Ducati 899 Panigale

DUCATI 899 PANIGALE

IGNITION

NEWS

The 1199 Panigale debut two years ago was a revolution in the superbike class but one limited by price. The real question is, how do you bring the revolution to the largest number of potential owners? This past fall, Ducati revealed an 899 Panigale that expresses CEO Claudio Domenicali's underlying aim: to produce the affordable exotic.

At $14,995 forthe red-withblack-wheels version, this 899 hits that target.

A bore and stroke of 100.0 x 57.2mm equals 898.49cc; this is a very oversquare engine (bore/stroke ratio is 1.75), hence the engine's descriptor: "Superquadro." For comparison, the 1199 is 112.0 x 60.8mm. This 90-degree liquid-cooled V-twin is claimed to make 148 hp at 10,750 rpm, with peak torque of 73 foot-pounds coming at 9,000.

Four valves per cylinder are driven by Ducati's traditional desmodromic system. Rememberthe short service intervals of some past Ducatis? Forget them; like on the 1199, Ducati engineered a 15,000-mile service interval for this 899.

Much is shared with the 1199, such as the close-ratio six-speed gearbox, all-plain-bearing rods and mains, and the use of a racing-type, large-volume oil scavenge pump, which pulls crankcase pressure well below atmospheric, as is done on Formula 1 car engines. Cams are, as on the 1199, driven by a combination of chain and gear.

In place of Ducati's more typical Marelli fuel system, the single-injector-per-cylinder system on the 899 is from Mitsubishi.

As with the 1199, a die-cast aluminum monocoque frame/ airbox connects the engine to the front wheel, plus a likewise die-cast double-sided swingarm combines to give a wheelbase just over 56 inches, with a front/rear weight distribution of 52/48. These cast chassis and engine parts are produced by the Ritter Vacural process, which produces properties more like those of forgings. The aim of all such vacuum processes is to prevent major contaminants such as oxides from acting as sites of weakness.

Kevin Cameron