Table of contents
- Background Ducati 1199 Superleggera 65,000 euro super sports car sold out
- Ducati Superleggera 12 kilos lighter
- The highlight is the crankshaft
- Sold out except for the last bike
- Technical specifications
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23 pictures
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“Sogno rosso” means red dream, and that is indeed the Superleggera.
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The monocoque with integrated airbox saves one kilogram from the Panigale part (left) to the counterpart of the Superleggera.
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On the left the crankshaft of the Panigale-R, on the right the delicate piece of the Superleggera with the small, embedded tungsten weights.
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Titanium on the exhaust valve: – 24g.
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The differences in wall thickness are clearly visible from below.
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On the left the Panigale piston, on the right the piston of the Superleggera with only two piston rings.
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Above all, a lot of tital was worked on.
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Here you can see the electronics from above again.
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Attempts have also been made to save weight on the engine.
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The Ohlins shock absorber of the Super Leggera.
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Gone are the days of the Ducati 916, the revived MV Agusta as a 750cc F4, the Honda RC 30, Yamaha YZF-OW02 or, most recently, the Desmosedici in 2006, all of which sparked the supersport fans in bright with technical finesse, style, exclusivity and a corresponding price Add excitement.
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12/23
There can be no question of series production at the Superleggera.
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Initially, the development team focused on the “Structural parts”, as project manager Eugenio Gherardi calls the few frame components of the Panigale.
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“Immediately after the Panigale was launched, Ducati decided to embark on this project and set a goal of saving ten kilos in weight”, tells Gherardi.
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“So we looked at the base and swallowed hard, because with the materials used and the compact design of the Panigale, especially the R version, it was clear that it would be very difficult.”
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The parameters of the new electronics can be changed by simply tapping the left stub.
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The entire cockpit is wirelessly integrated using a plug-in module.
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Another shape due to the missing passenger and its footrests: the rear frame (left Panigale).
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Triple tree with Limited engraving.
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Titanium system with extremely thin walls.
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The complete, fully adjustable fork is custom-made only for the Ducati Superleggera.
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Engine developer Marco Sairu explains the special tasks.
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PS boss Uwe Seitz and project manager Eugenio Gherardi reweighing the parts.
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technology & future
Background Ducati Superleggera
Background Ducati 1199 Superleggera
65,000 euro super sports car sold out
Content of
The Ducati Superleggera is Ducatisti’s dream come true. However, only 500 of them will ever own this motorcycle.
Uwe Seitz
01/21/2014
“Sogno rosso” means red dream, and that is it Ducati Superleggera indeed. For a long time there wasn’t much in the superbike segment that was really worth dreaming of. Gone are the days of the Ducati 916, the revived MV Agusta as a 750cc F4, the Honda RC 30, Yamaha YZF-OW02 or, most recently, the Desmosedici in 2006, all of which sparked the supersport fans in bright with technical finesse, style, exclusivity and a corresponding price Add excitement. Since then, so much has happened in terms of development and production that even a BMW HP4 barely causes salivation, as its racing parts are mass-produced and therefore almost a matter of course.
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There can be no question of series production at Ducati Superleggera, which has been causing sleepless nights for project manager Eugenio Gherardi since the start of the project in 2012. “Immediately after the Panigale was launched, Ducati decided to embark on this project and set a goal of saving ten kilos in weight,” he says. “So we looked at the base and swallowed hard, because with the materials used and the compact design of the Panigale, especially the R version, it was clear that it would be very difficult.” Initially, the development team concentrated on the “structural parts “, As Gherardi calls the few frame components of the Panigale.
Ducati Superleggera 12 kilos lighter
“Here we benefited from new processes and new possibilities with new materials,” he reports in the introduction. The aluminum subframe of the Panigale was then transformed into the magnesium monocoque using a die-casting process. Ducati does not want to divulge the external supplier, a specialist in this type of production, which allows extremely low tolerances and low wall thicknesses. Long joint computer simulations and practical tests ultimately led to the desired result. We put both chassis variants on the scales we brought with us: the magnesium part is exactly one kilogram lighter. An expensive kilo, because the price of Ducati Superleggera for the series is easily over five times that per piece, according to Gherardi.
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“Sogno rosso” means red dream, and that is indeed the Superleggera.
The developers saved even more weight with the rear frame, which is made entirely of carbon and only houses a single seat. “Even then, we haggled over a few grams for the upholstery and the lower shell,” reveals Eugenio. The frame part itself, confirms our reweighing, conjures up a delicate 83 grams on the scales. Real weight tumbled with the titanium system from Akrapovic, which with a wall thickness of 0.9 millimeters only weighs 4.35 kilos. And Ohlins also contributed his part to Eugenio’s commission. The fork is only available for the Ducati Superleggera and the titanium spring of the monoshock is so far unique in motorcycle construction and is otherwise only used in the high-end area of cars. In the end, the chassis saves 1.4 kilos. “With all the carbon parts, the magnesium cover of the engine, the full carbon cladding, the magnesium forged wheels, the new engine parts and other small parts such as the titanium cover of the radiator, we finally reached the ten kilos,” Eugenio initially remains sober and objective until a triumphant grin crosses his face. “We managed a total of twelve kilos.” The lithium-ion battery alone brings two kilos. Was he rewarded for overachieving the plan? “I definitely don’t get a Superleggera,” laughs Gherardi.
