2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year: Ducati Panigale V4 S

Ducati’s diversification over the last couple of years has been well known – families like the Multistrada and Scrambler have become very successful in their own right – but that doesn’t mean the company has abandoned its sportsbike roots.

The twin-cylinder version of the Panigale was introduced in 2012, and in 2017 Ducati unveiled the Panigale R Final Edition. The 'Final Edition' suffix wasn’t a fib either, as that was really the last throw of the two-pot dice before the new V-four family was introduced this year – the first mass-produced engine with that configuration from the Ducati factory.

Initially the line-up consisted of the 1103cc V4, V4 S and V4 Speciale, and we’ve just got word the one-litre V4 R is on the way – a higher-revving homologation special that will form the backbone of Ducati’s 2019 World Superbike offensive with Chaz Davies and Alvaro Bautista. And locally, we hope to see Troy Bayliss campaigning it in the Aussie superbike title.

The V4 R is claiming some heady numbers – an eye-watering 221hp and a dry weight of just 172kg – so acceleration and top speed should not be an issue for the Ducati riders!

After riding the V4 S through Tasmania for our Bike of the Year (BOTY) shootout, we can’t really imagine a sportsbike with a more insane top end – but the V4 R will add another 2250rpm at the business end of proceedings! Bonkers, really.

Now that we’ve got the V4 R out of the system, let’s get back to the bike at hand – the Panigale V4 S.

A few months ago, Bikesales first rode the V4 S, and we were very impressed in how Ducat’s move into V-four territory – in a production-based sense, as it’s MotoGP bike is already a V-four – had been such a success.

The terms aural and physical assault came to mind – loud, brash and oh-so competent – which is why the V4 S got the gong as our sportsbike of the year. The V4 S is $37,490 plus on-road costs, while the standard V4 retails for $28,900 plus on-road costs.

Compared to the V4, the V4 S adds semi-active Ohlins electronic suspension (Smart EC2.0), Marchesini forged wheels and a lithium-ion battery.

The electronics suite is everything you’d expect from a 37K top-shelf sportsbike – there’s nothing missing save for cruise control. There are multiple riding modes, a bi-directional quickshifter, ‘Brake support’ (aka damping adjustment), engine brake control and IMU-actuated functions such as cornering ABS, traction control and slide control. It's the burger with the lot, with all the settings visible on the compact TFT screen.

The menu system is quite complex, and the best way to get around that is to ask the service tech at your Ducati dealer to explain everything before you saddle up. Even if you soak up 80 per cent, it’s a good start.

Claimed wet weight for the Panigale V4 S is just 195kg, making for power- and torque-to-weight ratios of 1.09hp/1kg and 0.65Nm/1kg: numbers that only belong in the absolute upper realms of two-wheel performance.

The engine is utilised as a stressed member in the aluminium frame, while fit and finish across the whole machine is exemplary.

Looks? It's dead sexy, I reckon, which is why the bike was voted ‘most beautiful’ at the 2017 EICMA motorcycle show in Milan. There’s traditionally a bit of cheer-leading from the Italian show-goers in that award, but I think this time they got it right.

A number of our BOTY testers hadn’t ridden a sportsbike for a while, so the Panigale V4 S presented quite the baptism of fire as they nudged that tacho towards five figures for the first time.

The BOTY trip wasn’t such an electrifying kick-off for the Ducati though as we had to record some slow-speed drone footage of all the machines boarding the Spirit of Tasmania in Melbourne. For such a powerhouse on two wheels to be labouring along at 20km/h, it must have been excruciating. There was still that lovely low-rpm bark from the V-four – in slightly more stifled tones – but it wasn’t allowed to show any brawn…

Just as a side note, we were only sitting a little above idle at the stage, but when the Panigale is stationary it can disable the rear cylinder bank depending on how long the bike is at a standstill. That has a twofold effect: to reduce heat (there’s a lot of it produced in such a powerful engine) and to reduce fuel consumption.

The next morning all was good in the world again as we hit the open roads and the Panigale V4 S hunkered down for business.

