Ducati is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, with the culmination of that celebration happening right now in Misano, where Ducati would give a sneak peak of a new model at the event, and debut a limited edition machine as well.
Well we have pictures of the 1299 Panigale S Anniversario – a special superbike that commemorates 90 years of Ducati motorcycles. The Ducati 1299 Panigale S Anniversario is more than just a cosmetic exercise, with only 500 motorcycles getting its limited edition paint job, gold-colored metal pieces, and bevy of technical upgrades.
One interesting new feature though is the debut of the EVO version of the Ducati Traction Control (DTC) and Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) systems. Ducati says that these electronic rider aids tap into the Panigale’s Bosch Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), and thus make better interventions because of the IMU’s measurements.
One new feature to come from this is slide control, which is available when a rider selects a DTC level of 1. At this level, the DTC will allow the rider to modulate the rear-wheel slide with the throttle, thus allowing the rider to drift the rear wheel around while leaned over through a turn. The traction control system also now controls the throttle bodies, allowing for more refined engine power modulation, beyond what spark-arresting can provided.
Aside from the special livery, Ducati 1299 Panigale S Anniversario owners will appreciate the gold-colored forged aluminum Marchesini wheels, gold-colored titanium Akrapovic exhaust, and limited edition laser-etched engraving.
Other technical features include a top triple clamp and steering head inserts, both of which are machined-from-solid aluminium alloy. These inserts can shift the front wheel forward by 5mm, thus giving the Panigale S Anniversario the same geometry as the Panigale R.
Ducati has also added a lithium ion battery, and carbon fiber heel guards, rear mud guard, and shock absorber cover all of which net a 2.5 kilogram weight reduction.
With the arrival of the Ducati 1299 Panigale S Anniversario, we hope to see this bike in the flesh at Naza.