An equally difficult task awaited engine developer Marco Sairu. In addition to saving weight, his team should elicit significantly more power from the Ducati Superleggera. More than 200 hp were in the specifications, 195 hp in the Panigale’s data sheet. “Of course we worked closely with racing engineers from Ducati Corse,” says Sairu. The result is the two-ring pistons made of titanium, as they are used in the Superbike World Championship machine in a very similar way in terms of shape and low weight tolerances. “The series has three piston rings. In the Superleggera there is one for gas pressure and one for scraping off the oil, ”explains Sairu. Ducati was able to increase the compression from 12: 5 in the Panigale to a high-compression 13: 2. “We were also able to reduce the weight by 60 grams by reducing the wall thickness,” Sairu continues. Like the monocoque, these special titanium pistons are five times more expensive than their counterparts of the Panigale R..
The highlight is the crankshaft
The highlight of engine development is of course the crankshaft. “The nice thing about the Superleggera is that we don’t have to adhere to any racing regulations, like our colleagues from the Superbike World Championship team, where the crankshaft is strictly regulated and close to series production,” explains Sairu. Development started with a blank sheet of paper. The engineers were able to reduce the flywheel mass enormously so that the Ducati Superleggera turns upwards like lightning. In order to get to grips with the problem of vibrations caused by a lack of mass, small counterweights made of heavy tungsten (18 times heavier than steel) were placed. “It is impossible to do this in series,” says Marco, denying the hope that this development step could soon also appear in a standard Panigale. “We have learned new things in process engineering and materials and are certain that future Ducati models will benefit from this, but I consider expensive special solutions such as the tungsten weights to be utopian. The manufacturing tolerance for the entire crankshaft is in the micro range, and that is correspondingly expensive. “
The targeted 200 hp plus, however, still required a greater effort. In addition to the titanium intake valves of the Panigale R, the Ducati Superleggera also got exhaust valves made of the extremely hard and light metal – which helps increase engine performance, allows appropriate control times and makes the removal of the burned mixture even more harmonious. “When we finally let the first engine run completely on the test bench after two years, with airbox and exhaust system, it was a big moment. We should surpass 200 hp for the weight saved. We succeeded right away, ”says Sairu, relieved.
Sold out except for the last bike
Of course, a lot of time has also been invested in the perfect mapping. The Ducati Superleggera got its own three riding modes tailored to the body. In addition, there is a race mapping that every owner can choose if they want to have the free race kit installed. In addition to the mapping, it includes an open racing exhaust system, saves another 2.5 kilos compared to the street-legal version and packs another five horsepower on top.
Finally, the Ducati Superleggera has sophisticated electronics that allow far more interventions than the already complex system of the Panigale. Even ABS, traction control and engine braking can be further modified at the push of a button. “Since this is not a classic series-production vehicle, we have, for example, completely tuned the traction control to maximum traction instead of focusing on safety,” explains project manager Eugenio Gherardi. Additional sensors collect relevant data. “This makes the Superleggera a thoroughbred racing motorcycle without compromises – you have to know that.”
Ducati must have made this clear to the 500 buyers, because – now follows the sad news for all those who have already counted the 65,000 euros for the dream bike – shortly after the presentation at the Eicma in Milan, all 500 specimens were from the Ducati Superleggera will be sold. Before the fair, Patrizia Cianetti had invited good Ducati customers to an exclusive presentation in Bologna. The boss of the Superleggera campaign does not want to get involved in “name dropping”, but in addition to loyal customers, Desmosedici owners and collectors of the R models, Hollywood greats and well-known industry bosses also belong to the select group of Superleggera owners.
It remains to be seen when one or the other will part with this superbike, which has been developed down to the smallest detail. Until then, only dreaming will help. At least there is material for it again and soon the driving report here at PS.
Technical specifications
| Carbon fairing and holder | -1.0 kg |
| Magnesium monocoque | -1.0 kg |
| Carbon subframe | -1.2 kg |
| Titanium exhaust system | -2.5 kg |
| Forged magnesium wheels | -1.0 kg |
| Lithium-ion battery | -2.0 kg |
| Fork and strut | -1.4 kg |
| Superbike pistons | -194 g |
| Crankshaft with tungsten weights | -396 g |
| 520 Superbike chain with sprocket made of Ergal, aluminum screws, cover and small parts |
-1.3 kg |
Two-cylinder V-engine, 1198 cm³, 149 kW (203 hp) at 11500 rpm *,
134 Nm at 10,200 rpm *, weight ready to drive 177 kg *
* Manufacturer information
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