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Lemonade out of the Lemon

Ducati 959 Panigale Launch Test

Written by Alan Cathcart
Ducati 959 Panigale

Everything’s relative. Exactly 20 years ago in 1996, Troy Corser won the first of his two World Superbike championships (and the sixth of Ducati’s 17 Riders titles) aboard the 996cc F96 factory race version of the Italian manufacturer’s iconic 916 introduced two years earlier. This delivered 157 bhp at 11,800 rpm en route to dominating that year’s series, with its riders Corser, John Kocinski and Frankie Chili winning 14 of the 24 races on a bike derived from the 114 bhp street version then considered the ne plus ultra of twin-cylinder Superbikes.
Fast forward 20 years, and for 2016 Ducati has launched what it terms the Supermid version of its current contender for Superbike success in the form of the 969 Panigale producing – yes, 157 bhp at 10,500 rpm. This comes as the latest sequel in its saga of sportbikes with accessible performance and a lower price tag compared to its full-on Superbike models, but complete with an array of electronic rider aids that Corser & Co. could only dream of finding on their factory racers two decades ago. This time around, though, this latest version of the Supermid family that kicked off with Ducati’s first ever Supersport contender, the 87bhp 748 first sold in 1995, is more than ever a junior Superbike, even if its creation has been forced on the company by the stringent new Euro 4 emissions and particularly noise regulations being implemented in 2016, which the good-selling 899 Panigale introduced just two years ago, was unable to meet..
But Ducati has succeeded in making sweet-riding lemonade out of the bitter lemon of bureaucratic intervention, as the chance to ride the 959 Panigale at the Valencia GP circuit barely one week after its debut at the 2015 EICMA Milan Show, amply proved. For rather than rejig the 899 to make it compliant with the imminent new Euro-rules, and so inevitably lose both performance and thus sales appeal with the resultant inevitable compromise, it has effectively produced an all-new motorcycle that goes some way beyond that.
010_ducati_959_panigale_cathcartInevitably, there are some downsides to doing this, but the worst is aesthetic rather than performance related, in the shape of the distinctly unlovely and much longer Euro 4 exhaust consisting of twin stacked cannon-type silencers equipped with dual lambda probes and a denser, heavier catalyst. In some countries like the USA, Australia, Russia and so on where noise is not such an issue as in Euroland, the 959 will continue to be sold with the Panigale’s trademark underslung exhaust exiting beneath the engine. But because Euro-noise levels are measured from the centre of the bike, and thus inevitably include sound emanating from the motor, meeting these rules has required quieter-running engine internals, as well as a different exhaust package. Even with the less lovely looks, some minor handling issues caused by a revised weight distribution, and a deader-sounding drumbeat to the twin-cylinder sound of now heavily muted thunder, Ducati’s engineers have addressed the compliance issues by creating a bike that’s even more fun to ride than its 899 predecessor, which in 2014 was only very narrowly outsold by the Honda Fireblade for the mantle of best-selling sportbike in the UK, Europe’s sportbike central.
015_ducati_959_panigale_cathcartFor what we have here is a bike available in Ducati Red with black wheels or Arctic White with red wheels costing Euro 16,490 in Italy including 22% local tax (the white version is Euro 300 dearer) delivering the same outright performance needed to defeat the V4 Honda RC45s of renegade ducatista Carl Fogarty and teammate Aaron Slight to win the World Superbike title two decades ago, but which while lacking the explosive grunt and massive top end power of the 205 bhp 1299 Panigale, is a better balanced all-round package offering a more accessible but still decidedly thrilling level of performance that many customers will prefer to the 959’s range-topping sister bike. That’s with the standard exhaust package, but some of the bikes we rode at Valencia came equipped with the optional Euro 4-compliant Akrapovič exhaust with titanium silencers costing Euro 1200 + tax, and saving 1.5kg while offering slightly improved acceleration. There’s also the full titanium optional Akrapovič race system with the original Panigale underslung format and side exit beneath the motor, but in saving 6kg in weight and delivering a steep increase in power this retails at Euro 3,800 + tax, so your 959 must be a serious track day tool to justify that investment, though I suspect many customers may order it and take their chances with it on the street. Watching Ducati tester Alessandro Valia put in a few laps at Valencia on a bike so equipped not only restored the sound of desmo V-twin music to proceedings via the more open exhaust, but it also visibly improved acceleration and top end speed.
