The svelte Italian performance motorcycle maker, Ducati will be launching the 1199 Panigale in the Indian market soon. The Ducati Panigale is a replacement of the Ducati 1198 which has been a very close favourite among the people who love performance motorcycles. Ducati states that the 1199 Panigale is much better than the model it replaces. The Ducati 1199 Panigale is expected to be launched in the month of May 2012, priced at Rs. 20 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai). It will be brought in a CBU and sold through the wafer thin Ducati dealership network.
The Ducati 1199 Panigale is powered by Ducati’s famous L configuration, twin cylinder, liquid cooled, 1199cc engine that produces 195 BHP at 10750 RPM and a torque of 132 NM at 9000 RPM. The engine gets a bore/stroke ratio of 112/60.8 indicating its short stroke design. The performance specifications clearly indicate the Ducati 1199 Panigale as being a true performance motorcycle. The bike has been developed on a monocoque aluminium chassis and weighs just 188kgs. The powerplant is mated to a 6 speed constant speed gearbox.
At the front, the Ducati 1199 Panigale gets Marzocchi 50mm pressurized forks while at the rear it gets fully adjustable Sachs unit. Stopping power is provided by dual semi-floating discs of 330mm each while at the rear, 1 245mm disc with 2 piston floating calliper does the duty. The instrument cluster gives loads of information like Low Fuel Indicator, Low Oil Indicator, Low Battery Indicator, High Oil Temperature Indicator and Choke Air Filter Indicator.
