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/476137
VOL. 52 ISSUE 10 MARCH 10, 2015 P57 tires Tati raced with last season, the race compound Pirelli SC2 Supercorsas. I started out in my first of five track sessions using Sport mode, which is what you would use on the street with a crisp, but not overwhelming RBW throttle response. I also used the rather soft default suspension settings on the Öhlins Smart EC—aimed more at comfort than efficiency—and found that these set the front end chattering and the rear pogoing up and down in a turn when I'd run over a bump or concrete patch in the tarmac. This was probably because my body weight required a stiffer rear suspension setting. Sec- ond time around I stiffened both ends up to Hardest (out of five settings) on the front and Harder (level four) for the Event Based setting, and that did the job (the default settings for the rear feel a bit more firm than those for the front). I'd also felt the DTC set at default level 5 in Sport mode had been holding back my drive out of turns such as that uphill left-hander, so switching to level 3 for my second outing resolved that, and demonstrated how effective it is to take the time to customize your settings. But then for my last three ses- sions I switched to Race mode, and it was almost like riding a different bike that had now been supercharged, the throttle re- sponse was so much more vivid, and frankly thrilling. This time the default suspension settings were spot on, making the 1299 Panigale seem so unbelievably capable and controllable when ridden hard—it's a very addictive motorcycle. However, any 1299 Panigale customer is going to have to devote serious time via constant experimentation to work out: a) how to adjust the different sys- SPECIFICATIONS DUCATI SUPERBIKE 1299 PANIGALE S ENGINE TYPE: .......... Superquadro, L-twin cylinder, 4-valve per cylinder, Desmodromic, liquid cooled DISPLACEMENT: .......................................... 1,285 cc BORE X STROKE:................................ 116 x 60.8mm COMPRESSION RATIO: ..................................... 12.6:1 CLAIMED HORSEPOWER: ....205 hp (150.8 kW) @ 10,500 rpm CLAIMED TORQUE: ............... 106.7 lb-ft (144.6 Nm) @ 8,750 rpm FUELING: ....................Mitsubishi EFI system. Twin injectors per cylinder. Full ride-by-wire elliptical throttle bodies EXHAUST: .. 2-1-2 system with catalytic converter and 2 lambda probes. TRANSMISSION: .... 6-speed w/ Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) up/down RATIO: ..........1=37/15 2=30/16 3=27/18 4=25/20 5=24/22 6=23/24 PRIMARY DRIVE: ....Straight cut gears, Ratio 1.77:1 FINAL DRIVE: ............................Chain 525; 15T/39T CLUTCH: ...... Slipper and self-servo wet multiplate clutch with hydraulic control FRAME: ................................. Monocoque aluminum FRONT SUSPENSION: ....Ohlins NIX30 43mm fully adjustable USD fork w/TiN treatment. Electronic compression and rebound damping adjustment with semi-active mode REAR SUSPENSION: ....................... Fully adjustable Ohlins TTX36 unit. Electronic compression and rebound damping adjustment w/ semi-active mode. Adjustable linkage. Aluminum single- sided swingarm FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: .........................4.72 in. REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: ....................................5.12 in. FRONT WHEEL: .............. 3 spoke forged light alloy 3.50x17 in. REAR WHEEL: ................. 3 spoke forged light alloy 6.00x17 in. FRONT TIRE:.............. 120/70 ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP REAR TIRE: ....................200/55 ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP FRONT BRAKE: ................ 2 x 330mm semi-floating discs, radially mounted Brembo Monobloc EVO M50 4-piston calipers with Cornering ABS Bosch 9.1MP REAR BRAKE: .... 245 mm disc, 2-piston caliper w/ Cornering ABS as standard WHEELBASE: ................................................56.57 in. RAKE/TRAIL: ............................... 24°/3.78 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ............................................. 32.68 in. MAX HEIGHT: ..................................................44.1 in. MAX LENGTH: ................................................. 81.1 in. FUEL CAPACITY: ........................................4.5 gallon DRY WEIGHT:................................................. 367 lbs. WET WEIGHT: ................................................420 lbs. WARRANTY:....................2 years unlimited mileage MSRP: ........................................................... $24,995 "FOR THIS IS THE INFINITELY REFINED MODERN EXPRESSION OF THE TRADITIONAL OLD-STYLE DESMO V-TWIN TECHNOLOGY." To stop all of that Panigale-power is a radially mounted Brembo Monobloc Evo M40 with 4-piston calipers and the ABS Bosch 9.1 MP Cornering system.