Ducati has fully revealed its new 2014 1199 Superleggera. The motorcycle is basically an ultra light version of the standard 1199 model and is packed with a series of special features that give it a fairly unique character.

The motorcycle is available in only 500 units, but unfortunately we don’t have any information about the price.

As it was developed with lightness in mind, the new Ducati 1199 Superleggera weighs only 155 kg. This ultra low weight is combined with an 1198 cc, Superquadro, L twin cylinder, Desmodromic, liquid cooled engine with valve actuation and 4 valves per cylinder. In terms of power the engine 200 hp (149 Kw) at 11,500 rpm and 134 Nm (99 ft lbs) of torque at 10,200 rpm.

The Ducati 1199 Superleggera is built on a Monoscocca frame which further enhances the motorcycle’s performances.

Hit the jump for more information on the 2014 Ducati 1199 Superleggera.

2014 Ducati 1199 Superleggera

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2014 Ducati 1199 Superleggera
  • Horsepower: 200 @ 11500
  • Torque: 134 @ 10200
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

The 1199 Superleggera’s form expresses this goal perfectly. Sleek and aggressive, it is based on the award-winning design of other Ducati Superbikes but features a modified front cowl shape for increased aerodynamic performance at high speeds. Fashioned entirely in carbon fibre, the bodywork wraps tautly around the 1199 Superleggera’s muscular interior and is finished in unmistakable Corse Red to announce the performance within.

The end result is simply the most impressive Ducati ever offered. Fully street-legal, it features ABS, mirrors, lights, and long standard maintenance intervals; while being as light as a full World Superbike and making comparable power. An engineering dream made real, the 1199 Superleggera sets new standards of motorcycle construction, paving the way for the entire Superbike lineup in Ducati’s never-ending quest to advance performance.

Suspension

To keep it always in perfect dynamic control on any surface and at any speed, 1199 Superleggera features customized lightweight (-1.4Kg vs. 1199 Panigale R) suspension from the world-class Swedish suppliers Öhlins, including a titanium-spring TTX36 shock and Superbike-level FL916 lightened front fork with stress-optimized outer tubes and fully machined bottoms.

Frame

The Monoscocca frame, already enormously innovative in its multifunctional minimalism, is transformed into a jewel by being sand-cast in magnesium alloy. Compact and rigid with excellent vibration absorption, the frame forms the ultimate lightweight backbone (-1.1Kg vs. 1199 Panigale R) to support 1199 Superleggera's incredible performance.

Wheels

Computer designed and optimized, expertly forged from magnesium, and machined to balanced perfection, 1199 Superleggera's wheels are an essential component of its breathtaking performance. An astonishing 1Kg lighter than the already-featherweight wheels of the 1199 Panigale R, their reduction in unsprung rotating mass hugely benefits 1199 Superleggera’s acceleration, braking, and handling.

Acceleration

To be fast – the primary goal of any performance motorcycle.

Perhaps the most essential component of speed, acceleration gives a bike its visceral thrill on the street and enables scorching lap times on the track.

In a strictly technical sense, the acceleration of a motorcycle is a function of force and mass; to increase it, one must either increase the bike’s power (force), or decrease its weight (mass).

In accord with 1199 Superleggera’s extraordinary nature, its engineers pursued both components of acceleration, giving it maximum power and minimum weight to make it phenomenally quick.

Maximum power begins with an “R” spec Superquadro engine, already the world’s most advanced twin-cylinder.

Titanium exhaust valves are added to its titanium intake valves, all of which are precision-actuated Desmodromically using a dedicated high-performance camshaft. Low friction 2-ring Superbike pistons are fitted, and the combustion chamber’s “squish” area is modified, raising compression to 13.2:1.

The power of combustion is transmitted by titanium rods to an ultra-strong, ultra-lightweight crankshaft, perfectly balanced with exotic tungsten counterweights; while spent gases exit through a high-flow titanium exhaust. The combined result is a stratospheric 200+ hp - the most powerful street engine Ducati has ever made.

Every component subsequently added is similarly engineered to be as light as possible, from the readily visible machined-bottom fork and full carbon fibre fairings, to smaller details like titanium and Ergal fasteners, a titanium shock spring, and a lithium-ion battery. Even the footpegs and radiator cap are lightweight, machined pieces unique to the bike.

The drivetrain is paid special attention and receives a Superbike-spec chain and sprocket, titanium axle nuts, and a forged magnesium rear wheel, transmitting maximum engine power to rocket 1199 Superleggera forward like nothing else.

Handling

Perfect motorcycle handling means many things – ease in corner entry, agility in changing lines, stability when leaned over, and the ability to hold a selected trajectory, among others.

Balancing these qualities is a complex blend of art and science in which geometry, weight distribution, and the properties of selected materials all play large parts.

As in other components of motorcycle performance, mass shows its importance; few goals enable the achievement of a superbly handling motorcycle like weight reduction.

1199 Superleggera’s engineers used the principle of weight reduction to dramatic effect in the area of handling. Forged magnesium wheels, with absolute minimum rotating mass and correspondingly low rotational inertia, enable the bike to tip into curves with instantaneous quickness and precision.

Combined with the lightweight and mass-centralized chassis, they make changes in line similarly effortless. Further, they allow 1199 Superleggera’s peerless suspension to better do its job, maintaining traction and keeping the bike on line at tremendous corner speed.

Overall bike geometry benefits from Ducati Corse’s multiple-world-championship-winning expertise, giving 1199 Superleggera stability while leaned over along with the agility to make lightning-quick side-to-side transitions. Full-throttle corner exits are likewise handled with confidence, as an Öhlins steering damper gives sure-footed composure even with the front tyre only skimming the tarmac, or completely in the air.

