Ride Review: Ducati 1199 Panigale

Fresh from the Ducati 1199 Panigale international press launch at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, our friends from OmniMoto.it have been kind enough to share their experience on Ducati’s newest flagship model, since Asphalt & Rubber wasn’t one of the American publications invited to test Borgo Panigale’s latest creation. Our Italian brother in arms, OmniMoto‘s Lorenzo Gargiulo shares his initiation to the 1199, while riding around one the world’s most expensive race circuits…the lucky bastard. With much thanks to him, enjoy Lorenzo’s review and continue to countdown the months until A&R will get its own chance to flog the Ducati 1199 Panigale in a similar manner.

Yas Marina Circuit + Troy Bayliss + Ducati 1199 Panigale S

The International press launch of the Ducati 1199 Panigale is underway in Abu Dhabi this week, with initial reports on Ducati’s flagship superbike being very positive. A track usually reserved for cars, not bikes, the Yas Marina Circuit is really something to behold. Situated on a man-made island off the Abu Dhabi coast, the Middle-Eastern track cost a cool $1.32 billion to construct back in 2009, and holds the distinction for being one of Formula One’s night races. While we wait for the Panigale to come across the Atlantic Ocean, Ducati has put together this video of Troy Bayliss taking a lap around the 21 turns of the Yas Marina Circuit. It’s an oddly edited video, but should bring grins to the Ducatisti in your life.

Ducati Valued at €1 Billion – Acquisition Talks Continue

With nothing coming to fruition on the Mercedes deal, Ducati again made waves in August when it was reported that the company was interested in making a private stock offering in 2012. Today’s news of course is the logical extension of that announcement, as it is both 2012 and Investindustrial is rumored to be in talks with several possible private buyers for Ducati. While none of this news should surprise anyone, what is of note is the price tag being attached to Ducati is €1 billion.

A New Aprilia RSV4 for 2014?

It seems a bit silly to be talking about the 2014 model year when we are only into our second month of 2012. However, such is the case today because a certain Max Biaggi let it slip during the Aprilia Racing Team’s World Superbike presentation that 2012 would be the penultimate season for the Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC. Adding that Aprilia would not be developing its race bike for the 2013 season, the signs would seemingly indicate that a new liter bike model from the Italian manufacturer is on the horizon for 2014.

Update on the Bottpower BOTT XR-1

The Bottpower BOTT XR-1: A racier and more custom version of the Harley-Davidson XR1200X (The BOTT XR-1 is actually based off a Buell motor), Bottpower has done such a good job making the Buell look Alana Blanchard hot that the Voltron generation will forget all about the reasons their didn’t like the Bar & Shield brand in the first place, and instantly liquidate their pre-IPO Facebook stock in order to make room for Bottpower’s work in their marina-view apartments. Needless to say, I like what’s going on here.

14 Photos of the 2012 World Superbike Spec Aprilia RSV4

Aprilia was in Milan today, unveiling its 2012 World Superbike team with Max Biaggi and Eugene Laverty. For this season, Aprilia Racing is outfitting its RSV4 race bikes with the company’s classic black & red livery, a break from the white Alitalia paint scheme from last year. Unable to defend his #1 plate, the 40-year-old Max Biaggi will return to racing with his “3″ on the front of his RSV4. Eager to regain World Superbike’s top position, Biaggi’s toughest competition could come from his own teammate. His second season in World Superbike, Laverty has shown a great deal of promise already on the Aprilia. Keep your eye on the Irishman for some podiums in 2012.

Video: 2011 AFM Banquet Film – Death to Second Place

The oldest racing organization in the country dedicated soley to motorcycle road racing, the AFM is a Northern Californian non-profit racing organization that has helped hone the skills of riders like Eddie Lawson, Wayne Rainey, Kenny Roberts, and Steve Rapp — not mention a weekend warrior or two. Each year the racing league comes together for a banquet, and lately the tradition has been to include a highlight film of the year’s racing. I’m not sure what films in the past have been like, but if the latest AFM banquet video doesn’t give you goosebumps, you might want to check your pulse. Bonus points for the including the Versus “Second Place” monologue — it’s very apropos.

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb 2011 – The Ducati Story

Grab some popcorn, because this video from Ducati North America is over 14 minutes long. Telling the story of Ducati at the 2011 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), DNA has put together a great video that really captures how special the racing is at Pikes Peak, and how gorgeous the scenery is of the Colorado Mountains. With Santa Barbara Ducati’s Carlin Dunne winning the overall motorcycle category on his dealership’s Multistrada 1200 demo model, Alexander Smith from the Spider Grips Ducati Team made it a double podium for Ducati in the 1205cc class. If you’re new to racing at Pikes Peak, or wanted a quick re-cap of last year’s race, Ducati’s video pretty accurately sums up racing on the mountain and the anxiety around last year’s race.

Ducati Announces Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Team with Carlin Dunne & Greg Tracy

Ducati has announced its factory team for the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), and the Italian company has secured the services of last-year’s winner and Rookie of the Year Carlin Dunne as well as six-time PPIHC winner Greg Tracy. Ducati has also partnered with the Spider Grips team, who will help prepare the teams Ducati Multistrada 1200 for the “Race to the Clouds” on July 8th. For 2012, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will be fully-paved to the top of the mountain, which will surely see the speeds of competitors increase, and lap times drop on the 12.42 mile long course that ends at 14,110 feet.

Cutaway Photos of the Ducati Superquadro Engine

I was flipping through some photos from the 2011 EICMA show, and found these shots of the Ducati 1199 Panigale’s Superquadro engine. Unfortunately at the show, Ducati had its 1199cc v-twin motor behind a Lexan case, which created a bit of a glare, reflections, and of course had smudges from the touchy-feely Italian crowd. But still, the photos give a good idea of what’s going on in Ducati’s most-advanced production engine to date, and are better than just looking at the CAD renders. If you look at the shots very closely, you can almost see where the 195hp and 98 lbs•ft of torque is lurking inside.

