Ducati
959 Panigale
Ducati has unveiled the
959 Panigale at the ongoing EICMA 2015 in Milan. Now the 959 Panigale may sound
like an all-new super sport motorcycle but in essence it’s a heavily updated
version of the outgoing 899 Panigale. The latter has been around for nearly two
years now.
While the overall
design remains identical to the 899, the new 959 Panigale benefits from a wider
fairing. Ducati says they have widened the fairing after taking feedback from
their World Superbike racing team. Additionally, the brand has also a taller
windscreen, larger diameter air intakes and seat design inspired from the
bigger 1299 Panigale range. Rounding off the updates are the new rear view
mirrors and fairing ducts that have also been taken off bigger Panigale models.
Although it doesn’t
appear much different, the 959 Panigale has been thoroughly worked up with
heaps of performance tweaks. Spearheading the upgrades is the new 955 cc V-twin
which is among the first of the Superquadro engines from Ducati to clear Euro4
emission norms. The engine puts out 157 bhp – around 9 bhp more than the outgoing
899 Panigale. Ducati, however, in its quest to clear Euro4 regulations has had
to put massive shotgun-style twin exhausts which look out of place if you ask
us.
The 955 cc V-twin
features a hot of upgrades over the old 899’s powerhouse. These upgrades
include a redesigned crankshaft, new conrods, a pair of new cylinder heads with
aluminium top covers all helping in reducing internal friction and thereby
improving overall efficiency. As for riding aids, the 959 is loaded with all
the good stuff including a quick shifter, ride-by-wire throttle, traction and
engine braking control and a triple-stage Bosch ABS.
Ducati has announced
that the prices for the 959 Panigale will start at £ 13,095. When compared to
the flagship 1299 Panigale range, the smaller 959 comes across as a better
all-rounder super-sport motorcycle with more usable power and better
rideability for everyday usage.
