These are the only stats you need to know about the Ducati 1299 Superleggera, kinda leaked earlier this week and revealed today at EICMA in Milan:
220 hp.
167 kg wet weight.
156 kg dry weight.
500 total limited edition
$100,000 Cdn.
Nothing else matters really, unless you actually, somehow, qualify to buy one, which is unlikely. But if you did, you’ll need to explain your bike to the curious, either while you’re standing beside it on a dais in your marble foyer, or while you’re sitting on it at the Rock Store after a nervous ride through the canyons with everyone watching to see if you drop it.
This is a remarkable bike, but only because Ducati’s thrown an unbelievable amount of money at it to make it the very best halo machine possible. “Superleggera” means “ultra-lightweight” in Italian and this ain’t kidding: the frame, 10-spoke wheels, single-sided swingarm and bodywork are made from carbon-fibre; the frame, what there is of it anyway, is 40 per cent lighter than the regular, hardly chubby frame on the 1199 Panigale.
The 1,285cc desmodromic L-twin Superquadro engine comes with lighter pistons, aluminum cylinder liners, new camshafts, larger and lighter titanium valves, lighter con-rods and tungsten inserts in the crankshaft, like the current Panigale R, while the Akrapovic titanium exhaust is built to WEC specs.
The Ohlins suspension has FL963 forks and a TTX36 rear shock. Brakes are huge, of course, with M50 Brembo calipers in the front biting onto 330 mm discs. Who cares about the 245 mm disc at the back.
The new software is truly remarkable, too. A six-axis Initial Measurement Unit allows both spin and slide control, as well as controlling the anti-lock brakes. Ducati Launch Control lets you look like you know what you’re doing pulling away from the lights.
It’ll be easy to smoke the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP rear tire. The “base” engine makes 215 hp at 11,000 rpm and 108 lbs.-ft. of torque – not shabby in a car, let alone a bike with one-tenth the weight – but the race kit adds another 5 hp. It also supplies a sidestand removal kit, paddock stands, and whatever else you need to risk your investment on the track. As if.
