Ducati has just revealed their newest, lightest, most powerful, and formerly top secret superbike. The 1299 Superleggera will boast a 1,285 cc engine, 215 hp, and has enough carbon to weigh just 165 kg dry. Ducati is only making 500, so if you want one, you'll need to be even faster than the bike.
Photos were first leaked late last week, but the official reveal was today at EICMA, the Milan Motorcycle Show. The 1299 Superleggera starts with a fully carbon fibre frame that weighs just 2.6 kg. That's 40 percent lighter than an aluminum one, and makes it the first production motorcycle with a full carbon frame. The swingarm is carbon as well, weighing just 4.1 kg. The rear subframe is carbon, and is just 0.9 kg. Closer to the road, the wheels are (you guessed it) carbon as well, tipping the scales at just 4.0 kg. 0.7 kg lighter than a forged aluminum example. No stone is left unturned in the pursuit of lightness. Even the springs are...no, not carbon this time, they're actually titanium. The battery is a lithium unit to shave more from the scales.
Ducati has added what they call the most powerful production twin cylinder engine ever. That 1,285 cc Superquadro engine generates a whopping 215 hp at 11,000 rpm and 108 lb-ft of torque. It meets European and US emissions at that power level, which means that this is a street legal bike. It will come with a racing kit that includes an Akrapovic racing exhaust, carbon underbelly cover, mirror plugs, paddock stands, and a cover. That will bring the power up to 220 hp and the weight down even more to 162 kg.
To help balance all of this performance, Bosch sensors and software allow for traction control, wheelie control, slide control, launch control, and cornering ABS. Slide control is adjustable to allow different levels of slide for different skill levels. Ducati claims that the system is far beyond that allowed in MotoGP.
Ducati will also make special Superleggera gear that can be custom fit and custom coloured for the buyer. All buyers will also get the opportunity to go to Ducati's World Superbike Experience track day.
