Whenever there is news about the Italian bike maker, Ducati launching a new bike it makes all motorcycling lovers go weak at the knees. We recently brought the news about Ducati going to launch its latest model, Panigale 1199 and they have finally done it. The Panigale 1199 was launched in the EICMA motorcycle show. The latest 1199 Panigale has lost 22 pounds compared to the 1198 and also packs in 20 BHP more than that. The Panigale is fitted with the Superquadro twin-cylinder engine generates 195 horsepower. The Panigale is loaded with tons of electronic controls. With the click of a button, Ducati’s Riding Mode concept delivers performance with enhanced rider confidence by combining seven class-leading technologies.
“This has been the most ambitious project in Ducati’s history and underlines our engineering excellence and ‘product emotion’, an aspect of our brand, which, in such a competitive market place, has become more important than ever. This motorcycle represents pure Italian style, the reference point for performance and a safety-enhanced, confidence-inspiring experience for our customers on road and track,” Mr. Gabriele Del Torchio, President, Ducati Motor Holding, said.
The latest-generation sports ABS system, Ducati Traction Control (DTC), Ducati Electronic Suspension (DES), Ducati Quick-Shift (DQS), Ducati’s new race-derived Engine Brake Control (EBC) and Ride-by-Wire (RbW) are now all programmed into the electronic rider assistance. Even the full color Thin Film Transistor (TFT) display of the instrument cluster changes colour to suit the rider’s environment. The bike has a kerb weight of just 164 kg making it one of the production bikes having the highest power-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratios. It is priced at $17,995(USD) for the standard version, $22,995(USD) for the “S” version, $23,995(USD) for “S” version with ABS and $27,995(USD) for the Italian heritage-inspired Tricolore version. The tricolore version is special edition introduced by Ducati featuring red, white and green colours of the Italian flag to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Italian national flag.
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