A document reportedly sent to Ducati dealers in the United Kingdom appears to spill some juicy details on the upcoming “Final Edition” Panigale superbike.
Allegedly, the “Ducati 1299 Panigale R Final Edition” will come with 209hp at the crank, thanks to a number of engine modifications. The final installment of the v-twin superbike will also allegedly weigh a paltry 419 lbs when fully fueled (370 lbs dry). Shazam!
As we saw in the video teaser, the bike will have a red and white front fairing, with a green tail section, which looks similar to what was seen on the Ducati 1299 Superleggera, with a little tricolore flare.
It also appears to have a special Akrapovic exhaust, which we have seen already on the Superleggera and the Ducati Panigale R WorldSBK machine.
That makes sense, because the Final Edition bike is set to launch during the World Superbike round at Laguna Seca, which will help draw lines between the street bike and its racing counter part.
Like the Superleggera, the Final Edition Panigale will see its engine upgraded over stock, though it will still have steel cylinder liners, steel fasteners, and a die-cast crank case.
Of note is that the quoted 209hp figure comes from a chassis dyno, whereas the power figures for the Superleggera were taken from an engine dyno. This means that it is likely that the Final Edition and 1299 Superleggera actually make the same power when put on the same dynamometer.
As such, one can expect a number of other tasty bits on the Panigale Final Edition, though it is going to cost. In the UK market, it looks like pricing is set at £34,995 – which would put pricing in the United States around the $42,000 mark.
That is still a healthy sum for a motorcycle, but also roughly half the cost of the carbon-fiber-everything Superleggera. For that price difference, one would assume that the Panigale Final Edition comes with a standard cast aluminum chassis, instead of carbon fiber.
This is all of course if we take this document on face value, and we have some thoughts on that. What is interesting about this UK dealer document is that it refers to a “1299” Panigale R. That should perk the ears of Ducatisti.
Not only does Ducati not refer to its homologation machine with a number designation, but as well all know, the Ducati Panigale R is based off the 1199 engine, not the 1299.
There is also the small matter that the 1299 engine doesn’t fit into any racing class rule, which would make an “R” designation kind of silly. Still, with the machine said to command a strong premium over the current Panigale R, one can see why the “S” designation doesn’t fit either.
A typo in a un-official document, or a forgery (it’s happened before)? We can’t be certain. In the end, it doesn’t really matter what Ducati calls this final installment to the Panigale lineup.
The Italian brand is set to debut a V4 superbike later this year, and we know that the Panigale R will continue to race through the 2018 season. Everything else will be revealed to us in just a few weeks’ time.
Source: Visordown
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