All Tests – Ducati 1199 Panigale S Test: the red diamond of Bologna – Technical update on the Ducati 1199 Panigale

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Ducati 1199 Panigale S test: the red diamond of Bologna

All Tests - Ducati 1199 Panigale S Review: the red diamond of Bologna - Technical update on the Ducati 1199 Panigale

First, its lines combining purity and aggressiveness bewitch … Then its performance as a racing motorcycle takes your breath away … Carved with genius by Italian jewelers, the Ducati 1199 Panigale is the new jewel in the crown of Bologna. Test !

Technical update on the Ducati 1199 Panigale

Engine

Developing 195 hp at 10,750 rpm and 13.5 mkg of torque at 9,000 rpm, the engine of the 1199 Panigale is the centerpiece of the new Bologna Hypersport. The Italian engine manufacturers baptized it "Superquadro", in reference to its supercar dimensions which allow it to take a lot of turns (11,500 rpm at the switch) thanks to its very short stroke of 60.8 mm (67.9 mm on the 1198). The engine filling also becomes more efficient, since the twin uses larger valves.

Now in titanium and no longer in steel, these go from 43.5 mm for the intake of the 1198 to 46.8 mm for the 1199 and from 34.5 mm to 38.2 mm for the exhaust. An increase made possible by the upper bore: the larger the pistons, the more space available in the combustion chambers.

With 112 mm of bore (103 mm on the 1198), the diameter of the "bowls" of the Superquadro is indeed more imposing than on a Harley-Davidson Ultra-Glide Classic (98.4 mm), a Triumph Rocket III (101 , 6 mm), or a Kawasaki VN1700 (102 mm)! You have to look to the Suzuki Intruder M1800R (112 mm) to find pistons of such size !

The most powerful standard twin in current production, this 1198 cc L-twin maintains the traditional Ducati opening angle (90 °) and the inevitable Desmodromic valve drive. On the other hand, it swaps the dry clutch typical of Ducati Superbikes for an oil bath mechanism equipped with an anti-slipping device.

Even more notable: this new v-twin abandons the belt transmission (one of the hallmarks of Ducati sports cars since the first Pantah in 1979) in favor of a chain. The "purists" will probably scream at the scandal, the others will appreciate this approach which reduces the maintenance costs! The interval between each service is also 12,000 km and 24,000 km between each major service..

Another novelty: the crankshaft is no longer fixed on ball bearings, but on bearings lubricated by a vacuum pump, as on the Desmosedici RR. This made it possible to increase the diameter of said crankshaft and to strengthen its attachment points, a necessity dictated by the increased power..

Turned 6 ° rearward to be able to move it forward 32mm into the frame, the twin features cylinder head covers and magnesium housings to grab weight. For the same reason, Ducati has chosen to use an automatic decompressor which allows the use of a smaller and lighter starter and battery: the gain is estimated at around 3.3 kg..

Placed at the end of the camshaft, this decompressor is in the form of a removable protuberance which comes out of the axis when the starter is actuated. This causes a slight lift of the valves, which is enough to lower the compression and therefore the resistance generated by the rise of the pistons at start-up..

This ingenious device automatically retracts thanks to centrifugal force once the twin takes turns. Optimized on all sides, the Superquadro finally adopts drive gears for water and oil pumps made of a techno-polymer.

Frankly speaking, discovering "plastic" parts in an engine of almost 200 hp initially left us perplexed! But Ducati engine manufacturers assured MNC that the materials used were ultra-resistant, and that the use of this solution was spreading in cars without reliability concerns (BMW, in particular, uses the same principle).

These radical technical choices, combined with a generous compression ratio of 12.5: 5, constitute the keystone of the impressive increase in performance: the 1199 Panigale thus posts 25 additional hp than the late 1198. !

Frame

Panigale: Rossi does not "fit"

By recruiting Valentino Rossi, Ducati thought to kill two birds with one stone: put the Desmosedici back on the path to success and take advantage of the Doctor’s aura to support the launch of the 1199 Panigale. Sadly, like all other Ducati riders with the notable exception of Stoner, Rossi has never been able to get used to the carbon monocoque used on Moto GP Ducatis since the 2009 season. No.46 therefore asked – and obtained – to return to a more "traditional" solution: the GP12 is built around a perimeter frame, as on the Japanese. Ducati therefore cannot draw a parallel between MotoGP and Panigale, at least for everything relating to the chassis. A marketing setback for the Reds, but the Italian engineers nevertheless assured us that the monocoque was a technology in which Ducati believed, and that its efficiency was not to be questioned for the Panigale, whose needs are very different of MotoGP.

Another major development on this 1199 Panigale: its aluminum monocoque type chassis. Turning its back on the cult tubular steel trellis, Ducati has chosen this solution little used on production motorcycles (currently, only Kawasaki uses it on the ZZR and GTR 1400).

Adopted on MotoGP Ducatis – at least until the arrival of Rossi: read box opposite – this frame distinctly connects the steering column and the single swingarm to the cylinder heads of the engine. This therefore has a supporting role, since it is only through it that the connection between the front and rear part of the chassis is established..

The great advantage of the monocoque solution is that it is less bulky and weighs less than a conventional tubular. The front part thus integrates the air box and its filter, but also the injection ducts. In the form of an aluminum shell weighing only 4.2 kg, the front frame also uses the bottom of the fuel tank as a closing cover.

