Ducati 959 Panigale Corse Review (2018)
What Is It?
The Ducati 959 Panigale Corse is a mid-range sports bike and is powered by a Euro 4 compliant liquid cooled 955 cc V-Twin engine, producing 147.5 bhp at 10,500 rpm and maximum torque at 9,000 rpm.
Specs
- Seat Height: Average (830 mm / 32.7 inches)
- Weight: Average (198 kg / 437 lbs)
- Economy: Average (40 mpg / 7.1 l/100km / 14.2 km/l)
- Range: Average (150 miles / 241 km)
- Power to Weight: High (0.747 bhp/kg / 0.557 kW/kg)
- Top Speed: Very high (160 mph / 257 km/h)
Pros
- Plenty of real world power
- Soundtrack
- Suspension
- Handling
- Looks
Cons
- Exhaust can get hot in traffic
- On the heavy side
- No TFT dash
- Economy
- Brakes
What Is It Like?
Tell us a bit about you
I'm a 35 year old male, 6'2", with 19 years riding experience. 30-35 bikes owned including everything from sports, adventure, enduro and retro.
Why did you choose it?
Having just owned a 1,000 cc inline 4 sports bike I was missing the soul and sounds of a Ducati and wanted to strike the balance of real word power with sports handling.
What is good about it?
It's just the right balance of sports bike, as it is fast enough to have fun without being a handful like its bigger brother. Sweet handling, those Ducati noises and vibes and a gear box that is so much better than the old 848.
Being a Corse it has some nice parts such as Ohlins all round. When you are not riding it you find yourself going in the garage just to have a look or coming up with a excuse to go out on it.
What could be improved?
At the price it was it should have come with an auto blipper.
What is the economy like?
90 miles out of a tank if I am lucky.
Any mods or upgrades?
I will be upgrading to a taller screen, radiator guards and a tail tidy to name a few.
How is the engine?
It's really good with a nice flat power curve. Being a v-twin, if you're a gear too high for the corner it will just pull, let it rev and it just gets better.
How does it handle?
Like a 600 sports, it turns in really nice and easy. Rough roads do upset it a bit, as with all sports bikes.
What are the brakes like?
They're okay but not as good as the M50 Brembos on other sports bikes.
Is it comfortable?
It's okay for a sports bike. I can ride for a few hours no problem however the rear exhaust pipe will cook your bum in traffic.
How reliable have you found it?
No issue so far.
What's the servicing frequency and cost like?
The 8,000 miles or one year cost are normal for a bike apart from the Desmo service at 16,000 miles which I hear is around £1,000.
How would you sum up the model?
The 959 Panigale is the thinking mans sports bike. More fun than a 600 cc but not a handful like a full on 1,000 cc superbike.
- Gav S, 2020
Price Guide
Add Your Review
Do you own this bike? We would love to hear anything good, bad, unexpected or that you have changed plus anything that a prospective new owner might find interesting or useful.