Italian two-wheeler maker Ducati on Thursday launched its L-twin flagship motorcycle, the “Ducati 1299 Panigale R Final Edition” in the Indian market at a price tag of Rs. 59.18 lakh (ex-showroom). The Ducati 1299 Panigale R Final Edition was first unveiled at the eighth round of the World Superbike Championship held in Laguna Seca, California, US, a few days back. Ducati India has already started taking bookings for the 1299 Panigale R Final Edition sports bike against a down-payment of Rs 5 lakh. To pre-book the new Panigale R Final Edition, interested customers will have to visit the nearest Ducati-authorised dealerships across the country. Ducati India has also promised that deliveries of the 1299 Panigale R Final Edition to its owners will commence from September 2017.
The Ducati 1299 Panigale R Final Edition is the last version of the L-Twin engine powered Panigale from the Italian sports bike manufacturer before they move on to V4 engines. Ducati is calling it a “celebration of the twin-cylinder Ducati Superbike legacy” that marked the history of the Superbike World Championship. Visually, the 1299 Panigale R Final Edition gets a tricolour paint job which includes red, white, green, while the wheels have been painted with red colour.
Talking about its mechanical department, the Ducati 1299 Panigale R Final Edition is powered by a 1,285cc Superquadro L-twin cylinder, Euro-IV compliant, liquid-cooled engine that generates 209bhp of peak power at 11,000 rpm and 142 Nm of maximum torque at 9,000 rpm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed transmission that sends power to the rear wheel. The engine features a lightened crankshaft with a larger crank pin and tungsten balancing pads, which we have seen on the Panigale Superleggera. The intake exhaust valves and the con-rods are made of titanium while the balancing pads are made of Tungsten. The 1299 Panigale R Final Edition chassis is based on a die-cast aluminium monocoque structure that keeps its weight restricted to just 179kgs.
The Final Edition also sports an all-titanium Akrapovic exhaust with a twin high-level silencer unit, same as the one seen on the Panigale R that competes in the World Superbike championship. The Ducati 1299 Panigale R Final Edition gets 17-inch 3-spoke alloy wheels that are shod with a 120/70 ZR17 tyre at the front and a 200/55 R17 at the rear (Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP tyres). Suspension duties are handled by a fully adjustable 43mm Ohlins NIX30 upside-down (USD) forks with TiN treatment at the front and a Ohlins TTX36 rear monoshock with adjustable linkage at the rear.
The electronic package on the Ducati 1299 Panigale R Final Edition includes Bosch Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), Ducati Wheelie Control EVO (DWC EVO), Engine Braking Control (EBC), Ducati Quick Shift, cornering ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) and Ducati Traction Control EVO (DTC EVO) for ensuring maximum safety. Braking duties are performed by a twin 330mm semi-floating front rotors with radially mounted M50- 4-piston Brembo Monobloc callipers. Further, its rear brake comes with a 245mm disc with 2-piston floating callipers.
In the Indian market, the vehicle will be imported from the company’s Italy manufacturing plant via the CBU (completely built unit) route.
