Italian bike manufacturer Ducati rolled in the 848-Evo replacement as it unveiled the 2014 Ducati 899 Panigale at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show
While every major carmaker is trying its best to hog the limelight at the 65th edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show, Ducati has shown that it can grab eyeballs with just two wheels. After months of rumours and speculations about the replacement for the 848-Evo, Ducati, now under the ownership of Audi, finally took the wraps off the 2014 Ducati 899 Panigale. Visually, the bike looks similar to the flagship 1199 Panigale superbike including the LED headlights and integrated turn indicators in the rearview mirror.
Apart from similar styling, the 899 utilises the same monocoque “frameless” chassis design found on its elder sibling instead of the traditional perimeter frame found on the 1198/848. One major difference between the 1199 and the new offering is the absence of single-sided swingarm which was ditched in favour of a dual-sided conventional swingarm. This change may not please many loyal Ducati fans as it was a signature feature for a Ducati superbike.
Though the name suggests 899cc, actually the all-new “Desmoquadro” engine displaces 898cc akin to its elder sibling 1199 Panigale which displaces 1198cc. Powering the baby Panigale is a four-valve-per-cylinder, desmodromic L-twin pumping out 150PS at a heady 10,750rpm and 99 Nm of torque at 9000rpm. The bike tips the scale at 169kg (dry weight) which translates to a power-to-weight figure of 0.88PS/kg. The 899 rides on 10-spoke wheels shod with Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa tyres and Brembo brakes with 3-level ABS which fulfils the task of stopping this beast.
No comments:
Post a Comment