Horsepowers in the papers

Tricolore said:

I must confess I have been waiting for everyone to realize what the power band of the Panigale really is. I write this because I spent a lot time and effort deciding which Panigale I should buy. It turns out I bought a 1098R instead.

Why?

Horsepower is a unit of work and therefore cannot be measured on a wheeled vehicle therefore it is derived from Torque which is a measure of the rotational force.

In other words, Horsepower = (Torque * RPM) / 5250

The reason the Panigale has a higher HP rating is because the short stroke
pistons can operate at higher RPMs. However, by shortening the stroke the engines produces less Torque at low and medium RPMs and only comes on near redline.

As many know first hand, Termignoni exhausts allow higher RPMs than stock which causes the HP rating to be raised.

In sum, Torque is King and HP is only a useful number if you ride your bike at redline ie on the track. For those of us riding the twisties at redline is just dangerous!

When you look closely at the power band you will realize the Panigale only is strong above 8250rpms. That is why the press has reviewed the ride as 848 down low and a 1098R/1198R at high RPMs.

What the designers have created is a bike for the Press for bragging rights on HP while giving up the classic Ducati riding experience of endless Torque.

It is shame, because overall the Panigale is beautiful, the electronics are awesome and forever I will be wishing my 1098R had TFT dash.

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CHarles foxtrot said:

... I wanted Ducati's more modern, flickable bike with better egos....

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DRSapp said:

Hmm.. We may have bigger egos for owning a Panigale, but having a better ego would be subjective.

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CHarles foxtrot said:

I get it that torque can make a bike easier to ride if you are just cruising through the twisties.

But I wanted Ducati's more modern, flickable bike with better egos, state of the art electronic thingies and a more current look. (Even the 1198 looks dated to me now.)

And I think the amount of HP will be great on the track.

Enjoy your antique!

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Rhino said:

Puttin an R on it, does not an R make.

It'll still haven entirely different characteristics

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Tricolore said:

I still believe an ego is a good thing, h*ll I am in finance, therefore I have to ask where in upstate NY do you live? It might be interesting to compare the Panigale to the R's in the Twisties or if you prefer the track.

To reiterate, the Panigale is beautiful, the electronics amazing, flickability is superior if you compare it to the 1098S/1198S but not the R's. The R's weigh the same, I give you the center of gravity is higher on the R's but the exiting power of the R's is superior. You have to ask yourself why they are not racing the Panigale.

As for antique bring it on, I have no problem calling a '65 Ferrari GTO an antique, let's face it I live in a historic 1690's Stonehouse. New is usually most of the time better but be careful you are not drinking the cool aid. For Ducati, these forums are ways for them to build excitement but they should also be used as a real time focus group.

Therefore, do we care about bragging rights or superior performance?

In short, high HP ratings in lieu of loss of power in the low and mid-range maybe too high a cost. We will never know until we can test the bikes side by side, so how about it?

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PeterPan said:

Good reading...And new dyno:




186HP and 95 lbs of torque...AT THE WHEEL...!...With Termis

Don't worry guys, your Starbucks conversations will be fine...!

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