Ducati is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, with the culmination of that celebration happening right now in Misano, at World Ducati Week. As we previewed already, Ducati would give a sneak peak of a new model at the event, and debut a limited edition machine as well.
Well, we have had more than a sneak peak of the upcoming Ducati Supersport model, and now we get the full monty of the Ducati 1299 Panigale S Anniversario – a special superbike that commemorates 90 years of Ducati motorcycles.
The Ducati 1299 Panigale S Anniversario is more than just a cosmetic exercise, with only 500 motorcycles getting its limited edition paint job, gold-colored metal pieces, and bevy of technical upgrades
One interesting new feature though is the debut of the EVO version of the Ducati Traction Control (DTC) and Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) systems.
Ducati says that these electronic rider aids tap into the Panigale’s Bosch Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), and thus make better interventions because of the IMU’s measurements.
One new feature to come from this is slide control, which is available when a rider selects a DTC level of 1. At this level, the DTC will allow the rider to modulate the rear-wheel slide with the throttle, thus allowing the rider to drift the rear wheel around while leaned over through a turn.
The traction control system also now controls the throttle bodies, allowing for more refined engine power modulation, beyond what spark-arresting can provided.
We wouldn’t be surprised to see this feature appear on other 2017 models, when they’re announced later this year, but for now the Ducati 1299 Panigale S Anniversario is the first bike to get the upgrade traction control system.
Aside from the special livery, Ducati 1299 Panigale S Anniversario owners will appreciate the gold-colored forged aluminum Marchesini wheels, gold-colored titanium Akrapovic exhaust, and limited edition laser-etched engraving.
Other technical features include a top triple clamp and steering head inserts, both of which are machined-from-solid aluminium alloy. These inserts can shift the front wheel forward by 5mm, thus giving the Panigale S Anniversario the same geometry as the Panigale R.
Ducati has also added a lithium ion battery, and carbon fiber heel guards, rear mud guard, and shock absorber cover – all of which net a 2.5 kilogram weight reduction.
If the Ducati 1299 Panigale S Anniversario tickles your fancy, you will have to plunk down a cool $28,995 for it at your local Ducati dealership, although there’s no word yet on availability/delivery.
We can add though, that Asphalt & Rubber spotted these bikes already in production at the Bologna factory, so delivery should be on the soon-ish side of the spectrum.
With the arrival of the Ducati 1299 Panigale S Anniversario, we can be certain that we won’t see an updated Superbike from Ducati at Milan, later this year. It does also seem to set the stage for Bologna’s flagship model to see an all-new design for the 2018 model year.
Source: Ducati
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