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 955cc V-twin which is among the first of the Superquadro engines from Ducati to clear Euro4 emission norms. The engine puts out 157bhp – around 9bhp 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 955cc 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 (Rs 13.10 lakh). 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.
