Ducati will unveil the most exotic V-twin superbike it’s ever created at EICMA in Milan next month when the wraps come off the 1299 Superleggera.
That name has yet to be confirmed, but is the likely title for the machine which is currently under development under the codename ‘Project 1408.’
At the moment, details of the bike have emerged from a password-protected website that Ducati has invited a select band of potential buyers to visit. Only those with a record of already purchasing the firm’s top-of-the-range, limited-edition bikes like the 1199 Superleggera and the Desmosedici RR have been allowed to see the site.
Of course details of the machine have leaked onto the wider internet. They reveal that the 1299 Superleggera will be almost entirely made of carbon fibre, including the airbox-cum-headstock that serves as the Panigale’s frame. That finally fulfils rumours dating back to the Panigale’s launch that a top version with a carbon chassis was planned.
Remember that the Panigale’s frameless design, where the engine carries most of the structure, aided and abetted by a carbon airbox that links it to the headstock, is derived from the unsuccessful carbon-framed generation of D16 race bike.
According to the protected website, the carbon airbox/frame is 1.6kg lighter than the aluminium one of the normal Panigale. There’s also a carbon fibre swingarm on the new bike, saving a further 900g. The wheels are also carbon, as is all of the bodywork including the self-supporting single-seat tail. Rumour has it that the combined effect of all this weight saving is a weight of just 155kg. Power is pegged at around 220hp. If correct those figures will add up to a power-to-weight ratio close to a MotoGP machine’s.
Spy shots have revealed that the bike is likely to come with twin, under-seat exhausts that mimic the latest generation of WSBK Panigale pipes.
While rival high-end superbikes are often designed to homologate tuning parts for superbike racing, the 1299 Superleggera won’t do that. The 1299cc engine too large for WSBK regulations and the bike is certain to have a price tag that’s far higher than the 40,000 Euro limit imposed on WSBK homologation bikes. It’s actually expected to cost nearer twice that much.
The new bike is likely to be the swansong for the Panigale, with Ducati developing a completely new superbike for 2018 and beyond. Some even suggest that the firm is working on a new V4-powered machine inspired by the Desmosedici GP bike to eventually replace the V-twin Panigale. If it does, some of the Superleggera’s technology and perhaps even the carbon frame idea could be carried over to a more mainstream model.
