2012 Motorcycle of the Year | 2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale S | Motorcyclist magazine | Ductalk: What's Up In The World Of Ducati | Scoop.it
When the 1199 debuted at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi this spring, it was nothing short of spectacular. The Panigale doesn’t just break the mold—it pulverizes it! Read more on the 2012 Motorcycle of the Year, the Ducati 1199 Panigale S.

Ducati is a company that values tradition, and for more than three decades, tradition has dictated the Italian manufacturer’s sportbikes have a desmodromic, 90-degree V-twin, tubular-steel trellis frame and rattling, dry clutch. The formula’s effectiveness is indisputable, as the Borgo Panigale-based firm has won no fewer than 14 World Superbike Championships. With such a successful formula, why would Ducati even think of changing it?

Rumors of the 1199 Panigale started circulating in 2011, painting pictures of a radically reconfigured superbike. Spy photos substantiated the gossip, revealing the kind of revolutionary, giant-leap-forward engineering not seen since the introduction of the original 851 in 1988. When the 1199 debuted at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi this spring, it was nothing short of spectacular. The Panigale doesn’t just break the mold—it pulverizes it!

Read more: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/features/122_1209_2012_motorcycle_of_the_year_2012_ducati_1199_panigale_s/#ixzz1zB2WI0Dm