At the 2013 IAA car show in Frankfurt, Germany, Ducati which now under the helm of Audi has officially unveiled the 2014 model year of the 899 Panigale. The 2014 Ducati 899 Panigale is described by the Company as a “Supermid” version of the 1199 Panigale superbike, where it uses the same Superquadro 90-degree V-Twin engine design and monocoque frame concept as the 1199 Panigale.
The 899 Panigale’s new Superquadro powerplant was developed from the 1199’s and comes with the same six-speed gearbox but but displacing 898cc with a revised bore and stroke of 100 mm and a 57.2 mm. The new setting is claimed to make 148 horsepower at 10,750 rpm and 73 ft-lb. of torque at 9000 rpm. For comparison, the 1199 Panigale’s Superquadro engine with 112.0 bore and 60.8mm stroke has an output of 195 hp and 98 ft-lb. of torque, while the current 848EVO with its Testastretta Evoluzione Engine with 94mm x 61.2mm bore and stroke only has an output of 140 hp and 72.3 ft-lb.
Also, the 2014 Ducati 899 Panigale features an aluminum monocoque chassis and with a full 4.5-gallon tank, the bike only has a wet weight of 425.5 pounds (weighs only 372 pounds without full), which means it is 2.5 pounds lighter than the current 848EVO.
Like the 1199 Panigale, the 2014 Ducati 899 Panigale also comes equipped with electronic throttle control, triple-stage anti-lock brakes with Bosch’s lightweight 9MP module, the fully integrated Riding Mode technology of Ride-by-Wire, Engine Brake Control (EBC), Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) and Ducati Traction Control (DTC).
The 2014 Ducati 899 Panigale sits on 17-inch ten-spoke wheels (17 x 3.5 inches up front and 17 x 5.5 inches at the rear) wrapped in Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa tires (120/70ZR-17 front and 180/60ZR-17 rear). The breake system consist of the Radial-mount four-piston Monobloc M4 32 Brembo calipers gripping the 320mm front discs and a two-piston Brembo caliper that grips the 245mm rear disc, while suspension consisting of Showa BPF (Big Piston Forks) fully-adjustable front forks and a Sachs fully adjustable rear shock. Ducati Electronic Suspension adjustment (DES) is not available on the 899 model.
For the look, we can say that The 899 is very similar to the 1199, except for its double-sided swingarm and a black-on-white LCD. Fyi, the 1199 Panigale has single-sided swingarm and color TFT screen.
The 2014 Ducati 899 Panigale is available in two color options: Ducati Red with black wheels and Arctic White with red wheels. It will set you back £12,495 when goes on sale in the UK starts from November.