020_ducati_959_panigale_cathcartBut in other ways the stock 959 is a genuine best of both worlds bike, because in cubing up the smallest member of the Panigale family’s Superquadro engine, by stroking it up from the 899’s 100 x 57.2 mm 898cc dimensions to 100 x 60.8 for 955cc, Ducati has created a faster, more powerful, well balanced motorcycle that’s also easier to ride hard on a track day, which at the same time I’m sure will be completely at home in real world use on the street. With no road mileage on offer at the press launch, I used the slowdown laps on each of my four sessions at Valencia to simulate street use using the Sport riding mode, and the way that Ducati has filled in the midrange of the new bike is really noticeable. The 959’s revamped engine delivers 6% more horsepower and 8% better torque than the 899, with a broader spread of each – but more to the point, Ducati claims a 4% improvement in the torque-to-weight ratio that’s the key to this enhanced rideability over the peakier 899, which with reduced grunt below 8,000 rpm asked you to rev it right out rather than ride the torque curve, as you should do with trad-style V-twins – such as with the 969. Don’t let the white colour of the bike fool you – while the wide open powershifter is crisp and precise, you must urge yourself not to shift gear unduly often, and so avoid using, say, second gear for the tight infield right-hander at Valencia, when third will do fine for a smooth but strong drive out of the apex. It’s a pity there’s no autoblipper programme for clutchless downshifts as on the 1299 – but the fact there isn’t even an option you can purchase to install one is a rare own goal for Ducati. It almost cancels out the fact they’ve finally replaced the 899’s shiny, slippery, cast alloy footrests with the 1299’s machined aluminium billet footpegs that wouldn’t disgrace a factory Superbike. At last! Throwing a leg over the Panigale’s 830mm high seat reveals the fairing to be slightly wider and the windscreen taller, together providing increased protection for the rider versus the 899.
025_ducati_959_panigale_cathcartThis improved engine package comes not only via the detailed mechanical changes and the 57cc increase in capacity, but also thanks to the extra refinement of Ducati’s electronics package as it’s been further improved over the last two years. The feeling of security transmitted by this package of programmes is very high, and will surely let even less experienced riders explore the bike’s limits with lots of self-confidence. I started my time aboard the 959 using the Sport (really, Street) map as I dialled myself in, with TC on level 5 (out of eight), and ABS working on both wheels, but by the end of that first session I had the TC light on the dash flashing as I downshifted from sixth to third at the end of the Pit Straight, running over the car-induced bumps entering this crucial turn. Same thing again at the other end of the lap, with the TC light flashing as I exited the last turn onto the Pit Straight, even if I didn’t feel any instability here – so it was just impacting on acceleration. I switched to Race mode for my second session, with TC level 3 and ABS only operational on the front wheel and rear-lift mitigation turned off. This let the rear wheel walk gently but super controllably as I applied the power to exit the last turn, but without any trace of movement from the front, as the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SC2 stayed glued to the tarmac. Race mode had a sharper pickup from a closed throttle than Sport, but not sufficient to unsettle the bike unduly.
030_ducati_959_panigale_cathcartUsing a gear higher in several turns at Valencia was made possible by the great balance – that word again – of the 959 Panigale’s chassis, which has been subtly improved versus the 899. You can put a lot of confidence in the front tyre to keep up turn speed, in pursuit of a higher top speed down the following straight – well, there’s really only one at Valencia, down which I eventually saw 257kph/161mph on the monochrome dash, before braking hard and late for the third gear Turn One, with the slipper clutch now fitted here for the first time on a midsized Ducati helping deliver great stability as well as some degree of engine braking. This was assisted big time by Ducati’s EBC/Engine Brake Control after I’d switched from Level 1, with such strong intervention that it practically stopped the bike dead when I backed off the throttle for tighter turns, to Level 3 (of three) which proved ideal – even Level 2 made it hard to let the Ducati flow through turns on the overrun, thus maximising the great turn speed the new 959 package was born to offer. I’ve always preferred previously to keep the EBC turned off each time I’ve ridden other Panigale versions. This system is designed to reduce the amount the rear wheel chatters on the overrun by opening the throttle to reduces rear wheel lock-up, but I’ve been riding big twins hard all my racing life, and on other Panigales this has had me missing the entry apexes of turns as the engine pushed me on past them. But Ducati has obviously invested serious time in developing this programme – presumably via its World Superbike ort MotoGP race programmes – and it’s now sufficiently improved in aiding you getting stopped that I’m a believer. Better with it than without it.
