IT’S been a big year for new Ducati models, with the Scrambler, new Multistrada 1200 and the 205hp 1299 Panigale – and the firm hasn’t finished yet.
Visordown has received an invitation to the press launch of a mystery new model at the end of September.
Details of the bike are not revealed in the invitation, only that the launch will consist of a ‘track test for a road bike’.
Now, we’re speculating here, but a quick look at Ducati’s range reveals a notable hole left by the discontinuation in 2013 of the 1099cc Streetfighter 1098. With a crop of new super-nakeds from the competition since then, like Suzuki’s GSX-S1000 and BMW’s S1000R, it doesn’t seem unlikely that Ducati would launch a Panigale-based 1299 Streetfighter, complete with monocoque chassis and latest-generation engine.
The fact the test ride is to be on track means we can rule out another edition of the Scrambler, while a new super-naked would be well described as a ‘road bike’. A 1299 Streetfighter would make a more extreme super-naked alternative to the 132hp Streetfighter 848, which remains in the line-up.
However, an upgraded variant of the 899 Panigale would also make sense, given the 1299 replaced the 1199 for 2015.
We’ll let you know more as soon we're able.
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