Road test: Ducati 999S

My 2001 996R which retailed at $30,000 came with Termignoni race canisters and a new computer chip in the packing crate that upped the horsepower to 140. For the new 999S which retails at $23,000 you’ll have to spring an extra $3,200 bucks for the Ducati Performance Accessories titanium race exhaust system with CPU module, but they promise us an 8% additional power increase on the 999S up to 147hp. The new asymmetrical exhaust system featuring different length and diameter header pipes from each cylinder must really work well. The new 999S also comes with full Ohlins suspension front and rear, just like the the previous R and SP models. So the new 999S-03 offers real value for the price compared to the R models.