Ducati Panigale too fast for Japan
The home of some of the fastest superbikes on the planet, Japan will get a muted 1199, with regulators deeming it fast and too loudIf you thought Australia was had tight design rules for road vehicles, spare a thought for the Japanese who will be getting a substantially different Ducati 1199 Panigale than the rest of the world.
Scheduled to launch in the Nihon in September 2012, the Ducati 1199 Panigale has been deemed too loud for Japanese roads, and the solution to the problem has been to install a very large, very heavy side exhaust system that replaces the elegant underslung regular exhaust.
You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below on what you think the new exhaust does for the Italian superbike's appearance, but the cold hard facts are that it weighs almost 4kg more than the regular unit.
From the photos it appears the fitment of the new exhaust appears to be slap-dash.
Other changes for the Japanese domestic market Panigale include a new plastic clutch cover and changes to the EU and engine mapping. Though it's not crystal clear what the new engine outputs, there is talk of 135hp (99kW), which is 60hp (44kW) down on the regular 195hp (143kW).
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