Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/330779
DUCATI 1199 SUPERLEGGERA FIRST RIDE P38 I've ever had the privilege to ride. Bar none. Okay – cards on the table: I'll admit to being an unqualified ducatista who's ridden and raced the Italian brand's desmo V-twins for all my adult motorcycling life, but nothing comes as close as the new Ducati 1199 Superleg- gera is to the factory F14 Super- bikes being raced this season by Chaz Davies and Davide Giuglia- no in the World Superbike Cham- pionship. In fact, it's even better than them chassis-wise, with a mag- nesium semi-monocoque frame structure that saves 2.6 pounds in weight over the racer's heavi- er aluminum equivalent, and it's pretty darn close in engine per- formance, too, with a claimed 200 horsepower on tap at 11,500 rpm – 5 hp more than the Pani- gale R that currently leads the FIM Superstock series, with a 12,500 rpm redline, an extra 500 rpm higher than the R-model. Those 500 customers in 43 different countries from Norway to South Africa, Chile (where four bikes are heading) to Ka- zakhstan, Reunion (yes, really!) to Latvia (two bikes), and Russia to the USA, where 35 percent of Superleggera production will be ending up, will certainly be getting their money's worth. But you'll need to own your own race- track to really get the best of your purchase, ladies (yes, there are several female customers) and gentlemen – as some of you may indeed already do… So for me the honor – no other word for it – was especially mean- ingful to be one of the five journal- ists from around the world invited to sample this two-wheeled work of desmodromic art that's posi- tively dripping with magnesium, titanium and carbon fiber, scaling a featherweight 341 pounds dry, or a mere 389 pounds ready to roll with a full 4.4-gallon fuel tank. Compare that to the 438-pounds for the less power- ful, fully fueled 193 hp four-cyl- inder BMW HP4 Carbon costing one third of the price to get an idea of the Italian manufacturer's level of achievement here. "Created without limits, to in- spire unlimited desire" - that's the proclaimed axiom behind the development of this bike. And af- ter riding it I believe Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, who stood waiting in the pits suited up in rid- ing leathers waiting to take the bike over from me – so no pres- sure, then! - and his men have hit the bullseye. They don't come any better than this – or any more exquisitely engineered. The Superleggera not only works well, but it's also pretty easy on the eyes.