Mission Brief: Go test two Ducati superbikes on track. The new Panigale 899 and the previously-launched Panigale S

We think that’s something no human with a pulse, and a bike license, would turn down.

The catch? None that we can think of yet. Well, the bikes cost a cool $100,000 in total, but that sort of thing is the risk you have to take. And the track is Pasir Gudang, the nearest one to Singapore, since the dream of Changi went up in smoke and a cloud of corruption and cheap dodginess swept cleanly under the carpet and never heard of again.

Now I’ve done a handful of trackdays, but I’m still very much a novice when it comes to going really fast on two wheels round circuits, which is why our crack team is rounded out by our super-fast guy, Deyna Chia, to give us the experienced perspective. I ride around like I’m on crack, Deyna rides around like the track is crack (if you see how often he’s there you’ll come to the same conclusion) and Ju-Len is stuck at home fingering his crack. In the wall of course. For repairs.

Having previously survived BMW’s super-quick S 1000 RR round PG, I’m confident I can come out of this experience with something interesting to say. That is, until we reach PG in time for the 1030 session and it starts pouring buckets. Some people think our job is easy.

The most interesting bike review ever was Hunter S. Thomson’s test of the Ducati 900 SS in Cycle World magazine. Now it’s been nearly 20 years since then, and technology has come a long, long way, but he still summed up the feeling of climbing onto a sex-and-tech laden piece of Italian exotica brimming with horsepower: “You have to be a little crazy to ride these super-torque, high-speed crotch rockets anywhere except a racetrack - and even there, they will scare the whimpering shit out of you... There is, after all, not a pig's eye worth of difference between going head-on into a Peterbilt or sideways into the bleachers. On some days you get what you want, and on others, you get what you need.”

We wait for an hour and the rain’s finally stopped, and the track looks very damp, but not outright wet, so it’s finally time to gear up and take off. Deyna hops on the ‘other’ bike there that day - a Hypermotard - ‘so I can dry out the track a bit!’ he says, roaring off.

READ MORE:

Ducati Hypermotard reviewed

Ducati's mega Monster strikes in SG

Less Is More, For Less

Derryn:

There’s no way I’m going out there on the more expensive bike for my virgin laps, so I paw the keys for the beautiful, white Panigale 899. And it is beautiful. It’s got a double-sided swingarm which in the world of Italian exotica almost counts as being ‘low-class’, but not that any normal person would know the difference. It being a Ducati sports bike, the 899 has a sort of sensuous purpose to its lines. It’s basically a Priapic totem on wheels.

The fact that it doesn’t have half the electrickery of its much more costly brother might actually be a boon. Conventional wisdom holds that supersports machines are more fun to ride because you don’t have to worry about screaming maniacal top end rush and/or self-preservation.

The 899 has a classic sportbike seating position, but it’s not terribly uncomfortable. It’s surprisingly quiet at the start, what with the muffler turned and tucked neatly under the bike itself, but going out it feels obviously a V-twin, and a bit more particular about gear selection.



I spend the first two laps riding like I’m in a china shop. Cold tyres, a wet track and unfamiliar machine, but the 899, like all top-notch modern machines, has extensive electronic aids. There are three riding modes - Wet, Road and Race - which affect engine power, ABS, quickshifter, traction control and engine braking control systems in suit. But this doesn’t mean the bike is ‘uncrashable’, as one American technology magazine wrongly described it.

But the 899 is nothing but supportive. It does feel slightly vague - as most bikes do in the wet - but as the track dries out a little bit more, it starts to come into its own. Because of the damp, I do a lot more hanging off and less leaning (which is safer), and this also helps manage the bike over bumps. The front end feels very planted and positive, although the back end (with its less-expensive Sachs adjustable shock) moves around quite a bit. Still, the precise throttle control (it’s all done by-wire too) really helps deliver confidence and the presence of electronic safety nets is never really in your face, even with micro-slides on the exit of Pasir Gudang’s slowest, off-camber corners.

Deyna:

I’m done using the Hypermotard as a $30,000 glorified mop, and it’s time to hop on the 899. Sporting a double-sided conventional swing arm, the 899 sports a less over-square engine than the 1199, and is five kilos heavier than the base 1199. Power is a healthy 148bhp (torque 99Nm), 14bhp more than the older 848 Evo it replaces, which is also 5kg heavier.

