Say Hello To The 211bhp Ducati Panigale V4

The bike that ushers in Ducati's new V4 superbike era is here, and it's a technological showcase

06 Nov 2017

Say Hello To The 211bhp Ducati Panigale V4

If you don’t mind, we’re going to briefly divert our attention away from the world of four wheels, and to the world of two. Why? Because something quite significant just happened in bike land - Ducati has released its first ever mass-production superbike with a V4 engine.

The firm’s ‘Desmosedici’ MotoGP prototype bikes have used V4s for years, and there was a limited run ‘RR’ road-going version, but this new Panigale V4 represents a dramatic change of tack for Ducati. Yep, having pedalled the ‘L-twin’ two-cylinder engine for decades,all Ducati’s sports bikes will be V4-powered in the near future.

The 1103cc four-cylinder engine was developed with input from the Ducati Corse racing outfit, and indeed it has the bore as the MotoGP engine, but with a longer stroke to improve torque low down and in the mid range. The 90-degree lump also has a 70-degree crankshaft (which counter-rotates to improve inertia), allowing for a V-twin-like firing order.

Ducati has kept the weight down by using a newly designed frame, which sees the engine become a stressed chassis member. As a result, the V4’s 211bhp output has just 195kg of bike to shift. In other words, you’re not going to be wanting for speed.

It may have the potential for terrifying performance, but the Panigale V4 is loaded full of electronics to make riding it less scary. It’ll actually let you do “controlled slides during braking,” has an ABS Cornering system that’ll only brake the front wheel, a quickshifter that factors lean angle into how it operates, and much more.

Want one? The range kicks off with the standard V4 at £19,250. If you can stretch to £23,895 you can have a V4 S with Öhlins partially-active suspension, a lighter li-ion battery and forged wheels, while at the very top of the range you’ll find the £34,995 V4 Speciale. Just 1500 of the latter will be made, each one liveried up and packing a titanium exhaust plus a ridiculous amount of carbonfibre.

If you can settle for gawping at the new bike in the metal/having a little sit, you’ll find it on display at the Milan Motorcycle Show.

Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.

Comments

Wow now I’m not an expert on bikes, but I do believe 211 is a lot for a bike?

It’s insane. The fastest production bike in the world, which is made by Suzuki and does 0-100 kph in 2.35s, has just 160bhp.

To put it into perspective, that’s more than a 1:1 power to weight ratio. On something with two wheels, which you ride with your legs around.

I’ve seen some modified bikes (crotch rockets) which were apparently developping over 400 hp

Gotta go fast! Says Sonic in the distance.

VAG buys Ducati
Porsche buys VAG
Ducati makes V4 engines
Le Mans coincidence much?

As far as I am concerned, VAG actually owns Porsche

wow

1082 horsepower per ton…..

It’s a lot, but the driver adds a huge amount of weight relative to the bike. Throw in a 70kg driver and you’re down to under 800hp/ton (still ridiculous, but not Koenigsegg levels).