2018 Ducati Panigale V4 First Ride Review: 10 Things You Need To Know

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Ducati says the Panigale V4 is the biggest investment the company has ever made in a single product, four years in development, and that claim is perfectly believable after riding the bike at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Spain. Here, in bite-sized chunks, is why its technology and performance will take the superbike class by storm. Don’t be surprised if it takes top honors in sportbike shootouts around the world in 2018.

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Perhaps you might think I’m just a victim of drinking Ducati Kool-aid after a fun trip to Spain, but doubting Thomases should be persuaded by lap times. The fastest race lap aboard a Ducati MotoGP racebike during the 2017 Valencia GP was Andrea Dovizioso clocking a 1:31.78. Alessandro Valia, Ducati’s development rider, lapped 5 scant seconds slower (1:36.84) aboard the Panigale V4 streetbike!

Keep in mind that Valia, although rippin’ fast, isn’t in the same league, literally, as GP-winner Dovi. Also, this is on a production bike with headlights and other street equipment, even if it was fitted with the accessory Akrapovic exhaust and Pirelli SC1 Superbike slicks.

Ducati pushed its engineering and marketing efforts to the limits with this new Stradale V4 motor. It required considerable cojones to abandon its legacy of V-Twin engines in favor of a MotoGP-inspired V-4 powerplant. Common to both Ducatis (GP and Stradale) is the 90-degree V-4 engine arrangement and “Twin Pulse” firing order, in which the two left-side cylinders and two right-side ones fire closely together. Even seasoned ears can be fooled into thinking the Stradale V4 sounds at idle like a typical Duc Twin. But letting the potent motor climb up to its 14,500-rpm redline reveals a roaring howl that is a near duplicate of Ducati’s MotoGP machine, supplanting the signature V-Twin boom that has been a hallmark of the Italian brand since superbike racing was created.

Also shared is the engines’ 81mm bore size, but the Stradale V4 uses a longer stroke (53.5mm) that yields a total displacement of 1103cc. Yes, it’s a cheater motor in the literbike class. (A 999cc R version is on deck for the 2019 season to fit Superbike racing regulations.)

So, it should be no surprise that Ducati’s claim of 214 crankshaft horsepower is greater than any of the class’ 1000cc competitors, including the 199-hp stated by BMW for the S1000RR and the 1299’s 197 ponies. The big motor’s 91.1 lb-ft of torque at 10,000 rpm claim also vanquishes any literbike. Trackday enthusiasts will want to opt for the titanium Akrapovic accessory exhaust system, which sounds awesome and boosts power by 12 horses to a mad 226.

The S-V4 tore around the Valencia circuit with a ferocious vigor, piling on speed at a pace similar to the lightweight carbon-framed BMW HP4 Race I rode a few months ago, which claimed a similar peak hp figure of 215 ponies. The Duc perhaps has a smoother powerband, thanks to its extra displacement and employment of variable-length throttle body intakes. Despite the high output, valve-inspection intervals are suggested at a reasonable 15,000 miles.

More Panigale V4 Details In MO’s Preview

The new engine also employs the relatively novel trick of the MotoGP Desmosedici’s reverse-rotating crankshaft, which offsets some of an engine’s negative gyroscopic effect on steering responses. This is an arrangement used in Ducati’s GP bikes since 2010, and its effectiveness of providing beneficial agility is veritable because all other MotoGP teams use it – despite sapping 1% of power. That’s because a jackshaft is required for reversing rotation again to the countershaft sprocket.

The effectiveness of this arrangement was readily apparent when riding around Valencia, as the Panigale V4 tipped into corners with the ease of a much smaller-engined sportbike. It exhibits a friendly neutral balance and is easier to ride than the more finicky 1299. It’s both willing and cooperative.

Losing weight isn’t just difficult for humans, but Ducati has pared ounces wherever possible. Its monocoque frame design uses the engine as a stressed member in accompaniment with an aluminum front section that incorporates the steering head. It’s said to scale in at just 9.2 lbs, which is 8 lbs lighter than the exotic carbon-fiber full frame on the HP4 Race. Its single-sided aluminum swingarm is 76mm longer than the 1299’s for better traction, but weighs the same 11.2 lbs. To gain perspective on the relative weights of these structural pieces, consider the Panigale V4’s exhaust system: at 21.4 lbs, it weighs more than the frame and swingarm combined.

The standard Panigale V4 uses a fully adjustable Showa Big Piston fork and Sachs shock, while the V4 S we tested employs the latest generation of Öhlins semi-active suspension in an NIX-30 fork and TTX36 shock. Manual mode allows compression, rebound, and steering damper settings to be manually set, while the dynamic mode automatically adjusts damping depending on various parameters received from the IMU.

I wasn’t a big proponent of the first-gen Öhlins electronic suspension on the 1299 Panigale, so I’m happy to report that the Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 system proved faultless under my butt at Valencia. Its dynamic mode features Objective Based Tuning Interface (OBTi), which provided well-chosen damping rates at all points around the track. Ride modes affect the tuning, providing a plusher stroke in Street mode than the stiffer setups in and Sport and Race modes. After the first session, I switched to Race mode and didn’t have a suspension complaint the rest of the day.

At Valencia, I was initially disappointed with the Stylemas’ softer bite, but after a few laps I dug into their deep well of power, and found they actually delivered superior modulation thanks to a longer lever pull. There ain’t nothing wrong with M50s, but these new calipers are at least as good and combine for a loss of 140 grams from the front wheel. At the rear, a two-piston clamper squeezes a 245mm rotor.

Traditionalists are often scornful of electronic instrument panels, but there’s lot to love about the Panigale V4’s 5-inch high-brightness TFT display, which might be the best one we’ve ever seen. Old-school riders will appreciate the analog tachometer whose needle changes from white to orange to red as the engine approaches its rev limit. The panel also includes a trip computer, air temp gauge, lap timer, clock and Ducati Multimedia System information. Its electronics even boasts self-canceling turnsignals, although I hope you’ll forgive me for not testing them at Valencia.