Motorcycle specifications Ducati959 PANIGALE 2016 A speedboat on the track

More, always more! To new frontiers of their own design. Ducati's Superbikes continue to go from strength to strength. After the big Panigale, which has evolved a little in terms of style, a lot more in terms of technique, and out of competence with a 1299 on its flanks, it's now the turn of the little one to move up in cubic capacity. The Ducati 959 Panigale continues a chapter full of ardor and passion, with an overflowing Italian sauce on the main course. But...

748, 749, 848, 899, 959 - In just a few generations, the little Bolognese sports bike has become almost as big as a Japanese hypersport. Inside, the Superquadro flexes its muscles. But on the outside, there's nothing like it. The Panigale remains a small machine, with a compactness as striking as ever. It makes you wonder how engineers can fit so much into so little space. You'd hardly need an operating theatre and laparoscopic instruments to carry out revisions.
With its sculpted silhouette, this is familiar territory. As tradition dictates that every "little" Ducati Superbike should copy its predecessor, you'll instantly find your bearings. Fine-tuning of the fork head, with a slight improvement in protection, and a taut fairing to turn heads. But it's the rear end that really counts, design-wise. The Bologna-based company persists in not reintroducing the single-arm design, a dissent that everyone will judge as they see fit. But that's not the main problem. Fans of clean lines will choke at the sight of the 959 Panigale's double side exhaust. Argghh!!! No more belching under the engine. Two Monster-style pipes slaughter the initially scalpel-sharp lines. Euro4 standards have come and gone, and to breathe "politically correct", these two unsightly appendages have ruined the styling.
Well, that's something we'll have to live with... The good thing about this standard is that Ducati can enter the territory with all its wattage and without any headaches. And there are even more of them.

If the 899 has gone up to 959, it's not to ape the fable of the frog and the ox. With the twin even more neutered by Euro4, giving it more displacement means it retains its trunk and responsiveness. And if you work hard in the engineering department, you can fit even more horses. The 959 Panigale sends out no less than 157 horsepower. That's 9 units more than the previous version. With a precise cubic capacity of 955 cm3, this Ducat is almost a nod to a pure factory machine: it has the same displacement and virtually the same power output as the WSBK 916 Corsa, derived from the 1996 916 SP3.
Leaving the 916 to live out its legend, let's return to the Superquadro engine. Its increased combustion volume is achieved by increasing the stroke by 3.6 mm. The stroke is now 60.8 mm, with a generous bore of 100 mm. Improved lubrication, new valves, modifications to the crankshaft, cylinders, camshafts and cylinder heads, a second set of injectors to fill the engine from 8,500 rpm - there are plenty of changes that can't be seen. In addition to the increase in power, torque also benefits from this inflation, reaching almost 11 mkg - 107.4 Nm to be precise. The transmission has also been lengthened, to please the bureaucrats. Well, you'll have to think about finding a suitable pinion or crown wheel to get the most out of your relaunch (on the racetrack, of course!!!). Because under the Desmo valve train, we've made no attempt to slacken off.

a strong twin! But between it and the road, there's a host of intermediaries. All of which will delight tuners. The clutch now has a dual function: anti-dribble and assistance. This reduces lever effort and makes hard downshifts easy. Then it's up to the electronics to take care of business. Three driving modes are on the menu, each with predefined settings on the various on-board fenders. Race, Sport or Rain, the Panigale adapts to the mood of the moment. The right hand shakes, the silicon chips act. DTC traction control operates on 8 intervention levels, EBC engine braking on 3, Bosch 9MP ABS is also governed by 3 modes, and the dashboard display changes according to the Riding Mode chosen. These can be fine-tuned by the rider to suit his or her style or level of requirement. Power output differs according to mode: 157 hp for Race and Sport, 115 hp for Rain mode.
The 959 Panigale retains its in-house DQS shifter, which can be used for upshifting but not yet for downshifting. Only the various versions of the big Panigale(1299 - 1299 S - R) have the privilege at Bologna. As an option, DDA+ allows you to rack your brains after a session with a good dose of GPS telemetry.

Since the 899 Panigale, the 959 has put on weight and heart. 7 kilos is no mean feat. But where does this fat come from, in a class where weight is a priority? The dual muffler has a lot to do with it. Not enough to significantly change the machine's handling or liveliness. Besides, 200 kilos fully loaded is not the worst we've seen.
Chassis and peripherals remain essentially unchanged. A Showa BPF upside-down fork with large 43 mm piston and a Sachs shock absorber are mounted laterally around the singular aluminum frame-shell. All components are, of course, fully adjustable. Changes are made to the wheelbase, increased by 5 mm (1426 -> 1431), and to the swingarm anchoring point, lowered by 4 mm. These changes should optimize the Panigale's traction and stability. However, combined with the machine's increased weight, the rider will have to exert more effort to engage the machine.
The braking system has also been taken over in its entirety from the 899. 320 mm discs and Brembo M4.32 4-piston calipers at the front, 245 mm discs and 2-piston calipers at the rear. Serious stuff, but just a notch below what Ducati's bigger bikes can offer. No M50 yet for the little... er, medium-sized Panigale; not a detrimental concern, as the equipment is already doing a hell of a job.

It's time to put on the boots, and to note that the footrests now offer more grip; pistarde discomfort right down to the end of the excrescences. As sporty and powerful as ever, the youngest Panigale is more akin to an 899 Evo than a completely new machine. However, the consequent increase in displacement justifies a new name. Racy, technologically advanced and exciting, the Panigale has been denied a few exclusive features to keep its price down and preserve the prestige of the range's hypersport models. No single-arm, no up/down shifter, no UMI inertial platform, no wheeling control and no TFT color dashboard... and almost 5,000 euros less. The Panigale fantasy can also be embraced without the lumberjack approach demanded by the 1299. Less of a missile, yet as sporty as you'd like, it lets you ride hard without being overwhelmed all the time.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos