
Once again, it is World Ducati Week, and this year sees the launch of Ducati‘s latest flagship superbike: the new Panigale V4.
Right off the bat, a brand-new front fascia greets you with slimmer, cleaner headlights, much like you would see on the BMW S1000 RR. Ducati says the new face is inspired by the 916 and the 1098. However, keen observers will notice that the new twin headlights look a lot like the ones on the Multistrada V4.




Revisions in the fairings now integrate the winglets cleanly into the bodywork compared to the previous generation’s, which looked more like add-ons. Ducati has also cleverly relocated the side-mirror mounts into the underside of the front fairing to eliminate the need for blanking plates when owners decide to take the mirrors off on the track.
The most prominent difference on the new bike, though, is the double-sided swingarm. The Bolognese bike maker decided to ditch the single-sided swingarm of the last Panigale in favor of this new hollow symmetrical swingarm. As a result, lateral stiffness has been reduced by 37% over the arguably more beautiful single-sided variant.

For now, the bike is only available in standard and S flavors, presumably with R or SP models coming later in its life cycle. Still, the V4S packs way more punch than the average Joe who aspires to be Pecco Bagnaia will ever need with 216hp at an astronomical 13,500rpm and 120.90Nm at 11,250rpm coming from Ducati’s latest 1,103cc Desmosedici Stradale V4 engine. The engine was also made 1kg lighter thanks to the liberal use of magnesium. Brembo’s latest Hypure calipers make their first public appearance on the new Panigale as well.
Given the changes, Ducati says the end result is a motorcycle that is easier to extract consistent performance from for both pros and amateurs alike.
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