Here again, the gain is immediately noticeable, since the Panigale has a larger fuel tank (17 liters compared to 15.5 l on the 1198) and yet 1.9 kg lighter. The rear structure of the frame is not left out, since it weighs only 2.1 kg, while the magnesium spider shows only a tiny 600 gr on the scale. !

This drastic reduction in weight – up to the rims which admit 0.5 kg less! – explains the featherweight of the 1199 Panigale: 188 kg with full tank in Standard or S versions (without ABS), ten kilos less than the lightest of its rivals, the Kawasaki ZX-10R. Even a slender Ducati 848 Evo weighs eight kilos more !

A true racing motorcycle, the 1199 Panigale is characterized by a 52% front and 48% rear weight distribution without a rider, which turns into an optimal 50/50 ratio when the rider is in the saddle. . depending on the weight of said pilot, of course !

Electronic

Equipped with a Ride-By-Wire type gas control (without cable), the Panigale first offers three control modes (Riding modes) selectable on the handlebars: Race (where 195 hp are delivered without restriction), Sport (195 hp, but response to smoother acceleration) and Wet (power limited to 120 hp, delivered very smoothly).

As on the BMW S1000RR, these modes also act on the disconnectable ABS that Ducati uses for the very first time in a Hypersport. Informed by the toothed crowns placed on the front and rear wheels, the Bosch 9M anti-lock braking system (optional on Standard and S models) is of the combined front-rear type and weighs only 2.5 kg.

Its tolerance can be refined according to three predefined laws and varies according to the driving mode engaged: in "Race" mode for example, its entry into action is delayed and is only concentrated on the monobloc front calipers with radial fixing that Brembo announces 7 % lighter. This means that there is no redistribution of the braking forces towards the rear when the right lever is operated, in order to leave more latitude to the rider on the circuit..

The ABS sensors are also used to inform the DTC traction control. Disconnectable and adjustable on eight levels (1 being the least interventionist), this Ducati Traction Control compares the rotational speeds of the wheels and moderates the fierceness of the twin via Ride-by-Wire, injection or ignition when it measures a difference. Sophisticated, the DTC uses software derived from the Superbike, but does not use a gyroscope to determine the inclination, as on the BMW S1000RR or Aprilia RSV4 APRC.

Its activation is indicated by an orange light on the on-board console with TFT color matrixes (Thin Film Transistor) which offers two different types of screen depending on the piloting mode engaged (see the instrumentation part of our technical sheet). Here again, the sensitivity of the DTC is directly linked to the mode engaged: in "Wet" configuration, the traction control intervention threshold is for example set at the factory to the maximum, just like that of the ABS..

In good track, the 1199 Panigale is also equipped as standard with a Shifter Ducati Quick Shift (DQS), like the 1198 SP, which causes an injection cut-off of a few milliseconds when you go up a gear. This micro-cut makes it possible to engage a higher gear without disengaging or releasing the throttle, and therefore to save time and comfort of use. As for other piloting aids, this DQS can be deactivated if you want to change gears "normally".

Finally, the Italian inaugurates a last device directly taken from World Superbike or MotoGP motorcycles: Engine Brake Control (EBC), or electronic engine brake control. Concretely, this piloting aid makes it possible to more or less increase the force of the engine brake in the downshift phase. Set by default to maximum (level 1 of 3), the engine brake can be reduced to facilitate certain entry into curves or to satisfy the pilot’s wishes..

Concretely, the EBC observes the opening of the throttle, the gear engaged and the speed of rotation of the crankshaft at each downshift. Once this data has been crossed with that of the anti-slip clutch, it will send a signal to the Ride-By-Wire central unit in order to more or less leave the throttle butterflies open during the deceleration phase..

Clearly, the EBC "juggles" with the engine speed to erase the effects of engine braking! When set to level 3, the 1199 Panigale’s twin offers no more resistance than a big sporty 4-cylinder when you let go of the clutch: bluffing !

As with the DTC, ABS and DES electronic suspensions, its sensitivity varies depending on the driving mode engaged and can be configured "by hand" by entering the on-board computer control panel. It is then possible to play on all the electronic variables, and thus create an à la carte motorcycle !

Careful, Ducati engineers have however provided a function to reset all parameters ("Default") in order to return to the settings preset at the factory. Useful in case the "apprentice Geek" pilot gets lost in this multitude of possibilities !

Finally, the Standard and S versions of the Panigale are pre-wired to receive the data acquisition option. Ducat Data Analyzer which is fitted as standard on the Tricolore. This latest generation DDA + is now connected to a GPS which allows you to analyze your piloting according to your position on the track.

As in competition, this acquisition is used to view different parameters (speed, throttle opening, engine speed, gear engaged, etc.) on a computer at the end of a track session, except that it is now possible to precisely link this information to each part of the track.

And as a bonus, the DDA + is also able to detect the end of a lap and automatically restart the stopwatch! Did you want outrageous sophistication? Ducati did it !

Finally, it should be noted that if a large part of the air collected by the huge inlets placed under the headlights is used to supply the air box, another part of this air flow is diverted towards the inside of the frame to cool all this on-board electronics. And thus avoid the overheating of these precious "neurons" designed for performance !

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