New Ducati V-Twin Sportbike Spied Testing

Ducati appears to have a new Vs-twin Panigale sportbike in the works, evinced by spy shots that have recently been released. Or at the very least an update to its 959, the remaining Superquadro V-twin in the brand's now V-4-rich Panigale line.

Late in 2017 Ducati revealed its forthcoming V-4 Panigale and in the short time since, the fire-breathing four-cylinder has earned accolades throughout the industry. The look, the feel, the power, it’s all there. But for riders who weren’t ready to take the leap, a tried-and-true V-twin remained in the 959. Its looks were a little more road oriented, it’s performance a little more subdued, but it was still a ripper.

Now it appears Ducati is bringing the littlest Panigale more into line with its siblings. You’ll notice in the shots that there’s no longer a double-sided swingarm, adopting a single-sided setup this time around. The nose of the bike is now more in line with the look of the V4 than the most recent 959 as well.

Not all is changed though as the tank, the Showa fork, and the tailsection all look identical to the current 959.

Now, if the rumor mill is to be believed, this new Panigale is very likely to be known as the V2 and it’s likely to be a fair improvement over the 959. We can’t speak to any internal engine changes that may have been made at this point, but there’s bound to be some to get it to accord with Euro 5 emission standards, which must be met at the beginning of 2020. We can also expect to see some notable electronics upgrades as a result of the Euro 5 standard.

We’re excited to see what the nuts and bolts really are all about under that distracting side panel. We’ll probably have to wait until EICMA in November to find out.