Unlike Ducatis of old, the 899, like the 1199, delivers power more like a vee-four or an inline four. It shares the heritage of the 1199 engine but with less bore and stroke and a different top end. Initially it feels a little soft (Wet mode) but it pulling predictably from 5,000rpm, with a strong, enjoyable second wind above 9,000rpm, akin to Honda’s re-known VTEC “pull”. Throttle response and engine mapping are spot-on, coupled with near perfect engine kill times triggered by the stock quick-shifter. Corresponding to this surge is an entertaining change in engine note, that adds to the aural experience, a departure from the booming Termignoni-kitted Ducatis we’re familiar with.

Even in the slippery conditions, the connection between throttle and rear-wheel was precise and predictable, allowing confident pinned throttle exits, the Pirelli Rosso Corsas gripping well with only the occasional slide.



Fitted with Showa’s well regarded Big Piston Fork and adjustable Sachs shock, the 899’s forward-canted stance requires religious gripping of the slim tank with one’s thighs. Hanging off the bike, this forward (weight) bias disappears, but of course the bike could possibly turn much quicker if the track was completely dry. The back end of PG began to dry out on our laps, but the start-finish and first few turns still remained damp for the whole session.

Running The Funny Gully

Derryn:

Putting the $65,900 (OTR) price at the back of my head, along with visions of Hunter Thompson’s fabled Sausage Creature (Google it), it’s time for a ride on the big one, the 1199 Panigale S Tricolore. The last adjective also describes the Italian flag, which is reflected on the colour scheme of this model. Besides the fancy paintjob, it also has three-spoke, forged al uminium Marchesini wheels (almost a kilo lighter than the normal Panigale’s) and the Ducati Data Analyser system, which automatically logs your laptimes and other information (throttle, brake, oil temp etc) via a USB stick in the tail.

From the start, it feels more focused, with a higher seat and what feels like a more extreme crouch and lower wrist position. But the 1199 S isn’t more uncomfortable, since you somehow actually sit flatter overall. Ergonomically this is in line with what Ducati says about the 899, in that it has more street bias than the 1199.

Which is why the Tricolore bristles with features - look at the list and you can hardly believe they cram so much into such a slender machine. It looks like giant mechanical wasp, especially with the cool LED headlights.

Engaging the super-trick TFT display, we set the bike into rain mode, which delivers ‘only’ 120bhp. The Tricolore comes with a quickshifter, slipper clutch (899 lacks one), ABS, traction control and engine braking control, as well as top shelf components (see list).

While the engine was restricted to 120bhp, it’s certainly the most powerful 120bhp I’ve ever tasted. My 2000 Honda Fireblade made that much power but feels like a diesel train in comparison to the immediate, linear power the Panigale gives. It doesn’t feel like a crazed, roid-raged Hulk of a powerplant as thankfully the engineers don’t seem to have sacrificed rideability for peak power.

But what’s even more impressive is how together the bike feels - it’s immediately easier and faster to ride than the 899, even in the damp. It turns in, holds the line and exits with less effort, which is really helpful even for a still-learning rider like myself. With more confidence, I found I could spend more time/attention on things like proper sight-lines and body position. Usually after a handful of laps, your body says it’s time to go in. But the Tricolore’s confidence convinced me to stay out even longer  so much so that I inadvertently deprived our fast guy of more time with the bike. Sorry DC!

Deyna:

While DW was out hogging the high-spec stuff, I got more time with the 899, so it’s useful to do more comparisons between the two. Remember established sports bike wisdom is that the bike with the smaller engine is usually more fun to ride?

It’s no surprise the feature-packed, gizmo-filled 1199 Panigale S Tricolore we tested made its super-sport brethren feel a generation older...almost crude we might say. Whilst the 899’s Showa Big Piston Forks communicated every bump and tarmac change, the high-spec Ohlins NIX forks and TTX shock on the 1199 S Tricolore smoothed out the irregularities, whilst communicating exactly what the Pirelli Supercorsa SP shod rear wheel was doing when powering out of slippery corners. The weight bias made the 899 heavier to steer (it’s got a non-adjustable steering damper) through the chicanes compared with the 1199 S Tricolore. Up front, the M50 Brembo monobloc callipers were spot on with power and feel, making the otherwise adequate Brembo M4s on the 899 feel out-classed.

