The Ducati Panigale V4 is a
sport bike
A sport bike (sports motorcycle, or sports bike) is a motorcycle designed and optimized for speed, acceleration, braking, and cornering on asphalt concrete race tracks and roads. They are mainly designed for performance at the expense of comfor ...
with a
desmodromic
:''In general mechanical terms, the word ''desmodromic'' is used to refer to mechanisms that have different controls for their actuation in different directions.''
A desmodromic valve is a reciprocating engine poppet valve that is positively clos ...
90°
V4 engine introduced by
Ducati
Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. () is the motorcycle-manufacturing division of Italian company Ducati, headquartered in Bologna, Italy. The company is directly owned by Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini, whose German parent company is Au ...
in 2018 as the successor to the
V-twin
A V-twin engine, also called a V2 engine, is a two-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.
Although widely associated with motorcycles (installed either transversely or longit ...
engined
1299
Year 1299 ( MCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* July 4 – Battle of Cape Orlando: A Aragonese-Angevin fleet (some 60 galleys) ...
. A smaller
engine displacement
Engine displacement is the measure of the cylinder volume swept by all of the pistons of a piston engine, excluding the combustion chambers. It is commonly used as an expression of an engine's size, and by extension as a loose indicator of the ...
version complies with the
Superbike category competition regulations which state "Over 750 cc up to 1000 cc" for three and four cylinder 4-stroke engines.
The name "Panigale" comes from the small manufacturing town of
Borgo Panigale
Borgo Panigale (Bolognese dialect: ''Al Båurg'', ''Båurg Panighèl'') was a district of Bologna, northern Italy. Located in the city's western part, between the rivers Lavino and Reno, it had a population of 24,935 in 2009. Since 2016 it has be ...
. The Panigale V4 uses the new ''Desmosedici Stradale'' V4 engine, derived from the
Desmosedici MotoGP
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...
racing engine.
Development
The Panigale V4 is Ducati's first large-production
street
A street is a public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, ...
bike with a V4 engine, Ducati having primarily used V-twins since the 1960s, except on prototypes and
racing motorcycle
Motorcycle racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) is the motorcycle sport of racing motorcycles. Major varieties include motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Ot ...
s. They had sold a short run of 1,500 street-legal V4
Desmosedici RR
The Ducati Desmosedici is a four-stroke V4 engine racing motorcycle made by Ducati for MotoGP racing. The series nomenclature is ''GP'' with the two-digit year appended, such as Desmosedici GP10 for 2010. In 2006 Ducati made a short production ...
s in 2007 and 2008
[ and made two prototypes of the ]Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
V4 in 1964.
The initial development of the Panigale V4 started with the 2015 MotoGP racing engine. Ducati said the Panigale V4 was designed to combine racing features, while also being an entertaining and rideable motorcycle with a durable engine. This created the challenge of designing an engine that could keep the MotoGP engine's counter-rotating crankshaft, and large bore diameter, but have the service intervals expected on consumer motorcycles. Originally, Ducati was initially keeping the MotoGP bike's chassis, but later changed to a completely new front frame they said has less weight and more stability.
Design
''Cycle World
''Cycle World'' is a motorcycling magazine in the United States. It was founded in 1962 by Joe Parkhurst, who was inducted to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame as "the person responsible for bringing a new era of objective journalism" to the US. ''Cyc ...
'' said in spite of being a V4, the new Panigale is only slightly wider than the V-twin 1299.[ Ducati claimed weight is heavier than the 1299, with foot pegs higher.][ Unlike the prior ]1199
Year 1199 (Roman numerals, MCXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* January 13 – A short-lived truce is declared, between the Kings Rich ...
and 1299 where the engine is the primary element of the frame, the engine is surrounded by a more conventional aluminum perimeter
A perimeter is a closed path that encompasses, surrounds, or outlines either a two dimensional shape or a one-dimensional length. The perimeter of a circle or an ellipse is called its circumference.
Calculating the perimeter has several pract ...
frame.[
The Panigale V4's electronics include a wheelie control system derived from the 1299 Superleggera, along with traction and drift control.][ The brakes have a new ABS designed for high speed cornering.] Ducati and Brembo
Brembo S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of automotive brake systems, especially for high-performance cars and motorcycles. Its head office is in Curno, Bergamo, Italy.