Braking

Simply put, brakes are a motorcycle’s most powerful components. An easier aspect to overlook than acceleration or handling, braking is nonetheless of the same - or higher - importance to top-level motorcycle performance.

Ideal brakes provide the force to lift a bike’s rear tyre off the ground from triple-digit speeds, the feel to control it precisely, and the consistency to repeat it perfectly, again and again.

A bike as blindingly fast as 1199 Superleggera requires the best brakes available, so Ducati’s engineers equipped it with Brembo M50 Monobloc front callipers, each milled from a single piece of aluminium.

Controlling these is Brembo’s exclusive new MCS radial master cylinder, which offers the ability to adjust its ratio for the perfect balance of power and feeling. As a pure racing touch, a remote adjuster lets the rider set brake lever distance on-the-fly to compensate for pad wear.

These exemplary braking components are even further enhanced by 1199 Superleggera’s great recurring advantage, its light weight. Forged magnesium wheels and a featherweight chassis offer as little resistance to being slowed down as they do to being accelerated.

And to complete the mechanical package, 1199 Superleggera’s braking system is given electronics in the form of advanced ABS and configurable rear wheel lift-up control, putting unparalleled braking power and ultimate control in the hands of every rider, in all conditions.

Control

Despite the incredible engineering required to maximize a motorcycle’s capability in acceleration, braking, and handling, it is not enough – for until this capability can be exploited by the rider, it remains only potential.

This is why at the very top levels of World Championship motorcycle racing, each bike on the grid is equipped with an extensive array of components designed with the sole purpose of allowing the rider to fully use its performance.

With specifications comparable to those of full World Superbikes, 1199 Superleggera is no different - requiring its engineers to focus equally on achieving incredible performance, and ensuring that it is completely within the rider’s command.

To do so, they used methods both mechanical and electronic; and suspension, as the primary component of mechanical control, was focused on first.

1199 Superleggera receives an exclusive custom FL916 fork from Öhlins, with stress-optimized outer tubes, titanium-nitride treated inner tubes, and fully machined bottoms. Incredibly lightweight, this racing-derived fork works in tandem with the lightweight front wheel to provide supernatural front-end feeling and control over any surface. An Öhlins TTX36 shock, featuring a custom titanium spring, performs the same service for the rear.

A full suite of the most advanced electronics completes 1199 Superleggera’s control package. Ducati Wheelie Control, a race-derived system that manages front-wheel lift, combines with advanced 8-stage traction control and a quick shifter to allow the seamless use of maximum power.

A set of dedicated buttons mounted on the handlebar allows either wheelie control, engine braking control, or traction control to be rapidly adjusted on-the-fly, enabling the bike to be fine tuned even in the middle of a record-setting lap.

Back in the paddock, 1199 Superleggera’s lean-angle and GPS-enabled DDA+ data system allows riders to analyze every last detail of their laps to improve the most important control system of all – themselves.

Specifications

Engine

Superquadro: L-Twin cylinder, Desmodromic valve actuation, 4 valves per cylinder, liquid cooled

Displacement

1,198 cc

Bore X stroke

112 x 60.8 mm

Compression ratio

13.2:1

Power exceeds

200 hp (149Kw) @ 11,500 rpm

Torque

134 Nm (99 ft-lbs) @ 10,200 rpm

Fuel injection

Mitsubishi electronic fuel injection system. Twin injectors per cylinder. Full Ride-by-Wire elliptical throttle bodies

Exhaust

2-1-2 system, primary tubes in titanium. Twin titanium mufflers. 2 lambda probes and 2 catalytic converters

Gearbox

6 speed

Primary drive

Straight cut gears; Ratio 1.77:1

Ratio

1=37/15 2=30/16 3=27/18 4=25/20 5=24/22 6=23/24

Final drive

Chain; Front sprocket Z=15; Rear sprocket Z=41

Clutch

Hydraulically controlled slipper/self-servo wet multiplate clutch with Superbike configuration

Frame

Monocoque in magnesium alloy

Front suspension

Fully adjustable 43mm USD Öhlins FL 916 fork with TiN treatment, billet fork bottoms and lightweight stress-optimized outer tubes

Front wheel

3-spoke magnesium alloy 3.50" x 17"

Front tyre

Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP 120/70 ZR17

Rear suspension

Fully adjustable single Öhlins TTX36 shock with titanium spring, with linkage adjustable between progressive/flat. Aluminium single-sided swingarm. Adjustable swingarm pivot.

Rear wheel

3-spoke magnesium alloy 6.00" x 17"

Rear tyre

Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP 200/55 ZR17

Wheel travel (front/rear)

120 mm (4.7 in) - 130 mm (5.1 in)

Front brake

2 x 330 mm semi-floating discs, radially mounted Brembo Monobloc Evo M50 4-piston callipers with ABS, Brembo MCS 19-21 adjustable-ratio front brake master cylinder, remote lever adjuster

Rear brake

245 mm disc, 2-piston calliper with ABS

Instrumentation

Colour TFT display

Dry weight

155 kg (342 lb)

Kerb weight without fuel

166 kg (366 lb)

Kerb weight

177 kg (390 lb)

Seat height

830 mm (32.7 in)

Fuel tank capacity

17 l (4.5 US gallons)

Number of seats

Single seat

Warranty (months)

2 years unlimited mileage

Maintenance (km/months)

12,000 km (7,500 mi) / 12 months

Valve clearance adjustment (km)

12,000 km (7,500 mi) - street use

EMISSIONS

Euro 3


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