040_ducati_959_panigale_cathcartThat degree of assistance with controlled engine braking helped compensate for the slightly less ferocious response of the M4.32 Brembos Monoblock calipers Ducati has fitted here, which offer good feel but don’t have such a strong initial bite compared to the 1299’s M50 items. But really, it’s better this way as being more controllable over the greater variety of road surfaces that a real world Sportbike like this is likely to face. Having got the plot stopped, the 959 cornered on rails, with the narrower 180/60 rear tyre helping it change direction quicker and easier than the 1299 with its massive 200/55-17 rear cover. But the 899 steers easily into turns with minimal rider input, with the only slight downside to the steering the slightly sticky feel to the non-adjustable Sachs steering damper – fitting an adjustable one would head my list of options were I to buy a 959 Panigale. The 43mm Showa BPF/Big Piston Fork fitted compensates for that slightly by being lighter than a conventional upside down fork, and it did a good job of ironing out the few ripples on this MotoGP racetrack, especially under braking.
But it’s that lovely motor which makes the 959 Panigale stand out as the best of both worlds – torquey and forgiving when needed, as well as fast and furious when you want it to be. The 955cc engine’s reserves of torque allow you to hold a gear for long stretches of tarmac, running it to the 10,750 rpm soft action rev limiter in intermediate ratios, which in fifth or sixth gear is raised to 11,500 revs, according to project leader Stefano Strappazon. Irrespective of the number of cylinders it has, the 959 Panigale is a unique real world package that acts as a crossover between 200bhp-plus maxisports megabikes and the increasingly endangered 600cc Supersport category. The Suzuki GSX-R750 used to perform such a role, until it got left behind by modern day Superbike performance numbers.
050_ducati_959_panigale_cathcartDucati is hoping the 959 Panigale will appeal to those stepping up to sportbikes from naked bikes, as well as riders of Japanese 600cc Supersports who feel ready for a bike with increased performance, prestige, and character. They’re also looking at attracting crossover customers who are set to replace their one-litre Japanese Superbike with an Italian V-twin, but baulk at paying the steep premium for the 1299 Panigale. In doing so, Ducati has set out to produce a bike with accessible performance on street or track that you can enjoy Sunday morning blasts on along Racer Road, as well as ride to a circuit, spend a day lapping it (and recording the data on the optional DDA data analysis system), then ride home again – all without changing tyres, gearing or electronics. Ducati has taken the overall format and so-cool styling of the bigger-engined Panigales and, with a 955cc engine, made it more of a road bike without losing its track focus.
For Ducati’s latest all-new model – for that is indeed just what it is – represents all things to all sportbike enthusiasts in a way that arguably just one other bike in the present-day marketplace is able to rival, combining good performance with accessibility and character, top end power with satisfying torque, resulting in a truly versatile motorcycle that will bring serious satisfaction to anyone who owns it. Ducati’s 969 Panigale V-twin joins MV Agusta’s F3 800 triple in pointing the way ahead for sporting road bikes, by offering a level of accessible yet plentiful real world performance that makes it in some ways better value for money than its 1299 Superbike sister, but also just plain more fun to ride. 959 Panigale owners will rejoice in having to work harder in taking such a bike closer to the limits of the performance envelope than he or she is able to do on a bigger-engined, more daunting maxibike like the 1299 Panigale or any of its four-cylinder rivals.
060_ducati_959_panigale_cathcartSo – hey, let’s give thanks to the bureaucrats in Brussels who dreamt up the Euro 4 regulations, for without those the 959 Panigalina might not have been created. This is a motorcycle for riders who aren’t simply intent on having the fastest, the biggest or the most powerful in their garage, but instead want a versatile, real world bike that’ll be both practical and exciting to own, two concepts which the smallest capacity Ducati sportbike has now proved are by no means mutually exclusive. Kudos to Ducati for developing this motorcycle, because it’s very, very satisfying to ride.

 

 

 

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