CYCLE WORLD ARTICLE ON THE PANIGALE

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Enjoy!
http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20120223#pg31

[tecknojoe]

are we all STILL jerking off to this thing?

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

are we all STILL jerking off to this thing?
Has anyone STOPPED?????? :)

[tecknojoe]

Has anyone STOPPED?????? :)

I got a semi for a day....

[dirkterrell]

That interview with Mladin is pretty good.

[bornwildnfree]

mmmmmmmmm *droool*

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

That interview with Mladin is pretty good.
Yep, just finished it. One of the coolest things? He has an '81 1100 Katana! I'd LOVE to have an '83 Katana with the black engine as a "vintage" bike.

[crypto0793]

I am Definatly picking one of these when I get back from Afghanistan

[Matrix]

With all due respect to what they have done to this bike, I would like to see some success using the monocoque chassis before I believe the hype. Not that any of us would push it to that limit, but before crowning it the next best superbike, it needs to answer why the technology hasnt worked at GP level with the GOAT at the helm.

Bad a** bike though.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

With all due respect to what they have done to this bike, I would like to see some success using the monocoque chassis before I believe the hype. Not that any of us would push it to that limit, but before crowning it the next best superbike, it needs to answer why the technology hasnt worked at GP level with the GOAT at the helm.

Bad a** bike though.
Maybe the idea works fine at the level a WSB or Street bike rider would push it? Also, it's not really a true monocoque chassis as I understand them. More like just big brackets atached to a stressed-member (the engine). Ducati decided to change to a normal style frame, and Rossi seems to be doing a lot better, so we'll see. I think what is happening is that the engine (and thus the frame) is TOO stiff, and can't be engineered to have flex where the bike needs it. Rainey ran into this problem in the '90's when the chassis on his OW was too stiff. This idea would probably work great if the bikes went from tuned stiffness frames and swingarms to ultra-stiff frames and swingarms and the wheels themselves had some sideways suspension to them to absorb bumps at full lean. F1 cars use tremendously stiff chassis because they don't lean, and then you remove the chassis as a flexible suspension element, and you can better and more consistantly tune the springs and damping.

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

I am Definatly picking one of these when I get back from Afghanistan
I hope you come back without a scratch, without losing any fellow soldiers, and get the bike of your dreams.