BRUCE ON TRACK – 9TH

In my opinion, the Ducati 959 looked pretty but really didn’t excite me from a riding point of view. Carl was convinced I’d think differently about its derivative, the new V2, which looked even fancier, sporting its V4-esque clobber and a single-sided swingarm, but it set alarm bells ringing when it got weighed in and turned out to be the lardiest bike on test. Still, you shouldn’t judge a bike by its blubber, but it was hard to ignore the bike’s mass out on track where the V-twin motor was needing some serious abusing to make this bike feel anywhere near potent. Whereas its bigger brother, the V4, can easily overwhelm you with its audacious ferocity, the V2 was right at the other end of the spectrum. Sandwiched within a pack of high power litre bikes, the baby Panigale was never going to set my world alight but I had hoped for more. In the corners, it offered a decent riding experience. The weight was very notable and it was easily upset on the rougher corners, often running deeper into a corner than you’d like, and proving hard to get back on line. The wide ‘bars made the bike easy to turn and there’s nothing bad to say about the spacious riding position with its tall pegs and spacious seat. I actually quite liked this bike on the road, but on track even the brakes let it down. If it wasn’t so pricey, I’d probably be less hard on it, but I really wanted this to offer more than it did. Sorry Ducatisti, but it’s a no from me.