Recognising the 1199 S Tricolore was box-fresh, we elected to navigate the rain-soaked circuit in Rain mode as well. Curtailed on paper to 120hp, the 1199’s extra capacity didn’t overwhelm, the linear power delivery allowing for confident brisk acceleration. The 899’s gear ratios and power deliver requiring down-shifting into first for a couple of corners, with the 1199 S Tricolore tackling these comfortably in second. Under the brakes, a combination of great suspension and better body control with less dive resulted in increased stability, and more rider confidence. Trail-braking the 1199 S Tricolore was also more assured. Both bikes turned in well, however requiring bar pressure from mid-turn to exit.

In describing the sensation and experience of riding both Panigales back-to-back, reminded me, to use a car analogy, of driving an older Porsche 996 GT3 and a newer 997 GT3 RS. The former feeling a little dated, spongy gear shift, brake pedal requiring a firm foot, steering rack less taut, whilst the latter felt crisp and reassuring.


Conclusions

Both riders obviously lamented not being able to do a ‘true’ test of both bikes with dry weather conditions, but the rain also proved to be illuminating in a way that a regular track test wouldn’t have been.

Derryn:

I was quite surprised by how usable and accessible the 1199 S is. When it comes to 195bhp superbikes, they all give me sweaty palm moments, but riding the Panigale S, even in the wet, wasn’t as remotely scary as I thought it was. Still, there’s a good reason for all that, because the bike’s scraping $70,000 and if you ever bought one, how would you go back to accepting a ‘normal’ superbike after that? It’s a really tough act to follow. In real world terms, the 899 makes a lot more sense, especially since lots of riders here use their bikes on the road as well as the track.

Deyna:

From a regular track rider’s perspective, I imagine that the 899 would require 8/10s of ability to extract good lap times, while with the 1199S Tricolour, one could cruise (relatively) at 7/10s and probably lap about two seconds faster. With a more neutral sitting position, trick suspension, Brembo’s latest M50 brakes, slipper clutch, optional 47hp advantage, that pretty TFT screen, deeper throated induction and exhaust growl, “more” might actually be more manageable for the masses. Those who are able to rationalise the nearly 75 percent premium, and afford it, that is. If not, I think the base Panigale S, at 50 percent over the 899 Panigale, will be just as effective.

*Pasir Gudang has a policy of no photography for its open track days. We apologise for the lack of more exciting, on-track shots! 

Ducati Panigale 1199 S Tricolore

Engine type 1,198cc, 8V, V-twin

Bore X Stroke 112 x 60.8mm

Gearbox type 6-speed manual with slipper clutch and quickshifter

Max power 195bhp at 10,750rpm

Max torque 132Nm at 9,000rpm

0 to 100km/h <2.7 seconds (est.)

Top speed >290km/h (est.)

Dry Weight 166.5kg

Seat Height 825mm

Price $65,900 (OTR)

Front Suspension Ohlins NIX30 43mm USD forks, electronic adjustment

Rear Suspension Ohlins TTX36, electronic adjustment

Front Brakes Dual 330mm semi-floating disc, Brembo Monobloc M50 four-piston, ABS

Rear Brakes Single 245mm disc, 2-piston



Ducati Panigale 899

Engine type 898cc, 8V, V-twin

Bore X Stroke 100 x 57.2mm

Gearbox type 6-speed manual with quickshifter

Max power 148bhp at 10,750rpm

Max torque 99Nm at 9,000rpm

0 to 100km/h 2.8 seconds (est.)

Top speed >250km/h (est.)

Dry Weight 169kg

Seat Height 830mm

Price $37,800 (OTR)

Front Suspension 43mm USD BPF, fully-adjustable

Rear Suspension Fully-adjustable  

Front Brakes Dual 320mm semi-flo ating disc, Brembo Monobloc M4.32 four-piston, ABS

Rear Brakes Single 245mm disc , 2-piston ABS


Contact: Ducati Singapore

www.ducati.com.sg

Telephone 6631 8166