Ducati has turned over a new leaf by taking the wraps off its new flagship motorcycle, the Panigale V4. Terming it as the ‘road-going version’ of the Desmosedici GP race machine, the superbike is available in three variants – Panigale V4, V4 S and V4 Speciale.
The new Panigale V4 sports the same familiar looks with the edgy dual headlamps up front, single-sided swingarm and the raised tail section. It gets a new five-inch colour TFT screen with two layouts for road and track. Under the skin however, there are significant changes. For one, the Panigale V4 features a completely new powertrain – a 90-degree V4 engine with a output of 214 horsepower. An optional titanium Akrapovic race exhaust can boost the output to 223 horsepower. Given the Italian manufacturer’s stubbornness of sticking to L-twin engine architecture so far, this is sure to be an important milestone in the company’s history. While the 959 Panigale will continue to be on sale, Ducati has bid adieu to the 1299 Panigale.
While the standard Panigale V4 gets Showa Big Piston Fork (BPF) up front and Sachs rear shock, the V4 S and V4 Speciale are equipped with Ohlins setup. The higher-spec versions also get forged aluminium wheels and a lighter lithium ion battery. The electronics package consists of cornering ABS, traction control, slide control, wheelie control, launch control, quickshifter, engine brake control and electronic suspension.
The base Panigale V4 is priced at GBP 19,250 (Rs 16.28 lakhs), the Panigale V4 S retails at GBP 23,895 (Rs 20.20 lakhs) while the top-of-the-line Panigale V4 Speciale will set you back by GBP 34,995 (Rs 29.59 lakhs). The Panigale V4 will debut at the 2017 EICMA Show this week. We can expect it to be launched in India in the first half of 2018.
