Bigger is better, right? Kawasaki seemed to think so when it broke the rules-of-capacity convention with its Ninja 636 supersport back in late 2002. Exceeding the universally recognized 600cc four-cylinder middleweight displacement was a bold move at the time. Rules be damned, Kawi’s supersized 600 delivered street riders the tangible benefits of increased torque without any weight penalty or diminished handling agility. Cycle World soon recognized the writing on the wall and we rewrote our own definition of the middleweight category. In recent times riders have benefitted from the the new Big Mids era with the Yamaha FZ-09 and family of MV Agusta 800 triples, Kawasaki Z800 and more. And don’t forget the stellar Suzuki GSX-R750, which has also enjoyed newfound relevance. 
Ducati, the latest subscriber to this “growing” trend, has just treated its category-stretching 899 Panigale to a longer stroke and short list of improvements to yield the new-for-2016 959 Panigale. The 90° V-twin Superquadro engine of the 959 Panigale shares the same 60.8mm stroke as its 1299cc big brother to bring displacement to 955cc. The exercise involved a new crankshaft that is lighter than the 1299’s, plus all-new connecting rods and a revised piston crown that retains the same 12.5:1 compression ratio of the 899. Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) coating applied to the piston pins and desmodromic rocker arms is said to offer reduced friction and increased fatigue strength. The same 62mm-equivalent oval throttle bodies of its predecessor now employ a showerhead primary injector while the secondary injector located downstream of the throttle butterfly comes online above 6500 rpm. The clutch is now a slipper/assist design yielding lighter effort required at the lever and providing a much smoother feeling when closing the throttle or during aggressive downshifting. The latter feature combined with three-level EBC (Engine Brake Control)—a component of the 959 ride-by-wire throttle control system that monitors the throttle position, selected gear and crankshaft deceleration rate under heavy braking and administers precise cracked-open-throttle settings to further reduce rear wheel skitter and hop. 
While the 899 electronic rider-aid suite has been carried over along with the same user interface, parameters have been recalibrated for the 959 Panigale platform. Ride mode presets labeled Race, Sport, and Rain each offer factory-default settings for the eight-level traction control, three-level Bosch ABS, and EBC. And each has its own degrees of throttle sensitivity with Race being sharpest, Sport offering slightly softer response, and Rain mode is even tamer yet along with 35-percent reduced peak power output. The modes can be toggled on-the-fly and offer customization of individual parameter levels buried in an options menu only accessible when the bike is stationary. Mode customization is the means for altering the level of a single parameter (such as DTC) without stopping the bike. To do so requires programing modes identically with the exception of DTC, thus allowing on-the-fly changes to traction control. Bigger does equate to better in the case of Ducati’s super middleweight, this I learned firsthand when riding the 959 Panigale at the International press intro staged at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain. The first order of business was to inquire about the thinking behind the displacement creep that sees Ducati’s “middleweight” supersport well in excess of Bologna superbikes of the past. “We combined performance with usability,” offered Paul Ventura, Marketing Product Manager. “It started with the 899 and we’ve continued it with the 959. The objective was to make a pure sportbike that someone could use everyday and have just as much fun on the street as they do on the track. In short, to achieve what we say is the perfect balance and in our eyes that’s really what this bike represents, the perfect blend of excitement and control.” 
Excitement and control describes well the four 15-minutes-on-track sessions I logged in the firm 959 Panigale saddle. Session one offered the opportunity to sample Sport mode’s default medium levels of DTC, ABS, and EBC, while also giving me a chance to run a simulated a street pace and “freeway cruise” in top gear. I’m pleased to report that engine vibration, while present with a mild characteristic V-twin pulse felt through the grips and evident in blurred mirrors, is not bothersome. Performing short-shifts through the close ratio six-speed box at various loads and rpm re-validated the smooth and lurch-free action of the 959 quickshifter. Nice thing here with the 959 is that it now utilizes a Hall Effect sensor to monitor gear engagement and precisely tunes fuel and ignition following a shift for smoother operation. Sweet! Riding on sticky Pirelli Supercorsa SC2 race tires (Rosso Corsa is stock fitment) allowed deeper exploration of the chassis capability. The solitary change here from its 899 predecessor is a 4mm lower swingarm pivot location (accounting for a .2-inch increase in wheelbase) and further optimized rear grip and weight distribution. Riding on rails best describes the 959 experience ridden at speed as the Panigale tipped into Valencia’s corners with willing ease. The only hint of headshake I encountered during the day was brought on when hopping the exit curbing leading onto the back straight to take advantage of the generous expanse of extended tarmac. Even then, the non-adjustable transverse mount steering damper kept drama in check. 
Valencia lacks a truly quick side-to-side transition but does offer one right-left combo following its infield hairpin that offered a taste of the 959’s reflex potential. Carrying third gear the Panigale threaded the S with relative ease and steadfast aplomb. Had I only been instilled with a confidence in apex traction paint in my youth we might’ve gone quicker yet! With a claimed dry weight of 377 pounds and 157 horsepower (a six percent increase in output) on tap, snicking shifts at the 11,300-rpm rev limit up the main straight netted 163 mph indicated on the all digital LCD dash display with 1000 rpm in reserve. Braking for Turn 1 (a personal favorite at Valencia) and dropping down to third required no rev-matching throttle blips as the slipper clutch/EBC kept the rear wheel tracking true as I dove down to the apex. As Mr. Ventura so aptly states, “It’s not so much a problem as it once was to have a larger displacement bike because in fact in the end it’s very manageable and controllable.” I wholeheartedly must agree: The definition of the middleweight sportbike has evolved and we are all better for it. We’re just not sure when displacement creep is going to stop and we’re not sure we care. 
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