The Ducati Panigale V4 is the flagship of Ducati’s supersport range, the model that first brought MotoGP derived four cylinder engineering to a Ducati road bike you can buy and ride. Sitting above the V2 in the family, it exists for riders who want the closest possible link between what Ducati races and what sits in their garage, and it wears that ambition in every line of its fairing. Its heart is the 1,103cc Desmosedici Stradale V4, a 90 degree engine rotated backwards in the chassis with an 81mm bore, a 53.5mm stroke, a 14.0:1 compression ratio and a counter-rotating crankshaft driving the distinctive Twin Pulse firing order borrowed from Ducati’s factory racer.
It produces a huge 216hp at 13,500rpm and 120.9Nm of torque at 11,250rpm, fed by twin injectors per cylinder through full ride by wire elliptical throttle bodies for precise response, and sent through a six speed gearbox with Ducati Quick Shift EVO managing clutchless changes in both directions via a hydraulically controlled slipper and self-servo wet multiplate clutch, with drive reaching the rear wheel through a 520 chain final drive. The chassis is built around an aluminium alloy Front Frame bolted directly to the engine, keeping mass centralised and the whole package compact.
A fully adjustable 43mm Showa Big Piston Fork and a fully adjustable Sachs monoshock manage that power, while twin 330mm discs gripped by Brembo Monobloc Hypure four piston calipers at the front and a 245mm rear disc provide serious stopping power. Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP tyres, in a 200 section at the rear, put it all to the ground. At 191kg with an 850mm seat height and a 1,485mm wheelbase, it is a physically demanding but rewarding machine to ride hard.
That Twin Pulse firing order also gives the Panigale V4 a soundtrack unlike any other production superbike, echoing the factory Desmosedici MotoGP racer as the engine revs cleanly towards its redline. It suits experienced riders who want the nearest thing to a factory grid bike with lights and number plates, rather than outright everyday comfort. GT Motorcycles, your Ducati dealer in Plymouth, has finance and test rides available for riders across Devon and Cornwall who want to feel it for themselves.
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