clear ideas on what’s still missing. In particular, if we manage to improve the bike’s behaviour on acceleration, we’ll be able to take a consistent step forward. I know that the work has never stopped at Ducati, and now with the information we’ve gathered, they’ll keep working on the areas that we’ve identified. That might take a while, but there’s still some time before the first race. We have to keep improving, so we’re not getting too excited, but I’m pleased with how things have gone so far.”
Posted: Thursday 02 February 2012 by Toni M.
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