Ducati 1199 Panigale
“What makes the Ducati 1199 Panigale an eye catcher?”
It is hard to stay on top of the superbike heap. The competition is fierce, and last week’s king of the track is this week’s had been. Enter the Ducati 1199 Panigale, a 180 horsepower two wheel rocket ship that is set to turn the superbike industry on its ear. How did this small manufacturer become the powerhouse it is today? For its well-known name in motorcycle racing, the company has rather unusual roots. Founded in 1926 by three brothers, Ducati began by selling radio equipment, not motorcycles. Selling vacuum tubes, condensers, and other radio parts, the company grew into a successful business. This continued through the years of World War II, with the Ducati brothers supplying radio parts for the Italian war effort. In 1944, after being targeted several times by allied bombing raids, the factory was finally destroyed. In 1950, Ducati released the 65cc which was the beginning of a professional high-performance Italian motorcycle manufacturing company. For over 50 years, Ducati put out many styles of racing motorcycles such as Superbikes, Super Sports, Monster, Multistrada, Sport Classics, and Hypermotard up to the newest on the market, the Ducati 1199 Panigale “Superquadro.” This amazing race machine, the Ducati 1199 Panigale will sport a semi-monocoque chassis, which does away with the traditional frame and uses the engine as a stressed member to which the suspension is attached. There will be an aluminum casting in the steering-head area that will connect the front forks to the engine to where the single-sided swingarm pivots inside the engine’s crankcase. The greatest benefit this will offer is a significant weight reduction. The “frameless” design on the 1199 Panigale is the first to break from the mold into mass produced motorcycle from a major manufacturer even though the design was not new. The design of the “frameless” motorcycle is taken directly from the Ducati’s MotoGP program and is said
It is hard to stay on top of the superbike heap. The competition is fierce, and last week’s king of the track is this week’s had been. Enter the Ducati 1199 Panigale, a 180 horsepower two wheel rocket ship that is set to turn the superbike industry on its ear. How did this small manufacturer become the powerhouse it is today? For its well-known name in motorcycle racing, the company has rather unusual roots. Founded in 1926 by three brothers, Ducati began by selling radio equipment, not motorcycles. Selling vacuum tubes, condensers, and other radio parts, the company grew into a successful business. This continued through the years of World War II, with the Ducati brothers supplying radio parts for the Italian war effort. In 1944, after being targeted several times by allied bombing raids, the factory was finally destroyed. In 1950, Ducati released the 65cc which was the beginning of a professional high-performance Italian motorcycle manufacturing company. For over 50 years, Ducati put out many styles of racing motorcycles such as Superbikes, Super Sports, Monster, Multistrada, Sport Classics, and Hypermotard up to the newest on the market, the Ducati 1199 Panigale “Superquadro.” This amazing race machine, the Ducati 1199 Panigale will sport a semi-monocoque chassis, which does away with the traditional frame and uses the engine as a stressed member to which the suspension is attached. There will be an aluminum casting in the steering-head area that will connect the front forks to the engine to where the single-sided swingarm pivots inside the engine’s crankcase. The greatest benefit this will offer is a significant weight reduction. The “frameless” design on the 1199 Panigale is the first to break from the mold into mass produced motorcycle from a major manufacturer even though the design was not new. The design of the “frameless” motorcycle is taken directly from the Ducati’s MotoGP program and is said
Cited: Siahaan, Troy. " 2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale Superquadro" Motorcycle.com. N.p., 11 Oct. 2011. Web. 26 June 2012.