Ducati 1299 Panigale R Final Edition Unveiled

The ‘Final Edition’ livery update will be the last 1299 Panigale to carry the L-twin engine, which will soon be substituted by the V4 motor

The ‘Final Edition’ of the Ducati 1299 Panigale R was unveiled at the Laguna Seca racing circuit during round eight of the World Superbike Championship in California, USA, on July 8, 2017, by Ducati CEO, Claudio Domenicali. Ducati riders Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri will ride the bike at the World Superbike Championship. The tri-colour livery is inspired from the Italian national flag. This is the second bike from Ducati to get the tri-colour livery. The first one was the 1199 Panigale.

The bike is powered by Ducati’s 1285cc L-twin engine which produces 209PS @ 11,000rpm and a peak torque of 142Nm @ 9,000rpm. The bike is constructed on a monocoque aluminium chassis. Suspension duties are handled by Öhlins NIX30 43 mm fully adjustable USD forks with TiN treatment with 120mm wheel travel at the front and fully adjustable Öhlins TTX36 unit with aluminium single-sided swingarm with 130mm wheel travel at the rear.

Braking is done by two 330mm semi-floating discs with radially mounted Brembo Monobloc four piston callipers at the front and a 245mm disc with two piston callipers at the rear. Cornering ABS is offered as standard. The motorcycle is shod with Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP 120/70 R17 tyres at the front and Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP 200/55 R17 tyres at the rear. It weighs 168kg.

Ducati CEO, Claudio Domenicali, said, "I'm incredibly proud to present this latest version of our Panigale. Maybe no other motorcycle manufacturer has bound its name so tightly to an engine as Ducati has to its sports twin-cylinder. Today, we're here to celebrate its history, just as we stand on the cusp of a new era in which our desmodromic system will be used on a new generation of V4 engines derived from extensive experience in MotoGP, a championship in which our engine has demonstrated outstanding performance. But that's the future. Today, we want to pay homage to a twin-cylinder engine that - thanks to incredible torque and compactness - has seen Ducati win races in every SBK championship it has ever participated in. In short, it's the engine that has written World Superbike history. From Marco Lucchinelli's first victory on 3rd April 1988 with the 851 at Donington Park (in the first-ever world championship for modified production models) to the stunning 2017 wins by Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri on the Panigale R, Ducati has won no less than 333 races and taken 17 Constructors' titles and 14 Rider's titles”.

The 1299 gets top of the line features like 6-axis Inertia measurement Unit (IMU), riding modes, power modes, and other electronic wizardy like Ducati Traction Control (DTC), Ducati Wheelie Control EVO (DWC EVO), Ducati Slide Control (DSC), Engine Brake Control (EBC), Ducati Power Launch (DPL), Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) and Ducati Data Analyser + (DDA+). The 1299 Panigale R gets titanium connecting rods and valves, balanced crankshaft, lithium ion battery, auxiliary adjustment buttons, forged Marchesini aluminium wheels and Akrapovic exhaust.

Managing Director of Ducati India, SergiCanovas, said “We recently delivered the super exclusive limited edition 1299 Superleggera in India and now we’re proud to launch the 1299 Panigale R Final Edition for superbike enthusiasts. A tribute to the great heritage of Ducati superbikes, the special livery and top-of-the-line components create a thrilling riding experience and unique visual appeal.”

Ducati India will start deliveries of the 1299 Panigale R Final Edition in September 2017 and the price will be announced shortly. Watch this space for more updates on the motorcycle.