What’s It All About?
You can probably get faster bikes than Ducati’s and you can buy more expensive bikes if you’re that way inclined, but try as you might, you’ll be hard pushed to buy anything sexier than this Italian work of mechanical art – the new Ducati 899 Panigale. Based on its bigger brother, the 1199 Panigale, the new bike shares many of the bigger bike’s hardware and technology.
What Does It Cost?
At £12,495, the Ducati 899 Panigale offers an incredibly sophisticated and high-performance machine for the money and will not cause too much damage to the owner’s bank account. Buying this cheaper Ducati, however, does not mean you sacrifice any performance as the 899 Panigale is likely to be every bit as potent and enjoyable to ride as its bigger sibling.
How Does It Handle?
The new Ducati 899 Panigale uses the same small cast aluminium frame as the 1199 Panigale but the engine is all-new. This is a v-twin unit with four large valves per cylinder fitted with an automatic decompression system that is an aid to starting. Its ride-by-wire system provides three riding modes (wet, sport and race) which are integrated with the anti-lock brakes (ABS) and engine braking control.
The big v-twin sounds just as a Ducati should when you rev it to the red-line, although such are its torque characteristics that you should make indecent progress even when short-shifting up through its excellent box. The gearbox is the same as that used on the 1199 with its slick action and smooth change including a quickshifter.
The Brembo front brakes on the 899 Panigale have 2x320mm semi-floating discs, radially mounted monobloc M4.32 4-piston callipers with ABS as standard. The rear brakes feature a 245mm disc and a 2-piston calliper.
The front suspension features Showa big-piston forks as opposed to the pressurised Marzocchi forks found on the 1199. Similarly, the rear suspension consists of a single Sachs shock linked to a double-sided swingarm and no adjustable linkage as found on the 1199 Panigale.
Verdict
If you ride one of these you are very likely to want one. These bikes are addictive. If you can afford it, do it. It’ll be something worth telling the grandchildren one day. The Ducati 899 Panigale is an incredibly beautiful bike. Don’t worry that it is not an 1199 as this bike is likely to be acclaimed in its own right. It is an outstanding machine and, for the price, you are probably buying a bargain Ducati if there is such a thing.
BIKE: Ducati 899 Panigale
PRICE: £12,495 on the road
ENGINE: 898cc V-twin 4-valve per cylinder, Desmondromic, liquid cooled
WEIGHT: 193kg (wet)
POWER: 148bhp@10,750rpm
TANK SIZE: 17 litres