four-wheelers are obvious staples of the event like the Frankfurt Motor Show, but not necessarily the only type of vehicle that manufacturers are eager to showoff. Audi-owned Ducati also took this opportunity to officially uncover the 2014 Ducati 899 Panigale Superbike, the little sibling to the 1199 Panigale. at a glance, it looks almost identical to the 1199 and why shouldn’t it be when it is in fact a “Supermid” version (read: toned down version) of the 1199 with the intention of making superbike more accessible. seated within the innovative Panigale monocoque chassis is the 899 Superquadro two-cylinder engine that delivers 148 hp (109 kW) and 10 kgm (73 lb-ft) of torque, and mated to the same six-speed gearbox as found in the 1199.
other highlights include a new compact instrumentation panel, LED positioning lights, LED brake lights, three rider-selectable riding modes (Race, Sport and Wet), Ducati Quick Shift (DQS), Ducati Traction Control (DTC), Engine Brake Control (EBC), Ride-by-Wire (aka electronic throttle control), Brembo brake system with triple stage anti-lock brakes, Showa Big Piston Forks (BPF) fully-adjustable front forks, Sachs fully-adjustable rear suspension unit and 17″ ten-spoke wheels shod in Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa rubbers. the 2014 Ducati 899 Panigale Superbike will be available in Ducati Red matched to black wheels for $14,995. there’s also an Arctic White version that’s paired with red wheels for an additional 300 bucks, on top of the 15 grand.
Ducati via Motorcycle USA