2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848

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Mon, September 12th, 2011 @ 10:02 am, by Jensen Beeler15 COMMENTS
Home » Bikes » 2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848

2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848 2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848 51 635x475

After Asphalt & Rubber first announced the bike back in July, the 2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848 has finally made its official debut (with a little teaser help from Nicky Hayden). Expanding Ducati’s Streetfighter brand to now include two bikes (we’ll have to wait a little longer for the 2012 Ducati Streetfighter 1198), the Ducati Streetfighter 848 is certainly not a shocking release. True to the streetfighter movement’s ethos, the Streetfighter 848 is a stripped-down version of the Superbike 848, with a twist.

As we predicted, Ducati has brought over the Testastretta 11° engine configuration for the smaller Streetfighter, meaning not only will the Streetfighter 848 have a wet-clutch, but also a 15,000 mile valve service interval. While Ducati is mum on many of the new SF 848′s details, the Bologna brand says the bike will come with the Ducati Traction Control system (DTC), and from what we can see in the photos, unsurprisingly lower-spec Brembo brakes and Marzoochi forks, instead of the Superbike 848′s monoblocs and Sachs units.

While we’re fans of the Streetfighter 1098 and its progeny, the devil is going to be in the details for Ducati when it comes to the 2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848. Having to strike a balance between the Superbike 848, Monster 1100 EVO, and the soon-to-be-release Streetfighter 1198, the Streetfighter 848′s performance specifications and price point are going to be integral to it success. Expect that Streetfighter 848 to make less power than its Superbike counterpart, while pricing will be nestled above the Monster 1100 EVO.

Available in November 2011 in Europe and January 2012 in North America, the 2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848 comes in traditional Ducati Rosso Corsa, matte-black, and also brings back the Ducati yellow color scheme. Details surely to follow soon.

2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848 2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848 4 635x475

2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848 2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848 6 635x475

Source: Ducati

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Comment:

  1. Johndo says:
    September 12, 2011 at 10:54 AM

    One of the only stock bikes I’ve seen that wouldnt require aftermarket blinkers and a tail tidy, why can’t other manufacturers make theirs as neat as this? Even the mirrors are better looking then most…

  2. Other Sean says:
    September 12, 2011 at 11:01 AM

    Nice work Jensen, you’re article is more clear than the one on MCN and the pictures are bigger and more numerous. They had a confusing sentence about a dry clutch, which sent me over here to get the real story.

  3. Jensen Beeler says:
    September 12, 2011 at 11:11 AM

    Thanks Sean. Their article is really confusing. Andy Downes, MCN’s reporter, usually does a bang up good job on his stuff, so I’m not sure what happened over there. Maybe just rushing to get it out the door. I’m not going to pretend that I don’t have days/articles like that too. C’est la vie.

    What will be the real factor in for 2012 will be how the SF 848 is positioned against the SF 1198. The Superbike 848 is Ducati’s best-selling bike in the US, and is near the top or at the top in virtually all the other markets. There has to be some notion in Bologna that the SF 848 could sell like hotcakes, but it’s going to come down to price and how much de-tuning goes on compared to the Superbike model.

    It’s an easy bike for Ducati to make (from a decision perspective), but incredibly hard to position. I’m not sure I see a clear way of doing it, so even I’ll be curious to hear where the final decisions come down.

  4. DC says:
    September 12, 2011 at 11:11 AM

    DTC byt no ABS though apparently?

  5. deckard says:
    September 12, 2011 at 12:42 PM

    Ducati: Gives you less, yet gets more press.

  6. HondaCBR600RR says:
    September 12, 2011 at 12:48 PM

    Think I’ll wait for the SF 848 EVO. Hmm yummy!

  7. DareN says:
    September 12, 2011 at 1:54 PM

    Hey! Where is white?

  8. Keith says:
    September 12, 2011 at 3:18 PM

    finally an non-monster Duc I’d love to have. So spot me a few bucks and tell me a lie and say I only have to adjust the valves every 25k miles. 8^)

  9. luke says:
    September 12, 2011 at 4:33 PM

    no red version? expect crying ducatisti at your local dealership soon. perhaps ducati will do a special edition version a bit later with the classic ducati hue on board.

  10. Jensen Beeler says:
    September 12, 2011 at 5:05 PM

    Fear not Luke, the Streetfighter 848 the bike comes in red, or as we called it “Ducati Rosso Corsa” – the traditional racing red of Italy.

  11. Astro says:
    September 12, 2011 at 8:47 PM

    HOT HOT HOT
    You gotta give it to the Italians.
    They sure know how to pen a bike
    What gets me is how it costs the same to make a shit looking bike as a hot one.
    How come the japanese giants cant come up with something comparable.
    Thake the Honda CB1000, they did a fair job but still couldnt get it right.
    Bad headlight and bad wheels spoil the look.
    Sure it would be the more reliable of the two, but it just doesnt give you wood.

  12. Nobody says:
    September 12, 2011 at 10:35 PM

    And on top of the 848 StreetFighter we see the 2012 1199′s tank.

  13. konalight says:
    September 13, 2011 at 12:16 AM

    Off topic: next derivative of the 848: a Multistrada 848 (120 HP / 170 Kg)?

  14. Frode says:
    September 14, 2011 at 5:29 AM

    Fxxk me! AWESOME! I WANT ONE!!!

  15. Max Zuckerman says:
    September 16, 2011 at 1:38 PM

    This just might be my next bike… Oooh yes.