EICMA 2015: Ducati unveils the 959 Panigale

It is raining new Ducatis at the ongoing Milan Motor Show 2015, or EICMA, as it is more popularly called. And, for hardcore supersports lovers, nothing could be more exciting than the official unveil of the new Ducati 959 Panigale, the successor to the hugely successful Ducati 899 Panigale. The 959 Panigale has been one of Ducati’s worst-kept secrets for some time, having been spied testing in Europe almost completely undisguised, and its bigger engine confirmed by documents lodged with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in the USA. And it is here.

As we’d known for all these time, the new model brings the outgoing 899 Panigale more in line with the revised 1299 and 1299R, including that wider front fairing - which used to be offered as an option on the 1199 Panigale - but is now standard. The seat unit is also reshaped, as are all the side-fairing panels, and the exhausts. 

There will be two models on offer: an US-only version with underbelly exhaust, while the rest of the world gets the 959 Panigale with one-sided twin matte black exhaust canisters. 

Both the versions will have the same powertrain though, with exactly the same amount of horsepower and torque. Despite the 959 moniker on the fairing, the engine is actually a 955cc unit, now with a bore x stroke of 100 x 60.8 mm, and a compression ratio of 12.5:1. Peak power is 157 PS@10,500 rpm, while the max torque figure stands at 107.4 Nm, coming in at 9,000 rpm. The front suspension is by Showa, the rear monoshock comes from Sachs, but the wheels and tyres are the same as on the 899 Panigale. 

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The US version of the new Ducati 959 Panigale weights in at 195 kilos (kerb), while the international version tips the scales a bit more at 200 kgs (also kerb). Pricing and other details are expected to be revealed soon. Stay tuned!