Performance Bikes — March 2018

DUCATI PANIGALE V4

INTERVIEW

‘IT WASN’T AN easy decision, but

itwastherightone’

“Ittookalongtimetomakethe

decisiontomovefromatwintoaV4.

Ourheritageissostrongwiththe

twin, but we also have a strong but

shorterheritagewithaV4inMotoGP.

When we started work on the new

engine, one of our main

considerations was open road

manners, and the integration of

engine/chassis/rider. If we had

stayed with the

Superquaddro twin, it would

have meant creating a

longer stroke engine with

ahighercentreofgravity.

AV-twinwas

considered for the

next generation of

Panigale, but we

decided it was the

wrong direction. We

have experience in the

Corse department with the V4,

sowebegantoworkonthat.”

‘It’snotjustaboutpower–it’s

about the bike as a whole’

“Wehadtothinkaboutoverall

performance and layout, not just

engine performance. The main issue

was integrating the new engine into a

bike and keeping it as lean as the

V-twin – the engine has a new

position within the bike. The final

designhasgivenmorepowerand

torque,abettercentreofgravityand

abetterfront/rearbalance,butitis

still slim (PB’s quick and dirty

comparisonbetweena1299FEanda

V4 reveal the tank, footpeg and

handlebar spacing are just about

unchanged).”

‘We wanted to make it friendlier

and more agile for road use’

“Aswellaspower,rideabilitywasa

priority–howthebikedeliversits

powerandtheridercanuseit.The

V4 has better combustion

properties compared to the

twin, so there is no surging.

TheV4issmootherat

lower revs, but the sound

isnotfarfromthetwin

thanks to the firing order.

So Panigale owners will

feelathomeonthebikewhenthey

embrace the tank, but when they rev

thebikeandridefaster,theywill

notice it is more nimble, turns tighter.

ThePanigaleV2wasagilebut

neededsomeforcetostartturning–

theV4ismucheasier.”

‘The V-twin still has a place at

Ducati; we won’t abandon the 959’

“Inourmind,the959V-twin

hastostayasitis–ithasa

long life, and we have to

consider riders who want

an enjoyable

sportsbike with

twin-cylinder

characteristics.”

‘We took concepts

from MotoGP’

“Theboreandstrokeof

the 1000cc V4 R for 2019 is

the same, as is the

combustion chamber. The race

engineers gave us the ideas of the

reverse-rotating crank, the intake

and oil pump, which has pumps

draining oil from the head, from the

crankcase, and a feeding pump

working seperately to reduce friction.

The twin-pulse firing order is also

from MotoGP. The engineers took all

ofthisanddevelopeditforabikewith

street rideability, and to meet Euro 4.”

Making the leap: Ditching the

twinandembracingtheV4

Ducati’s Marco Sairu explained why the

trademarktwinmadewayforthenewV4era

between front/rear, so feel is incredibly

high for a road bike on tyres also

designed to work from cold on the road.

The semi-active Öhlins suspension

can’tbefaulted.Itrespondswith

subtletyandaccuracy–neverputtinga

footwrongorfeelinglikeithasmade

the wrong judgement. It’ll take BSB-

gradetalentoralotoftracktimetofeel

the need to cock around with presets.

Ifyoudo,it’salsoafuck-sighteasier

than anything else with leccy-twiddlers

Shower injectors
hover over Ducati’s
first variable height
velocity stacks

Familiar, but
leaner, fitter, more
muscular

Horizontal more often than

Valencia’s finest ‘streetworkers’

CONTROL EVERYWHERE

Öhlins’ simplified controls, but

more sophisticated algorithms,

mean the suspension can be

perfected for everything.