History
Brembo was established in Paladina, Italy on January 11, 1961 ...
designed -lighter brake caliper
A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hold ...
s than the 1299's. The bike's tires, the Diablo Super Corsa SP developed by Ducati and Pirelli
Pirelli & C. S.p.A. is a multinational tyre manufacturer based in Milan, Italy. The company, which has been listed on the Milan Stock Exchange since 1922, is the 6th-largest tyre manufacturer and is focused on the consumer production of tyre ...
, have a new rear compound.
Engine
The Panigale V4's desmodromic 90° V4 engine, unlike the prior 1199 and 1299 where the engine is the primary element of the frame, is surrounded by a more conventional aluminum perimeter frame.[ The engine is rotated further backwards than other Ducatis, so that the swingarm pivot is mated to the rear cylinders, rather than lower on the engine near the crankshaft.][ Unlike most street bikes and previous Ducatis other than MotoGP racing machines, the Panigale V4's engine rotates in the opposite direction of the wheels, counteracting the gyroscopic effect and therefore decreasing the force necessary to change the bike's inclination.][
]
Variants
Panigale V4 S
The Panigale V4 S is a more performance-oriented version of the base V4. It has an Öhlins
Öhlins or Öhlins Racing AB, is a Swedish company that develops suspension systems for the automotive, motorcycle, mountain bike and motorsport industries. Approximately 97% of all production is exported and Öhlins has distribution in over 50 ...
suspension that the rider can electronically adjust, or set to the sport, race, or street modes typical of contemporary performance bikes. It also has a lightweight lithium battery, and forged aluminium wheels, reducing the bike's overall weight.
Panigale V4 Speciale
The Panigale V4 Speciale has the S model options, and adds adjustable footpads, an Alcantara-trimmed seat, a top triple clamp, carbon mudguards, a data analyzer system, and race fuel cap. It also has a titanium exhaust and race kit that Ducati claims increases the power from a claimed .[
]
Panigale V4 R
The Panigale V4 R is a WSBK homologation special of the standard V4. Compared to the standard engine of the Panigale V4/V4 S, the V4 R uses a variant to comply with WSBK rules. This engine makes a claimed at 15,250 rpm and of torque at 11,500 rpm with a dry weight of 172 kg and kerb weight of 193 kg, with the race kit optional package this engine makes a claimed at 15,250 rpm and of torque at 11,500 rpm . This makes the V4 R the most powerful street-legal production bike available in the world, meaning that, with a dry weight of 165 kg, reaches a power-to-weight ratio
Power-to-weight ratio (PWR, also called specific power, or power-to-mass ratio) is a calculation commonly applied to engines and mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measuremen ...
of 1.42. The frame has been reworked and the swingarm pivot can be adjusted. The fairing has been widened by as part of the aerodynamic styling. According to the Ducati CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
Claudio Domenicali, the winglets
Wingtip devices are intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft by reducing drag. Although there are several types of wing tip devices which function in different manners, their intended effect is always to reduce an aircraft' ...
applied to the V4 R fairing are almost identical to the GP16
The EMD GP16 are a series of rebuilt diesel-electric locomotives, a result of a remanufacturing program initiated by the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL) in an effort to spare the cost of purchasing new motive power in the late 1970s. This in ...
MotoGP bike. The suspension uses fully adjustable titanium nitrided NPX front forks by Öhlins, and the rear a fully adjustable Öhlins TTX36 monoshock
A motorcycle's suspension serves a dual purpose: contributing to the vehicle's handling and braking, and providing safety and comfort by keeping the vehicle's passengers comfortably isolated from road noise, bumps and vibrations.
The typical moto ...
.
Panigale V4 Superleggera
For 2020, Ducati introduced the Panigale V4 Superleggera. This is the third superleggera incarnation after the 1199 and 1299 superleggera models. As with previous Superleggeras, a run of only 500 were manufactured, with reduced weight being the design philosophy. The frame, swingarm and rims are all manufactured from carbon. It produces 224 hp, and has a dry weight of 159 kg (or 152 kg with the race kit).
References
External links
*
{{Ducati
Sport bikes
Panigale V4
Motorcycles introduced in 2018
Motorcycles powered by V engines