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Ducati Panigale V4 | V4 S | Panigale V4 Speciale

Ducati Panigale V4 | Panigale V4 S | Panigale V4 Speciale | Full Reveal

Trevor Hedge

November 6, 2017

Ducati Panigale V4

1103cc | 214 horsepower

So much technology

Ducati Panigale V4 - To contain the inevitable weight gain with respect to the 1299 Panigale (because of the 4 cylinders), Ducati has developed an all-new frame where the Desmosedici Stradale itself has a load-bearing function. — Ducati Panigale V4 – To contain the inevitable weight gain with respect to the 1299 Panigale (because of the 4 cylinders), Ducati has developed an all-new frame where the Desmosedici Stradale itself has a load-bearing function.

Panigale V4 replaces the iconic 1299 at the top of the Ducati supersport range, and has been developed in close collaboration with Ducati Corse, drawing directly on know-how
and technology from the racing world to provide a road bike that is the closest thing possible to its MotoGP counterpart.

Called Front Frame, it's more compact and lighter than a perimeter frame and uses the engine as a stressed chassis element. The Front Frame has allowed the designer to create a bike that is slender in the tank-seat merge zone. — Called Front Frame, it’s more compact and lighter than a perimeter frame and uses the engine as a stressed chassis element. The Front Frame has allowed the designer to create a bike that is slender in the tank-seat merge zone.

The new Ducati supersports family consists of the Panigale V4 – the essence of the new sports bike – and the Panigale V4 S. The latter mounts Öhlins suspension featuring the Smart EC 2.0 system with a new adjustment interface and top-drawer components such as forged aluminium wheels and the lithium ion battery.

Completing the range is the exclusive Panigale V4 Speciale, a numbered, limited-edition bike with a dedicated livery, titanium exhaust and machined from solid components.

The Desmosedici Stradale engine is a 90° V4 with Desmodromic timing, just like the Desmosedici GP from which it also takes an 81 mm bore (the maximum allowed by MotoGP rules).

This has been combined with a longer stroke than that used in racing (giving a total displacement of 1,103cc) to boost low-to-mid rev torque and reduce maximum revs so that the power is easier to handle.

The new Ducati engine puts out a maximum of 214 hp at 13,000 rpm with 12.6 Kgm of torque at 10,000 rpm.

Desmosedici Stradale has long maintenance intervals, with valve clearance inspection only necessary every 24,000 km.

The Panigale V4 engine is the only motorcycle in the sports segment with a 90° V configuration. It’s also the only engine to use technology such as the counter-rotating crankshaft and twin pulse ignition.

The already high power of the standard Desmosedici Stradale configuration can be boosted to 226 hp by mounting the all-titanium Akrapovic racing exhaust.

To contain the inevitable weight gain with respect to the 1299 Panigale (because of the 4 cylinders), Ducati has developed an all-new frame where the Desmosedici Stradale itself has a load-bearing function. Called Front Frame, it’s more compact and lighter than a perimeter frame and uses the engine as a stressed chassis element. The Front Frame has allowed the designer to create a bike that is slender in the tank-seat merge zone.

Together with meticulous design and the use of light materials, the new frame keeps the kerb weight of the S and Special versions down to 195 kg. This weight, combined with the 214 hp, means a power/weight ratio of 1.1 hp/kg.

Six-axis Bosch inertial platform, a latest-generation electronics package with some previously unseen features defines new active safety and dynamic vehicle control standards in all riding situations.

Panigale V4 introduces controls such as controlled drift during braking, ABS Cornering on the front wheel only thanks to a set-up specially designed for track riding and Quickshift Up & Down with a strategy that takes lean angles into account.

All these controls – developed on the track together with official Ducati riders and test riders – are incorporated in the three new Riding Modes (Race, Sport and Street) and can be adjusted via the advanced TFT panel that makes the Panigale V4.

The Ducati Panigale V4 Range

Ducati Panigale V4 – Ducati Red with grey frame and black wheels

Available in Australia March 2018

New Desmosedici Stradale engine, 1,103 cm3
New “Front Frame” Cast Magnesium alloy front sub frame
43 mm Showa Big Piston Forks (BPF), fully adjustable
Sachs monoshock, fully adjustable
Sachs steering damper
Latest-generation electronic package with 6-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (6D IMU): ABS Cornering Bosch EVO; Ducati Traction Control EVO (DTC EVO); Ducati Slide Control (DSC); Ducati Wheelie Control EVO (DWC EVO); Ducati Power Launch (DPL); Ducati Quick Shift up/down EVO (DQS EVO); Engine Brake Control EVO (EBC EVO)
Buttons for quick level shifting
Riding Modes (Race, Sport, Street)
16 litre aluminium tank
5″ full-TFT dashboard
Full-LED headlight with DRL
Two-seater configuration kit
Braking system with new Brembo Stylema® monobloc calipers
New Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP tyres, 200/60 at the rear
Pre-setting for Ducati Data Analyser + GPS (DDA + GPS) and Ducati Multimedia System (DMS)