Wednesday 21st June 2017

Ducati's big announcement: PH2

Is this the end of Ducati's V-twin sports bikes?

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This week Ducati sent around a very intriguing press release with the picture of a sports bike's tail unit and the headline 'When the end tells the whole story.' The release says that full information will be announced at the Laguna Seca round of WSB on Friday July 7th, so what can we expect to hear?

So is this a Final Edition?

It is no secret that Ducati is working on replacing the current Panigale, to be powered by a brand new V4 motor. The firm's General Manager, Claudio Domenicali, confirmed at last year's Milan Motorcycle Show that "We will see something in the future that is different than just two cylinders" and later went on to hint very strongly at a forthcoming V4 superbike using MotoGP technology. So will we see this released at Laguna? Sadly, PH2 is guessing probably not.

Those of you who are Ducati fans will be more than aware of the firm's tendency to released Final Edition (FE) models before they kill off a range. There was a 998FE and also a 900SS FE and they usually have some reference to the Italian flag on them. The bike shown in the press release has a green tail unit, hinting at a 1299 Panigale Tricolore model to be called the FE. Obviously the cynical will say that's just Ducati creating a limited edition model to shift old stock as the 1299 Panigale is not Euro4 homologated and therefore can't be sold in 2018, which is true, but PH2 also reckons that Ducati will use the unveiling of this bike to officially confirm the existence of the V4 but not actually show it. How else can they explain away a Final Edition model? Why do this?

V-twin Ducatis have quite the history...

Fans of the V-twin, and collectors, will certainly snap up the FE model as it is the end of an era that has seen Ducati win 14 WSB titles using V-twin motors. However the one question remains to be answered: will the V4 be as popular, or as successful, as the quintessentially Ducati engine it replaces? 2018 will be very interesting for Ducati's sporting fans not only in WSB with a new V4 superbike, but also MotoGP as it looks like it has finally turned a corner with this V4 as well...

[dukeboy749r]

The demise of the Ducati V twin must have been on Ducatis' and Audi's minds for some time now. if this is the 'end of model' release then a new V4 can only either come at the same time, or once enough units have been shifted to make it financially viable to end production (i.e. having gotten rid of most, if not all, of the stock of 1299s).

In order to survive they have to keep up with emissions targets. Whether they can protect their soul along the way, only time will tell, surely?