At Ducati’s World Premiere 2019 event, covers have finally been pulled off the much anticipated Panigale V4R. We’ve seen pics of the bike in development, and it even made an appearance at the last round of the BSB championship at Brands Hatch when Michele Pirro took it for a lap or two… but the wait’s finally over.
It should need no introduction, but the V4R is the 1000cc version of the Panigale V4 and Panigale V4S (which are both 1100cc). Why does Ducati need to build it? So they can go racing, duh, and it’ll be what we see ripping around in World SBK and BSB next year. But, it’s no prototype special even if it’s stuffed full of trick bits from MotoGP, it’s homologated and therefore we’ll be seeing them in showrooms next year. More or less, this is what you get when you need to turn a road going superbike into an actual superbike. Ducati say this is a much, much more extreme version of the 1100cc V4 “Stradale”…
Engine
- 221 HP @ 15,250 RPM (16,500 RPM limiter)
- 81×48.4mm bore and stroke
- Titanium conrods (-100g each)
- New crank, 1.1kg lighter
- Forged pistons
- New camshaft
- Bigger inlet valves and ducts
- Bigger throttle boddies (+4mm) and dedicated trumpets
- New oil pump & lighter rotor
- Valve service @ 15,000 miles
Chassis and frame
Even at a fleeting glance the V4R looks fairly different to the standard V4 and V4S. The frame and chassis have undergone loads of changes, from making the swingarm pivot adjustable to making the fairings 38mm wider overall as part of the aero package.
- Full aero package for stability, front-end feeling, anti-wheelie and better wind protection
- 3 positions for the adjustable swingarm
- Ohlins TTX36 shock
- Ohlin NPX 25/30 43mm fork
- Forged Marchesini wheels
- Bigger front fairing and windshield
- Wiglets (+30kg downforce at 170MPH (270KPH)
- Exposed Alu tank
- Sharkfin fairings to increase airflow and remove heat more efficiently (+16% air speed through radiators)
The winglets, Claudio Dominicali (Ducati’s CEO) said are almost identical to those used on Ducati’s GP16 MotoGP bike, and provide 30kg of downforce at 170MPH. Insane.
Electronics
Electronics, too, have found some new features, but all the stuff you’d expect is there as well: Bosch cornering ABS, traction control, slide control, wheelie control, launch control, quickshift up/down, engine brake control, data analyser with GPS and multimedia system.
The new electronic toys are:
- Pit limiter
- Lap timer
All in all, what an utterly crazy bike. We can’t wait to see it racing next year, and neither can we wait to ride it. We’re off to nurse our trouser tent…
Pricing will be announced during the press launch in early 2019.
SOURCE: SUPERBIKES
