After the recent launch of the 2018 Ducati Panigale V4 at the EICMA show in Italy last month, news has emerged that the Italian motorcycle maker has no plans to produce a middleweight V-four to replace the Panigale 959 with its Superquadro V-twin. Additionally, the final iteration of its premier V-twin, the 1299 Panigale Final Edition will be built alongside the new V-four with its Desmosedici Stradale power plant.
While the previous generation 1299 Superquadro engine was only certified to Euro 3, the final edition Panigale is Euro 4 compliant, and Ducati is allowed to sell the engine in unlimited numbers till 2020. Reporting on a visit to the Bologna factory, Motorcycle News says that Ducati will be producing the 1299 V-twin “till close to the cut-off date.”
However, the V-four Desmosedici engine will not be coming down the ranks into the middleweight division, currently populated in Ducati’s line-up with the Superquadro and the Testastretta 11 two-cylinder mills. “We won’t see middleweight versions of the V4 for bikes like the 959 Panigale,” said Claudio Domenciali, Ducati’s chief executive officer.
“The engine cost is very high. We’ll keep on making the V-twin for the 959. It’ll have a long life,” he said. This will be good news for Ducatisti, who venerate the V-twin engine that has been a Ducati design signature for decades.
The Panigale V4’s 1,103 cc Desmosedici Stradale engine is rated at 214 hp at 13,000 rpm and 124 Nm of torque at 10,000 rpm. Borrowing heavily from its Desmosedici MotoGP engines, the Panigale’s V-four has crank pins off-set by 70-degrees, with a “Twin Pulse” firing order and Ducati’s trademark Desmodromic mechanical valve actuation system.
Meanwhile, a new addition has been made to the 959 Panigale family, the 2018 Ducati 959 Panigale Corse. Taking the base model 959 Panigale, an Öhlins NIX30 fork and TTX36 shock absorber is added, along with a titanium “shotgun” exhaust by Akrapovic.
Other performance touches to the 959 Panigale Corse are a lithium battery, which helps drop dry weight to 175 kg, and Ohlins steering damper. The 2018 Ducati 959 Panigale Corse comes in a special Ducati Corse matte red and white livery, mimicking the look of Ducati’s MotoGP machines.
GALLERY: 2018 Ducati V4 S
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- DU 2017-10-03 1409
- DU 2017-10-03 1409
GALLERY: 2018 Ducati 1299 Panigale R Final Edition
GALLERY: 2018 Ducati 959 Panigale Corse