EICMA 2017: Ducati unveils Panigale V4
An initial family of three that will go on sale in Australia from March 2018To typical Ducati fanfare, the company finally unveiled its all-new Ducati V4 sportsbike overnight in Milan, with Aussie MotoGP legend Casey Stoner playing a key part in proceedings.
Following the official announcement in September of an all-new V4 engine that would power Ducati’s next-generation sportsbike, media and fans got to see the finished product in the Italian city, which will host the EICMA motorcycle show starting this week.
The new family consists of the Panigale V4, the Panigale V4 S and the limited-edition individually numbered Panigale V4 Speciale – basically a Panigale V4 S but a special livery, carbon fibre and billet goodies and a supplied racing kit. All three are 1103cc.
The Panigale V4 and Panigale V4 S will go on sale in Australia from March 2018, and the Panigale V4 Speciale from late April 2018. No prices, as yet.
A 1000cc ‘R’ edition of the Panigale V4, which would form the basis of Ducati’s 2019 Superbike World Championship assault, has yet to be announced.
All three Panigale V4s share the same bore and stroke of 81mm and 53.5mm to produce the 1103cc capacity, pumping out a claimed 214hp (157.5kW) at 13,000rpm and 124Nm at 10,000rpm. The four 52m throttle bodies are connected to variable-height intake horns, which is the first for a Ducati engine. The engine weighs just 64.9kg.
There are twin injectors per cylinder, a full ride by wire throttle, bi-directional quickshifters, full electronics packages, new Brembo ‘Stylema’ monobloc calipers, aluminium-alloy frames, three riding modes, 16-litre aluminium tanks, a five-inch TFT dashboard, LED headlight with daytime running lights and Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP 17-inch (120/70, 200/60) rubber.
The Stylema calipers are the latest evolution of the already excellent M50 Brembo units.
The Panigale V4 has Showa/Sachs suspension and five-spoke light-alloy wheels, while the Panigale V4 S and Panigale V4 Speciale have Ohlins suspension, three-spoke forged aluminium-alloy wheels and have a claimed wet weight 195kg, three less than the Panigale V4. The up-spec models also have a lithium-ion battery.
The Speciale, ridden onto the stage in Milan by Stoner, adds dedicated livery, a grey frame, black wheels, a special seat, carbon fibre components (mudguards, heel guard, swingarm cover), adjustable footpegs, billet aluminium levers and a full titanium Akrapovic exhaust system which brings horsepower out to a claimed 226hp.
A new chapter for Ducati has begun.
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