FIRST RIDE
P94
2014 DUCATI PANIGALE 899
If nothing else,
Imola in the
rain provided
us a good
opportunity to
test the Ducati's
traction control
system.
hangs rather shoddily (by Ducati
standards) from the new swingarm. The ABS is a Bosch system
that works in conjunction with the
Ducati Safety Pack (DSP).
The wheelbase on the new
899 is a shorter 56.1 inches –
compared to 56.5 inches on the
1199, so that means it has a much
different feel than the 848 Evo.
With the handlebars raised some
10mm and the seat-to-handlebar
distance shortened by 30mm,
the bike has a more upright (and
thus comfortable) riding position
than the Evo. The seat is also
5mm higher on the new model
– with thicker padding than that
found on the bigger Panigale.
Made for the street… remember?
The newest Panigale tips the
scales at 372.5 pounds (dry), 11
pounds less than the 848 Evo.
But that's with the 899's standard
ABS, which adds 4.4 pounds.
1199 Panigale and 56.2 inches
on the 848 Evo. At 24 degrees,
the 899 also has a steeper rake
than the other two as Ducati set
out to make the new bike a more
agile motorcycle.
The 899 was designed to have
the same riding position as the
MAMA MIA
Oh how I'd love to tell you tales of
blazing around the iconic Imola
circuit full-tilt with images of Eddie Lawson vs. Freddie Spencer
dancing in my head. But that
would be a fib of biblical proportions.
Instead Mother Nature threw
a big old monkey wrench into
the proceedings and drenched
the place in the wet stuff. So
what ended up dancing in my
head was the fear of tossing
the $15,295 Arctic White Ducati
down the drenched racetrack. To
make matters worse, our scheduled five 15-minute sessions were
slashed to three when heavy
afternoon rain caused Ducati
to shut us down completely.
So instead of sampling all that
the newest Panigale had to offer, we were resigned to sipping
espresso under the massive and
impressive MotoGP hospitality
