HERE’S Ducati’s new 959 Panigale photographed undergoing testing near the firm’s factory in Bologna, Italy.
The new model looks nearly identical to the existing 899 Panigale, with the same brakes and suspension, but close inspection reveals differences in the detail.
The 959 has been given the fairing of the 1299 Panigale, with a different-shaped nose. Where there is a gap in the bodywork under the twin headlights of the 899, the two sides meet on the 1299 and 959.
The scoops are bigger than the 899’s and the lights are a slightly different shape. The mirrors are positioned differently and each has two stems instead of one.
The picture also shows a gap in the left-hand fairing side panel showing off a Ducati badge on an engine case, a detail shared by the 1299 but not the 899.
Otherwise the 959 appears to share major components with the 899. The front brake looks exactly the same as the 899’s, with radial-mounted Brembo monobloc calipers. The 959 appears to share the 899’s fully-adjustable Show big-piston fork and Sachs shock, and it’s got the smaller Panigale's doubled-sided swing-arm instead of the 1299’s single-sider.
The new ‘959’ badge is just visible through the masking tape on the fairing.
The existence of the machine emerged last week when it was named in an emission certificate, which revealed its exact capacity as 955cc. Another certificate refered to a new Hypermotard 939, of 937cc.
The two are among nine new models which Ducati has promised to display at the Eicma Milan show on November 16, some of which will take the Italian marque into new market segments according to CEO Claudio Domenicali.
The firm has confirmed that one of the nine is the new Monster 1200R which Visordown has just tested at the Ascari circuit in Spain.
Another could be the belt-drive cruiser which has been seen in spy shots.
Last week the firm published an ambiguous teaser video which gave away little but hinted we should expect something black. Probably not the machine we see here, then.
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