• A new Ducati Panigale 959 was spotted undergoing road tests recently.

• The new bike retains a V-Twin engine instead of a V-Four.

• The  test mule features a single-sided swingarm.

A new Ducati Panigale 959 was spotted undergoing road tests recently.

While all the ruckus and fanfare surround the Ducati Panigale V4, the Italian marque has not forgotten the baby Panigale 959.

It may sound like a broken record but updating the Panigale 959 is in time for Euro 5 which set to come into force in 2020. Spotting this test mule also confirms that Ducati is sticking with the 90^o V-Twin (which Ducati calls it “L-Twin”) instead of a sleeved-down V-Four.

The current 959 is already a hoot to ride, given its 157 hp and 168 kg dry weight, so the new bike should be even more awesome. Rumours has it that the new Superquadro engine ought to produce in the regions of 170 hp.

Its styling mimics the V4’s, with a more rounded nose and larger “eyes.”

However, the most apparent update is the conventional swingarm being ditched for a single-sided one.

We noticed another interesting thing about this test mule, too. It’s running without exhaust silencers! Now, don’t get your knickers in a knot because the production bike must have silencers.

We should able to see the new Ducati Panigale 959 at Intermot or EICMA later this year.

Source and photo: Ride Apart