959 Panigale test: Site takes on the 2018 Ducati Challenge
Which motorcycle to choose to start competing? Le Journal moto du Net had never asked the question … And did not think more when Ducati asked him to participate in his first race, riding a 959 Panigale and facing Panigale V2 and V4 , S1000RR or RSV4. Challenge met !
Test 959 Panigale – page 2: Demon of the road
"Angel of the road" in front Valentino rossi the Eternal, Site does not conceive of going to the circuit to participate in its very first official race other than a motorcycle. To warm up, Le Journal moto du Net therefore stole an original 959 Panigale from Ducati West Europe..
Any? No ! Because the French subsidiary of the Italian brand has in particular endowed "our" road bike with Akrapovic silencers more elegant – and high-sounding? – than the original models. Impossible to start this damn Ducat ‘without waking up his neighbors and all the residents of the streets traveled afterwards !
Thousand Nine hundred and fifty-nine apologies to all those whose sleep has been disturbed, or even definitively interrupted by MNC this last weekend of August 2018, Sunday included! Small consolation for them: the pilot too is brutally plunged into a sporting environment. And not just sound !
The position that we must adopt on this beautiful Italian is extremely … ment uncomfortable: hands apart, wrists broken, bust tilted, buttocks raised, feet set back! It is hardly that at the level of the knees that the driver is satisfied with his – bad – fate: the smoothness of the tank allows to enclose his companion.
Both adjustable in spacing, the levers of the 959 Panigale require dexterity. On the left, the clutch lacks smoothness and progressiveness, which makes it difficult to start in the first – long – report. On the right, the brake is as biting as it is powerful: fortunately the ABS watches over the cobblestones or the "grouille" !
After a rather tedious start – we pity the starter in charge of animating the two pistons of 100 mm in diameter! -, the engine distills "good vibrations" to its pilot at idle. The inertia of the L-Twin is incredibly low: the thrusts result in sharp up and down revs !
Coupled, linear and equipped with a finely calibrated injection, the Superquadro is "super" easy to use in town and on the road. The quickshifter makes the rider’s job even easier by allowing low upshifts in revs and smoothly, as long as the throttle grip is not swiveled too far.
To lower gears, on the other hand, it is essential to use the clutch – and, incidentally, to put on the gas. On a sports bike worth 17,000 euros, we would have appreciated that the shifter also provides the "down" function, no ?
Warm-up (s) before the circuit…
Likewise, some customers are sure to criticize the dashboard: in addition to being dull – black and white only – it skips the fuel gauge! Wouldn’t the little Panigale which boasts of being at the cutting edge of technology deserve a meter that is both complete and in color? ?
After only five minutes of use, the temperature rises on board. Appreciable when you leave as an MNC at dawn, equipped with a simple perforated leather suit, the heat emanating from the engine and the collectors becomes unbearable as soon as the outside temperature exceeds 20 ° C..
The pilot suffocates quickly: at a red light, he perches on the back and the top of the saddle to get as far away from the heat source as possible. The mechanics resist as best they can, thanks to the fan which evacuates the calories towards the calves of the pilot! Well before entering the track, Site already wet his jersey and his underwear !
On the main roads, the 959 Panigale accepts to trot at 50 km / h in 4th gear, but to face traffic in the city center, it is imperative to drop one, or even two speeds. The turning radius makes it difficult to maneuver in two-wheel parking lots.
On the banks of the Seine or the ring road, the Superquadro agrees to maintain the regulatory 70 km / h in 6th on a trickle of gas, but hardly tolerates going below. At the slightest slowdown, you have to play with the selector and the hard clutch, so tiring in the long run.
Insertion on the fast track relieves the engine: at 90 km / h, the Panigale finally turns perfectly round. From 110 km / h, the times on the last report become muscular. But if the rider’s hair starts to stand on end, it’s also because of the crackling that appears in the handlebars and the tank..
Our road Panigale being equipped with the high "Racing" screen, it isolates the head from turbulence and therefore significantly reduces the sound level inside the helmet. We can curl up on the large tank – wide at the top, flared below! -, on the other hand, the shoulders remain shaken by the wind.
It is therefore with a certain relief that Site dismounts from its "first" motorcycle and the station under the Ducati tent. Small MNC tip: the crutch of the 959 will be found with the tip of the boot, and not with the heel. It is therefore much less painful than the side of the Panigale V4.
Half an hour’s drive is enough to understand that behind her clean lines and under her white dress hides a real demon! The 959 Panigale is tiring in the city and grueling on the road. But for this program (s), the recent one is much more recommended. It is on the circuit that the little Panigale is supposed to be revealed: on the track !
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