2014 Ducati 1199 Superleggera

Ignition

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2014 DUCATI 1199 SUPERLEGGERA

CW FIRST RIDE

BETTER BALANCE: Ducati claims the Superleggera has the best power-to-weight ratio of any production motorcycle in history.

Ride like a rock star

Blake Conner

As a teenager, I was convinced that there could be nothing better than being a rock star. Thankfully, a lack of musical talent saved me from a monotonous life spent fighting off supermodels, eating caviar, and driving Lamborghinis like rental cars. Maybe I missed my calling, but I certainly enjoyed the limelight recently at the Mugello circuit in Italy, where I had an exclusive 10lap ride aboard Ducati’s exotic 1199 Superleggera.

If you aren’t familiar with the Superleggera, it’s an ultra-exclusive, $65,000 version of the 1199 Panigale R, with weight savings and power output taken to extreme levels.

As a matter of fact, this bike is so over the top that it isn’t even eligible for World Superbike competition. First of all, with only 500 examples being produced (all spoken for), it doesn’t meet the homologation numbers required by the rules. Furthermore, at a claimed 366 pounds sans fuel (but with all street equipment in place, including mirrors, signals, and lights), it weighs only a pound more than the WSBK minimum. In other words, in race trim it would need ballast to compete!

But if the Superleggera isn’t intended as the basis for a competition machine, what’s the point?

“We asked our engineers to build the best of the best and do everything they ever dreamed of, building this bike for our best customers,” Ducati’s CEO Claudio Domenicali said. “Of course, a lot of the things that we developed for the Superleggera will in the long term find their way onto our other new bikes, as well.”

On paper, the Superleggera’s numbers are impressive. With its 4.5-gallon fuel tank topped off, the Superleggera, says Ducati, weighs only 393 pounds (30 less than the Panigale R). A hot-rod engine produces a claimed 5 additional horsepower and a bit more torque than the R model. Adding those figures to the dyno numbers we got on our last R testbike, we estimate the Superleggera produces 186 hp and 90 pound-feet of torque at the rear wheel. The titanium Akrapovic exhaust (in the included Race Kit) adds 5 more horsepower and shaves another 2.5 pounds of weight.

So how do you skim 30 pounds off one of the lightest production liter-plus sportbikes ever? Ducati’s team of engineers was given free rein with exotic materials. The Superleggera has a magnesium monocoque frame, a carbonfiber subframe and bodywork, plus a lithium-ion battery, forged magnesium wheels, and numerous titanium fasteners. Even the Öhlins suspension is ultra light, featuring a FL916 fork with machined billet-aluminum bottoms and a TTX36 shock with a titanium spring.

BY THE NUMBERS

180

TITANIUM FASTENERS: The Superleggera doesn’t like to use steel nuts or bolts in its engine/chassis.

365

POUNDS: Minimum weight of a twin-cylinder Superbike that can compete in the World Superbike Championship.

RACE KIT

Included with the purchase of the Superleggera is this very slick care package to prep the bike for track use. Neatly arranged inside are a pair of Akrapovic titanium exhausts that add 5 hp with included ECU map upgrade, a big-bubble racing windscreen, machined billet mirror-mount block-off plates, sidestand removal kit, licenseplate bracket block-off plugs, front and rear paddock stands, and a bike cover. Parts-change weight savings is 5.5 pounds.

-BC

Not only does the Superquadro engine weigh less than the R’s mill, but some of its weight-saving components allow it to rev to 12,500 rpm (a 1,000-rpm bump) and increase power across the board. All four valves (intake and exhaust) in each head are now titanium, as are the Pankl connecting rods. The tungstencounterweighted crankshaft, which weighs 1 pound less than stock, works with lighter two-ring racing pistons and a compression ratio that has jumped from 12.5:1 to 13.2:1.

IT WHEELIES AT 150 MPH?

If the spec sheet is impressive, the track manners of the Superleggera are mind-blowing. Just a few corners into my first lap of Mugello, I could sense the bike’s feathery feel. With three chicanes per lap, Mugello highlighted the Superleggera’s awesome ability to transition, requiring substantially less effort than any Ducati I’ve ridden.

More impressive was how stable and planted the front Pirelli Supercorsa felt once turned. Offcambers and long corners on the side of the tire were drama free. The plush Öhlins suspension ironed out the track’s few bumps, while the incredible Brembos with remote-adjustable MCS 19-21 master are some of the best brakes I’ve ever sampled.

IT’S AN ULTRAEXCLUSIVE, $65,000 VERSION OFTHE 1199 PANICALE R, WITH WEIGHT SAVINGS AND POWER OUTPUT TAKEN TO EXTREME LEVELS.

PADDLE CONTROLLER

New to the Superleggera is Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) and a new leftbar-mounted controller. A pair of paddles allows the rider to select among □WC, Ducati Traction Control, or Engine Braking Control and then change settings on the fly. The rider must choose which of the three functions he wants to control while riding.

A two-second hold on the paddles activates the system; desired level can then be chosen instantly. The system is only active in Race mode. -BC

I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS SORT OF RAW ACCELERATION ON ANYTHING OTHER THAN FULL-BLOWN WORLD SU PERBLKES OR AMA SUPERBIKES...

With more torque/power on tap across the board, the Superleggera has a broader powerband than the R, with more midrange oomph and a less peaky nature. Which makes the Superleggera’s new Ducati Wheelie Control (see sidebar) a welcome addition. Entering the front straight in fourth gear, the bike would wheelie at 150 mph before the system would intervene as I grabbed fifth, only for the front to get light again just before I toed the quickshifter into sixth.

Riding conservatively, I consistently hit 186-plus mph before braking a bit early for turn one. As the speedometer goes blank at 299 km/h, I’m not totally sure how fast I actually went on the few occasions this happened, but it was really fast.

I’ve never experienced this sort of raw acceleration on anything other than full-blown World Superbikes/AMA Superbikes I’ve ridden in the past.

If charmed experiences such as this come only in 10-lap doses every couple of years,

I’m fine with that. Because even the fortunate few who have purchased a Superleggera probably will never get to ride their bikes WFO at Mugello. And that’s something that most rock stars can only dream of, too.

DUCATI 1199 SUPERLEGGERA

ENGINE TYPE

dohc V-twin

DISPLACEMENT

1198cc

SEAT HEIGHT

32.7 in.

FUEL CAPACITY

4.5 gal.

CLAIMED WET WT.

393 lb.

PRICE

$65,000