The website has been rather quiet as of late so thought we would kick things off with a look at what could possibly be the last V-Twin superbike produced by Ducati!

The color scheme looks wonderfully familiar.. 750 F1 anybody?

So what exactly is the Final Edition, other than a pretty paint job? Well sort of a greatest hits that combines elements of the 1299 Panigale, the Panigale R and the 1299 Superleggera.

The engine is an offshoot of the one from the 1299 Superleggera, so it’s pumping out similar numbers: 209 hp at 11,000 rpm and 104.8 lbft at 9000 rpm. The Superquadro engine in the FE shares the same lightened crankshaft and tungsten balancing pads as the Superleggera along with the larger intake and exhaust valves. It’s also got the new clutch from the Superleggera and air-intake system with optimised intakes for each cylinder. Closing out is the titanium Akrapovic exhaust with the high-level silencers acting like the WSB sprinkles on the road-going cake.

The chassis set-up meanwhile, is the same as the Panigale R. There’s no frame per se, so the Final Edition has the die-cast aluminium monocoque structure from the R that uses the engine as a stressed member. The suspension department features an Ohlins clean sweep with a pair of 43mm NIX 30 USD forks, a TTX36 monoshock and an adjustable steering damper. The rest of the kit is top notch too with Brembo M50 monobloc calipers, three-spoke forged alloy wheels and Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP tyres. Then of course, there is that pretty paint job.

As you would imagine with any modern Ducati, the Final Edition comes with a whole host of abbreviations and rider aids. There’s DWC EVO (wheelie control), EBC (engine braking), DQS (quickshifter and autoblipper), DTC EVO (traction control), DDA (data logger) all of which is managed by the IMU (brain).

The engine in the Panigale R Final Edition is a variant of the engine in the Superleggera, so it shares the same intakes and similar lightweight components. The only real difference is in the final assembly – there are no titanium fasteners and the barrels have steel liners (rather than aluminium).

The frame is the lightweight aluminium version from the Panigale R (the 1199-engined WSB homologation special), rather than the carbon one in the Superleggera. The suspension is fully-adjustable Ohlins throughout and has a 24* rake, also like the Panigale R.

The titanium Akrapovic exhaust is a work of art that resembles the twin high-level pipes that are fitted to the WSB race bikes. Amazingly this is Euro4 compliant, so Ducati can keep selling this until 2020 is they want to.

Hello Everyone,

I have posted this on Facebook but for members not on Facebook;

Sad to say one of our members Bob Elvey has passed away. Bob will be remembered by many club members for his off-beat sense of humour and the ability to back his Monster into corners speedway style – being an ex speedway rider – and not always successfully as those on the first Turismo will attest to when we rebuilt his Monster 750 outside the Franz Joseph Hotel.

Bobs funeral will be held at the Katikati RSA on Saturday 20th at 11am.

On behalf of the club I would like to pass our condolences on to his family.

- Neil

This is for bevel drive Ducatis only – even if it comes on a trailer!

A casual event starting Fri evening 4th Nov, ride on Saturday, dinner Sat night, home Sunday. Club VP John Clayton will organise a motel in Taupo and co-ordinate the ride. Riders can pay as they go. Register directly with John by the 12th October at (Click Here to Emailor 027 649 9878)

I know the site's been quiet for a few weeks now for the Winter months, but there have been more than a few tasty morsels to look at over at World Ducati Week this year!

Rather than paraphrasing, I'll leave you to digest the media release regarding the new bikes and features!

