2015 DUCATI PANIGALE R
FIRST RIDE
P62
T H E P R O P E R V - T W I N
Under 2015 WSBK
rules, all motorcycles
must retain their stock
crankshaft, conrods
and pistons, and the
valve material cannot be
changed – hence the
reason the Panigale R is
fitted with Pankl titanium
conrods rather than the
steel ones carried by the
base-model 1199/1299.
These save an overall
0.63kg in weight, and to-
gether with a significantly
lighter crankshaft for the
90-degree V-twin engine,
balanced with tung-
sten inserts, this allows
engine speed to pick up
notably faster. Because
of this, the street Pani-
gale R's 112 x 60.8 mm
1198cc Superquadro mo-
tor revs another 500rpm
higher than on the stock
1199 version previously
did, with the soft revlim-
iter for the RBW/ride-
by-wire throttle raised to
12,000rpm.
The 90º V-twin
Superquadro motor is
a 'proper' V-twin with its
front cylinder 21º from
horizontal (so, not an
L-twin like all Ducatis up
to the 1098R/1198), with
both cylinders housing
Nikasil-coated aluminium
detachable wet liners
forming part of the upper
half of the vertically-split
vacuum diecast crank-
cases. The 90° cylinder
angle's retention also
avoids any need for a
power-consuming bal-
ance shaft to contain
vibration. Moreover,
rotating the cylinders
backwards on the crank-
cases brings several
benefits – mainly that it
compacts the mass of
the bike for more assured
handling, and permits the
Superquadro engine to
be placed further forward
in the wheelbase for extra
front end grip via a more
pronounced 53/47%
forward weight bias.
Unlike other Ducati
street models which
all have conventional
three-ring pistons, the
Panigale R features
