Spy Photos: the Ducati 1199 Panigale porker

This latest batch of Ducati 1199 spy photos was snapped by a member of Ducati.ms on the Italian Autostrada. The biggest revelation? Well, this is the first time we’ve seen the 1199 ridden by an...American-sized rider. Evaluating the 195bhp superbike’s ability to ride between McDonald’s and WalMart as annoyingly as possible, this is also the first look at what Termignoni is cooking up for an exhaust system.

That dual-exit exhaust (one outlet on each side) neatly mirrors the arrangement of the stock cans, replacing their boxiness with a more traditional canister. Less flattering is the square-section cover or pipe for the pigtail exhaust component. That underseat curly cue is likely there to help tailor the flow of exhaust gases. Having the correct length and diameter pipe is crucial to making horsepower and Ducati would have a hard time fitting all that length for both the front and rear cylinders, plus the catalyzer and muffler under the motor.

Encouragingly, the street-spec 1199 seen in that batch of leaked photos from July is shrouded by a plastic cover. Hopefully the box section seen here is simply an aluminum heat shield.

Also very evident in these photos is the shape of the low, bulbous fuel tank. Where previous Ducati superbike tanks have been tall, narrow and squared off, this one resembles that of the Diavel much more closely. This, plus the relatively relaxed relationship between seat, bars and pegs has us hoping the 1199 adopts a much more conventional riding position to Ducs of yore, one that will make it much easier to interact with the bike in a conventional manner during athletic riding.

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Ignore the Thruxton-like bar-end mirror seen in the head-on photo. Ducati’s lightest, most powerful superbike is unlikely to come with much in the way of chrome gewgaws.

Ducati.ms

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