Ducati have been spied testing a replacement for the
959 Panigale and it’s a V-twin. There have been rumours that the baby-panigale
might have a detuned version of the V4 but it’s clear from these photographs
that Ducati are still invested in twin technology. Externally the engine casings look very similar to
the ones on the current 959, leading us to believe that Ducati will have stuck
with the Superquadro engine. However it’s likely undergone changes internally
perhaps including a small displacement increase, although we imagine Ducati
will be keen to keep it under the 1000cc mark.
There’s also a new exhaust collector, which is
physically much larger than the one on the current bike, even without the
silencer fitted. It’s possible that this alone, as well as a conversion to twin
spark, might be enough to scrape through the incoming Euro 5 emissions targets. The other big change is that the
small capacity machine will once again be returning to a single sided swingarm
– the first one since the 848 over 10 years ago. While you can argue until you’re
blue in the face about one vs the other, there’s no doubting it’s something of
a Ducati staple and as the last performance v-twin Ducati are clearly keen to
hang onto it.
For now it appears to be just a parts bin special,
with the wheel and swingarm from a 1299 mated with the front end of the current
959 but we don’t see any reason why it won’t stay that way. The bodywork too has had an
update, with the front end completely resculpted to match the V4. The belly
pan, rear end and tank appears to have stayed the same. This model seen testing
appears to be the standard model, judging by the suspension and pillion hangers
but it’s possible there will be a few variants.
With no other big twin to compete against Ducati could easily produce S or R versions with high
spec componentry. We expect Ducati to unveil the new machine at the EICMA
motorcycle show in November, with it on sale the following spring.