In a sense, there’s no point in dwelling about outright performance for too long, as it’s a V-four which revs to about 14,000rpm with unbelievably crisp throttle response. You certainly know you’re alive when you open the taps on the V4 S, and the howl from the engine is just so good. Bottom-end, mid-range and top-end: it’s all there.

If there was ever a quickshifter tailor-made for a motorcycle, this is it – the crackle on the upshift is bliss, and there’s also the auto-blip function when you’re dropping back through the cogs in the six-speed gearbox. If you want a small respite from the relentless acceleration, you can always take the clutch option…

Just on the clutch, it did start to lose some ‘play’ on the last day of BOTY, but Ducati says that a full bleed of the system on its arrival back in Melbourne brought it back to full health.

The Panigale obviously likes to party as one of the world’s premier sportsbikes, but as we all found out in Tasmania it’s also well-mannered when it has to be. Riders can reduce the tempo by choosing a less aggressive engine map for a start, whether in the dry or pushing through precipitation. Likewise, the suspension can be softened, and it’s just a matter of playing around to find your ideal setting. There’s something inherently satisfying about trying to find the sweet spot on what is already sublime suspension.

The Stylema Brembo brakes are the best in the business for a reason: you won’t be looking for an ounce more stopping power. Simply magnificent and, with that Ohlins fork also factored into the equation, it provides a masterful front-end equation.

Every ride mode on the Panigale V4 S is configurable, so you can set the most aggressive of everything or the tamest – or a multitude of settings in between.

When it was raining, we selected Street mode and ramped up the electronic aids – and the bike was a beacon of good behaviour.

If you purchase the Panigale V4 S, you're probably not a stickler for fuel consumption figures, but for what it's worth the bike recorded an average of 7.3lt/100km in Tasmania.  The fuel capacity is 16 litres.

The ride position is better than expected for such an extreme sportsbike – I’ve been on bikes that punish the wrists far more. The mirrors are typical of the genre though, as you don’t see a lot beyond your shoulders.

And tuck down behind that steep screen and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by its effectiveness.

Value for money is relative, and what the Panigale V4 S offers for $37K is a sportsbike that’s as close to perfection as you’ll get.

It’s powerful, smart, intuitive and drop-dead gorgeous – Ducati’s decision to go down the V-four route may have caused a few jitters at HQ, but the end result is spectacular.

RELATED LINKS
• 2018 Bike of the Year: Intro
• BMW S 1000 XR HP
• BMW K 1600 Grand America
• Ducati Panigale V4 S
• Harley-Davidson Fat Bob 114
• Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports
• Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe
• KTM 1290 Super Duke GT
• Kymco AK 550
• Yamaha MT-09SP
• Getting there: Spirit of Tasmania
• The Motley Crew
• Fiat Ducato
• The top three
• BOTY in summary
• BOTY overall winner

ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled, 16-valve, DOHC, Desmo V4
Capacity: 1103cc
Bore x stroke: 81.0mm x 53.5mm
Compression ratio: 14.0:1
Engine management: Electronic fuel injection

PERFORMANCE
Claimed power: 211hp (157.3kW) at 13,000rpm
Claimed torque: 124Nm at 10,000rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six speed, quickshifter
Final drive: Chain
Clutch: Wet multi-plate slipper

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Aluminium steering head, engine stressed member, aluminium swingarm
Front suspension: 43mm Ohlins NIX30 forks, 120mm travel, Smart EC Semi-active adjustment
Rear suspension: Ohlins Monoshock, 130mm travel, Smart EC semi-active adjustment
Front brake: Twin 330mm Brembo discs, Brembo four-piston monobloc Stylema calipers, ABS
Rear brake: 245mm disc, twin-piston caliper
Wheels: Forged alloy Marchesini – 120/70-17 front, 200/60-17 rear
Tyres: Pirelli Supercorsa SP – 3.50 x 17 front, 5.5 x 17 rear

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Trail: 100mm
Rake: 24.5 degrees
Claimed wet weight: 195kg
Seat height: 830mm
Wheelbase: 1469mm
Fuel capacity: 16 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $37,490 plus on-roads (standard model $28,900 plus on-roads)
Colour: Red
Test bike supplied by: Ducati Australia
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres