VOLUME 57 ISSUE 6 FEBRUARY 11, 2020 P35
Ducati Superleggera V4 First Look
D
ucati took the wraps off the
stunning all-carbon-fiber Su-
perleggera V4—the lightest, most
powerful Ducati street superbike
ever created. Think of this as
a more extreme version of the
already plainly bonkers Ducati V4
R that we tested last year. Every
structural part is made from carbon
fiber: chassis, swingarm, wheels
and all-new bodywork that takes
its colors from Andrea Dovizioso's
2019 MotoGP weapon.
The Superleggera weighs a
claimed 350 pounds dry, which
is substantially lighter than the
384-pound Panigale V4 S. And
when you fit it with the Akrapo-
vic racing titanium exhaust, that
number drops to an eye-watering
335-pounds dry.
The Superleggera V4 pumps
out a claimed 220 horsepower,
which gets boosted to 234
horsepower when the exhaust
is fitted as part of the Ducati Rac-
ing Kit you can pick up as an ac-
cessory. The 998cc Desmosedi-
ci Stradale motor is swiped from
the V4 R, with five bikes per day
being delivered to customers as
of June 2020.
The hardware is absolutely
top notch—Ohlins gas-charged
forks and race-spec shock with
titanium spring, Brembo Stylema
R calipers, all the electronic
rider aids Ducati can muster
from Traction to Wheelie to Slide
to Rear Wheel Lift control, and
winglets that produce a forceful
110 pounds of downforce at 167
mph, a claimed 44 pounds more
than the V4 S.
Limited to just 500 units world-
wide, the Superleggera custom-
ers will also be given the chance
to spin a few laps on the same
V4 R that Chaz Davies and Scott
Redding will use in the 2020
World Superbike Championship
as part of the "SBK Experience"
package. Even better, 30 of the
500 will be selected to test ride
the 2020 Desmosedici MotoGP
machine as ridden by Andrea
Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci.
You can expect the Ducati
Superleggera V4 to cost some-
where in the $100,000 realm. CN
The Superleggera
V4 makes even
some of the most
exotic superbikes
look almost
second rate.
