#Semi-ActiveSuspension

Big news coming out of the Ducati camp today at EICMA 2014: Bologna’s flagship sportbike is indeed increasing in displacement – introducing the Ducati 1299 Panigale. Rumors about a bigger Panigale had been spreading among the industry throughout the year, with Portland, Oregon dealer, Motocorsa, fanning the flames with this picture taken at Ducati’s U.S. dealer meeting. With the secret out of the bag, let’s take a closer look at the 1299 Panigale.

With the advent of the programmable ECU, the Mikuni jet and needle futures markets on the Nikkei exchange tumbled, thus triggering what came to be known as the Great Float Bowl Recession. Mechanics everywhere celebrated.

It’s a rare event when the introduction of a new feature to motorcycling results in a paradigm shift of what’s possible, but the roll-out of semi-active suspension among several European manufacturers is an advancement that changes how we think about wheel control.