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Ducati 899 Panigale in the driving report

When reason is fun

898 cubic meters, 195 kg, 148 hp – according to today’s standards, which have been shot far higher, these are quite reasonable key data for a sports motorcycle. In addition, the "small" Ducati 899 Panigale promises a lot of driving pleasure. How much can she hold?

S.They were real speed freaks, the racing drivers and engineers of the 1950s. When the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari was built in Imola in 1950 on the initiative of Enzo Ferrari, the aim was to give their racers as free a run as possible. Long straights, wide curves, insane speeds, that’s the credo. Then the cars and motorcycles became too fast for the old courses, and the time of “varianti”, as the harassment is called in Italy, began. The Autodromo in Imola has four of them.

Ducati 899 Panigale in the driving report

When reason is fun

Super athlete

Presentation of the Ducati 899 Panigale

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Shorter wheelbase and steeper steering head

All four are made to demonstrate the brilliant handiness of the "small" 899 Panigale. Even with the front wheel still braked and at high speed, it hits the path precisely into the Tamburello, works like a short hand movement from left to right in the fast Villeneuve chicane and even rushes through the harrowing hooks of the two variants Alta and Bassa in a harmonious sequence of movements. And in the Tosa bend she turns in the tightest radius, quickly ready to straighten up and accelerate fully uphill.

In contrast to the 1199 Panigale, the 899 got a shorter wheelbase and a steering head that was half a degree steeper. Most of the light-footedness is likely due to the contour of the rear tire – a 180/60 ZR 17 on a 5.5 inch wide rear wheel. For the racetrack, the Ducati mechanics first installed a rain racing tire and, when it dried, a race-ready Diablo Supercorsa SP SC2. This choice has probably also had a positive effect on the athlete’s handiness. Front tires for road use are usually softer in structure for reasons of straight-line stability and comfort and form a wider contact area, which allows the motorcycle to turn in a little more slowly. A detailed test with the series tires could reveal differences here.

Ducati 899 Panigale quieter than 1199

A test could also supplement the impressions from the engine with measured values, but it will certainly not change anything in one statement: The engine of the 899, which has 898 cm³, has completely different characteristics than the 1199 large-piston engine.

Ducati

The Ducati 899 Panigale in white.

There were colleagues who missed the nominal 47 extra horsepower of the 1199 and the spectacle that it creates when it unfolds. But the author cannot agree with this opinion. The smaller engine runs more refined than the big one, vibrates less and develops its power more homogeneously. At the same time, it offers a very broad rev range that can be used, with some benevolence at the lower end of 3000 to 12,000 rpm.

The high revving of the 898 is the prerequisite for the shorter gear ratios in all gears, with the help of which the tractive forces on the rear wheel are around 20 percent higher in all gears than in the retired 848. How exactly does that affect the performance of the Ducati 899 Panigale only a test can clarify. Because of the linearly increasing power, one could underestimate the temperament of the engine. But the speed with which it revs up and prompts the driver to upshift speaks for very good acceleration values. The smaller “Superquadro”, the name given to the engine series introduced with the Panigale, is therefore an extremely efficient engine.

Small Panigale 4200 euros cheaper

The savings measures that make the 899 a whopping 4,200 euros cheaper than the 1199 include changing to the two-arm swing arm, which does not lack the elaborate one-arm design, and doing without a mechanical slipper clutch. Amazingly, their absence was not noticed when driving; The EBC (Engine Brake Control), which regulates the braking torque of the engine in overrun mode by carefully opening the throttle valve, worked so well that the rear wheel did not bump even when the clutch was engaged after a quick downshift over four gears.

This opens a chapter that will probably take up more and more space in driving reports and tests in the future: the electronic assistance systems. In addition to the EBC already mentioned, the 899 has a shift assistant, which could perhaps have been set to a slightly shorter interruption time, an ABS and traction control. Different modes can be selected for both. In terms of electronics, the 899 is just as equipped as the large Panigale. And as has been shown in all phases of the test day in Imola, not only in the morning on a wet track, the question is no longer whether the ABS, the EBC or the traction control have been regulated here and there. Electronics have long been much more than the last backup in the event of a disaster, the fall-back level that drivers should avoid.

Video of the driving report

Not only does it work so well with the 899 Panigale that its work fits seamlessly into the processes while driving. Even if the ABS regulates when the road surface is wet, which rarely happens on a dry track with racing tires, it goes without saying. Traditionalists will gradually have to realize that the virtuoso handling of the electronic helpers is just as much a requirement of a good driver as a keen sense for the prison limit. At least when driving on the racetrack. So in the parade discipline of the 899 Panigale.

And although there is also a Japanese 1000 in the 180 hp class at its proud price of 15,490 euros, its rich equipment and its balance make it a very sensible motorcycle. This is exactly what makes driving a lot of fun.

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Technical specifications

Ducati

The monocoque and engine form the core, apart from the wheels, all other assemblies are directly connected to them. A comprehensive framework is no longer necessary.

engine
Water-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 90-degree V-engine, two overhead, chain-driven camshafts, four valves per cylinder, desmodromic actuation, wet sump lubrication, injection, Ø 62 mm, regulated catalytic converter, 440 W alternator, 12 V / 6 Ah battery, Hydraulically operated multi-disc oil bath clutch, six-speed gearbox, O-ring chain, secondary ratio 44:15.
Bore x stroke: 100.0 x 57.2 mm
Displacement: 898 cc
Compression ratio: 12.5: 1
Rated capacity: 109.0 kW (148 hp) at 10750 rpm
Max. Torque: 99 Nm at 9000 rpm

landing gear
Monocoque made of aluminum, upside-down fork, Ø 43 mm, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression damping, hydraulic, two-arm swing arm made of aluminum, central spring strut, lying, with lever system, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression damping, double disc brake at the front, Ø 320 mm, Four-piston fixed calipers, rear disc brake, Ø 245 mm, two-piston fixed calipers, ABS, traction control.
Cast aluminum wheels: 3.50 x 17; 5.50 x 17
Tires: 120/70 ZR 17; 180/60 ZR 17

mass and weight
Wheelbase 1426 mm, steering head angle 66.0 degrees, caster 96 mm, spring travel f / r 120/130 mm, seat height 830 mm, dry weight 169 kg, tank capacity 17.0 liters.

Guarantee: two years
Colors: Red white
Price: 15,490 euros
Additional costs: 305 euros

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