Preview of the 1299 Panigale S Anniversario at WDW2016 Casey Stoner and Claudio Domenicali have unveiled the bike that marks Ducati's 90th anniversary Limited edition of 500 bikes with all-new colour scheme and technical content The 1299 Panigale S Anniversario, equipped with the new EVO Traction and Wheelie Control, also includes a special track kit Misano Adriatico (Rimini - Italy), 2 July 2016 - To celebrate its 90th anniversary, the Bologna-based bike manufacturer decided to provide visitors to World Ducati Week 2016 (1-3 July, “Marco Simoncelli” Misano World Circuit) with a special preview of the new 1299 Panigale S Anniversario. The reason for doing so was simply to reward the tens of thousands of Ducatisti who flocked to WDW2016 with a symbolic "gift". An exclusive bike for an exclusive, knowledgeable and demanding audience. On Saturday evening - during the presentation of the Ducati riders - this audience enjoyed a wonderful preview of the 1299 Panigale S Anniversario on the stage of the Santamonica stadium in Misano Adriatico, presented to them by non other than Casey Stoner. The former MotoGP world champion presented this latest made-in-Bologna gem together with Ducati’s CEO Claudio Domenicali. The limited-edition 1299 Panigale S Anniversario (just 500 bikes will be made) features an all-new colour scheme and technical content. Inspiration for the 1299 Panigale S Anniversario’s colours was drawn from Ducati race bikes. Its white, black and Ducati Red fairings perfectly complement its special gold wheels. Other distinctive features on the 1299 Panigale S Anniversario include its top triple clamp and steering head inserts, both in machined-from-solid aluminium alloy. Each top triple clamp is unique in that it has been laser-etched with the bike’s unique production number of 500. The steering head inserts shift the front wheel forward 5 mm, giving the same chassis geometry as the incredible Panigale R.. Moreover, a light lithium battery, together with carbon fibre heel guards, rear mudguard and shock absorber cover reduce weight by 2.5 kg. The electronics on the 1299 Panigale S Anniversario incorporates all-new traction and wheelie control, representing a major evolution of such systems; hence the name Ducati Traction Control (DTC) and Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) EVO. Both systems maximise performance and active safety on the Italian Superbike. In addition to the new DTC and DWC EVO, the 1299 Panigale S Anniversario also features Bosch Cornering ABS, which ensures performance and safety whatever the riding conditions, plus Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) for ultra-fast clutchless up and downshifts on both track and road. The twin-cylinder, 1285 cc, 205 hp Superquadro engine features Engine Brake Control (EBC), which optimises vehicle stability under extreme turn-in conditions. The suspension department, instead, offers up Ducati Electronic Suspension (DES) and Öhlins Smart EC; the latter is an event-based control system that processes information about the bike and accordingly uses stepper motors to dynamically adjust the suspension set-up during riding, improving cornering grip, stability, braking, turn-in, handling and riding comfort. The 1299 Panigale S Anniversario also features TFT (Thin Film Transistor) instrumentation, as well as customizable Ducati Riding Modes (Race, Sport and Wet) that allow the rider to have tailor-made performance. Like all bikes in the Panigale family, the 1299 Panigale S Anniversario makes excellent use of monocoque frame technology. The compact, enhanced-strength die-cast aluminium monocoque structure features the Superquadro engine as a stressed member of the frame. To emphasise the sports performance of the 1299 Panigale S Anniversario even further, the bike comes with a racing kit consisting of an Akrapovič Racing exhaust in titanium, billet aluminium mirror blockoff plates, and a cover for the hole created by removing the license-plate holder for track days. Lastly, a battery charger is also provided. The 1299 Panigale S Anniversario will be available from Ducati Dealerships starting in the second half of July (country specific). Andy Simpson, Ducati Sales and Dealer Development Manager: “The new 1299 S Panigale Anniversario Limited Edition is a celebration of another very important stage in Ducati’s 90-year history which cements the 1299 Panigale as an iconic milestone in the evolution of Ducati motorcycles. Racing and sports bikes represent the heartbeat of Ducati, it’s a passion which we share with Ducati owners and aspiring owners too, this is the reason the 1299 S Panigale was chosen as the focal model for Ducati’s 90th Anniversary. Within 24 hours of this model being announced at World Ducati Week on Sunday, over 25 customers had confirmed their position as one of the lucky 500 destined to own a special piece of Ducati history. The great response has been an indication of how special this model and moment are; we fully anticipate all availability for our markets (Australia and New Zealand) being reserved within days. Anyone interested should contact their local Ducati dealer immediately.” New DTC EVO: maximum safety and performance DTC EVO, based on entirely new software algorithms, becomes both more precise and consistent in its intervention. It interfaces with the 1299’s Bosch Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), sensing at all times the bike’s lean angle and using that to judge the required intervention more accurately and so allow an ideal amount of slip for the rear tyre (according to the selected DTC EVO level), providing increased precision. And when the system does intervene, reading the lean angle ensures that it does so consistently and repeatably in the same riding conditions. Furthermore, DTC EVO adds the ability to intervene on the butterfly valves in the motorcycle’s throttle bodies, in addition to altering spark advance and fuel injection. Under conditions in which high-speed intervention of the DTC EVO system is unnecessary, closing of the butterfly valves allows the system to manage traction while maintaining optimal combustion parameters, resulting in smoother intervention and engine response. On a simple traction control system, when tyre slip is sensed the system intervenes to control it. As the tyre grips again and slippage stops, the system reduces its intervention until slippage occurs again, and the cycle repeats. This results in a graph of system intervention that, viewed in detail, shows oscillation around a theoretical “line of perfect intervention” which is the precise limit of traction: DTC EVO reduces the magnitude of these oscillations to bring system intervention closer to this line of perfect intervention: This is especially advantageous under conditions of varying traction, such as the changes in rear tyre grip as it is consumed. In addition to this increased precision of intervention, when set at level “1” DTC EVO adds a new functionality, allowing a rider to control the bike at a level formerly available to only the most advanced riders and professional racers. While the bike is leaned over in a turn, the rider can use the throttle to dial-in additional rear-wheel slip beyond the “normal” level of intervention – thus further pivoting the motorcycle around its front wheel, and closing the trajectory of the turn. DTC EVO in level 1 allows this pivot to occur, effectively allowing rear-wheel steering with active traction control. By increasing consistency and precision of intervention, and opening up a whole new way of adjusting the bike’s dynamic behaviour, DTC EVO gives the 1299 Panigale S Anniversario maximum cornering performance and acceleration with the highest level of safety. Complementing the DTC system is DWC EVO, which uses information on the 1299’s pitch from the Bosch IMU to control front wheel lift and allow maximum acceleration in safety. Using entirely new software, DWC EVO more accurately detects the occurrence and severity of wheelies and intervenes to control them with a high degree of robustness and precision.

Today we've launched the new Ducati Owner's Club New Zealand Website. The intention is to have new posts here about rides/events/bikes and more as you (the community) submit them. These will be "shared" on the Facebook page or linked to on our Twitter feed for you to read as well.

Please get in touch with me via Facebook or Email (webmaster@docnz.co.nz) with any events or features you'd like to see, I'd love to hear about any projects, rides, outstanding DOCNZ members or bikes and all sorts more.

Explore, have a look around, and excuse the pictures I've used as fillers for the mean-time! (Most were taken on my phone's camera at NDR 2016).

Thanks,

Nick