2016 DUCATI 959 PANIGALE
FIRST RIDE
P48
keeping me informed that I'm not
yet at the point where my pleasure
will instantly turn to pain. This is
indeed a good day. And this is
indeed a good motorcycle.
The older I get, the faster I
was, and a machine like the 959
Panigale makes more sense to a
rider of my caliber than its 1299
club bouncer brother. The 959
is agile, svelte, easier to master
than the 1299, and builds your
confidence like a lady. For 2016,
Ducati has upped the capac-
ity from 898cc to 955cc (not
959cc, just so you know—it's
called 959 because Ducati
sportbikes now end with a 9, e.g.
1299, 959, 899, etc.), increased
the torque primarily from 4000
rpm to 9000 rpm, and generally
made it not quite the rev hungry
DID YOU KNOW?
Twenty years ago, four-time
Superbike World Champion
Carl Fogarty used a 955cc
Ducati to take his second
successive world title. It was
still badged as a 916, the
then top production Ducati,
but over the years Fogarty
has said time and again the
955 was his favorite of all his
title winning Ducatis (capac-
ity was increased to 996cc
toward the end of the 1995
season, but for the major-
ity of the year, Carl used the
955cc capacity). While I'll
admit this has very little to do
with the 959 Panigale aside
from some good pub trivia,
it's interesting to think a bike
that was once the king of
superbike racing is now the
same size Ducati's midsized
road going sportbike, and
its equivalent today is now a
whopping 1285cc monster.
How far we've come.
