After enlarging the bore of the 1199 Panigale to a monster 116mm, Ducati created the massively oversquare 1299 Panigale with a claimed 205 horsepower and 106.6 pound-feet of torque. It only seemed natural, then, that the folks in Bologna would also tweak their base superbike, even though the 899 Panigale fared well in comparison tests (and even when tested against its own bigger brother). The 899 has a 100mm bore and a 57.2mm stroke, not the standardized measurements used throughout the various Ducati engine families. But, really, the Panigale engines are on their own. Ducati’s Engine Development Department, under the guidance of Chief Project Engineer Gigi Mengoli, felt a larger displacement powerplant would help the entry-level Panigale keep pace with the flagship 1299. 
The first step? Ducati has standardized the engine a bit by mating the 100mm bore of the 899 to the 60.8mm stroke of the 1299. The resulting displacement is actually 955cc, but this new bike that we just spied will be officially dubbed the 959 because we all know that the final “9” is in fashion at Ducati. Apart from these spy photos of a disguised 2016 Ducati 959 Panigale, nothing else is officially known about the bike. We do, however, expect the engine to have about 150 peak horsepower, which should be easy to attain given the fact that the 899 already pumps out a claimed 148. The big gain is expected to be in torque, flexibility and drivability, to make the new 959 Panigale a pure sportbike to be enjoyed on road or track. Given its same 60.8mm stroke, the 959 engine will have to share the same 110.1mm rods of the 1199/1299 twin, returning a 1.81:1 ratio to the stroke. The 899 benefited from its 114.25mm rods, returning a very healthy 1.99:1 ratio. The new rod length-to-stroke ratio will produce a slightly higher secondary imbalance and a slightly increased amount of perceived vibrations. 
From these spy photos, the 2016 Ducati 959 Panigale looks very much like a minimally revised 899. One notable detail is the new gold-anodized fork; it looks like it’s from Sachs. As far as the 1299 Panigale is concerned, we don’t expect any meaningful evolution; with its impressive power-to-weight-ratio, the 1299 Panigale can rest on its laurels for 2016. One final note: I expected somebody on the upper floor at Ducati to green light the development of an ultra-short stroke 1199R, which would share the 116mm bore with the 1299, but I have learned that the new 2016 1199R will keep its 112mm x 60.8mm measurements. The bike will, however, have further refined intake and exhaust systems, plus updated electronics. 
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