Ducati recalls Panigale

A second safety recall has been issued for the new Ducati Panigale Superbike.

The most powerful bike yet produced by the Italian manufacturer landed in Australia a couple of months ago and almost immediately had a safety recall for inferior brake pads.

If the bolt fails, it "may result in loss of control of the motorcycle", the notice reads. The Panigale sells here for $33,990.

This second recall follows on from Ducati's first one in April this year.

Ducati's MotoGP-inspired Panigale has been talked about in terms of a bike of the year candidate, but only a couple of months ago the S model was part of a worldwide recall of several models over problems with malfunctioning the rear brake prads.

The recall notice claimed inferior brake pads have been used which could affect the braking performance. 

This in a bike that costs $33,990 for the S model and $39,990 for the S Tricolore. The standard model with ABS costs $26,990.

That compares with its European superbike competitors, the BMW S 1000RR at $24,490 or MV Agusta F4 at $24,300.

The Panigale has 145kW of power which is not far shy of the Desmosedici, a limited-edition modified street version of the MotoGP bike which fetched more than $100,000 in 2008.

Other Ducati models affected by the safety recall include the Monster 796, Monster 796 ABS, Monster 1100 EVO ABS, Hypermotard 796, Streetfighter 848, 848 EVO and Multistrada 1200 ABS.

Owners are advised to contact their dealer to arrange for replacement pads. The use of inferior pads seems incongruous with a bike that includes a host of technological wizardry and acronyms - ride modes, power modes, RbW, ABS, DES, DTC, EBC, DQS and DDA+/GPS.