DUCATI 1299 PANIGALE R FINAL EDITION
It seems only fair that we use the very best to represent the glorious days of the ’twin, which is exactly why we picked the Ducati 1299 Panigale R Final Edition; the very last full-throated, range-topping V-twin to make its way off the assembly line in Bologna.
And what a weapon it is; essentially, the FE was derived from the 1299 Superleggera, which means it comes equipped with a load of Gucci-spec goodies. Let’s just throw that engine spec aside for a second, and check out the fact that Ducati chucked top-spec Öhlins suspension in an 1199R die-cast frame, with all the electronic gizmos and gadgets you’d be more than happy to find on a bike released in 2021. They then chucked in the most powerful V-twin that Ducati’s ever churned out (which just so happens to be the most powerful production twin on this planet) and you have a whopping 206 horses, 142Nm of torque and just 190kg to haul about… now that’s a saucy recipe if ever I’d heard one, and one that’s more than up to the job of representing the ’twins.
And oh my, what a machine it is; I know we’re talking engines, but my god, the FE looks trouser-tentingly saucy in person. Everything from those WSBK-mimicking pipes to the gorgeous tricolour paint job just really got the ol’ blood flowing, which meant that I pulled rank, and jumped straight on the twin first. And you know what? Even for a big old brutate, instantly, it felt like home. I forgot for a moment that it holds a monstrous 1285cc engine, as the lack of cylinders really does make it feel nice and thin – which is handy, when your height is 5ft nothing, like mine. The bars and controls all felt perfectly placed and even though the switchgears and the dash are now a generation old, they don’t look too out of place and outdated – to be honest, they’re probably more current than my bloody phone. It was even nice to look down and see the tops of those gorgeous Öhlins pogos facing back at me, uncovered and waiting for an Allen key adjustment, rather than a big rubber nozzle hiding a magnitude of wires. The real magic though? Well that came with the help of the ignition, and the starter motor.
With a familiar chug, the Final Edition roared into life, and I’ve got to admit, those ’pipes really do emit a seriously saucy engine note, even just on tickover. With Wacko Jacko in the mirrors on the equally as noisy V4, it was time to set off and the first thing that got me about the FE was its very easy clutch and its insanely soft motor. I actually remember thinking, ‘have I grabbed some sort of A2-capped 50 horsepower thing by
Being totally honest, when standing next to the 1299 Final Edition and the V4 Foggy rep, I would have happily jumped over the later V4 model to get to the 1299. I’ve ogled over this model since it came out and always wanted a ride on one. In fact so much so I casually placed my helmet and gloves near it before asking Carl which one he wanted to ride first, hoping he would say the V4, but he didn’t... I ended up riding the V4 first, and having hopped from that to its older brother, I felt a serious case of ‘Don’t meet your hero’ kicking in. Like most respectable bikers, I love twins both in the bedroom and on wheels. There’s nothing more fun than low-end grunt and drive, thrusting you out of a corner, without the feeling of the potential to be sent sideways into Deirdre’s exquisitely cut hedge line when the peak power comes in. I was expecting oodles of pull straight away that would leave the V4 rider wondering whether they’d even turned their bike on, but surprisingly it didn’t happen to the level I expected. The midrange however was a totally different story, it was borderline terrifying and almost picked up its heels consistently at the wrong moment, making it an absolute handful on the roads. This aggressive mannerism translated directly to the front end too; it seemed incredibly twitchy and unsettled, irrelevant of whether you were pushing on or riding it slowly. The suspension is manual on the FE unlike the Öhlins electronic suspension on the V4, so it could possibly be a setting issue that could be dialled out. There is no riding this bike slowly, it’s incredibly hard work to ride around town and the engine is lumpier than curdled milk. Everything on the bike shakes like an overdosed druggie, so if you were hoping to see anything out of the mirrors – think again because it looks like the world is stuck on an inflatable bouncy castle! The good news is that the 1299 does offer an in-flight food service. The bad news is that the only thing on the menu is roasted chestnuts, or more specifically... your nuts roasted. The FE seems to live around 100 degrees, and bearing in mind the ambient temperature on our test was around 14 degrees with a cold wind, that’s not a great recipe. I was absolutely sweating my bald head off after about five minutes of riding it, due to a combination of immense heat from the rear cylinder, fighting a raging bull and trying to make the front end stick to the floor. You’ll be pleased to know, I do have a couple of positive things to say about the bike though! The brakes on the 1299 were nothing short of epic; really confidence-inspiring anchors which felt like you could give the slightest amount of force and you’d be stopped before your internal organs could think about remaining in place. Oh, and it looks incredibly pretty! Have Ducati gone the right way in ditching the twin for a V4? Absolutely, in my book.
1285cc, l/c, L-Twin 116x60.8mm 13.0:1
RBW EFI 206bhp@11,000rpm 142.0Nm@9000rpm
like going too far north of 10,500rpm, which comes at ya surprisingly quickly.
Don’t get me wrong though, it isn’t all just rosy rides and fun times; in fact, the ride on the FE is anything but. This thing is a proper, rock-hard track weapon and it feels exactly like that, with its Öhlins pogos set up as if I was barrelling down Craner Curves, rather than crawling through potholes in the Lincolnshire Wolds. Pardon the pun but I do love a stiffie, but the FE really was rock hard, which meant I only got any real feeling when I was pushing on, hard. And don’t get me wrong, the 1299 more than obliges; the riding position is incredibly racy, and those brakes? Well they absolutely blew me away. Cor. Having such a low unsprung weight, the FE really does flick effortlessly from side to side and everything about it just felt poised and ready for action; I tell you what, I know Jack thought it was a bit too much for him, but for me, it really did hit the spot.
Yeah, it’s not perfect; the sidestand is probably the worst in existence, it’s bloody hard work and it’s not comfy by any stretch of the imagination, but it really isn’t trying to be; it feels like a full-on track bike. But not just any track bike, oh no. The Final Edition really does feel incredibly special, from the etched number on the top yoke to the gorgeous finish on those loud rims, but the main brunt of the smiles arrive from screwing the grunt out of the 1285cc monster that hides underneath those gorgeous tricolour fairings. That V4 has some big boots to fill…