2020 DUC ATI PANIG ALE V4 S
R I D E R E V I E W
P78
Unless you knew where to look,
you'd swear this was a V4 R.
H A R D E R , F A S T E R
I
remember walking away from the 2018 Ducati Panigale
V4 S test in Valencia impressed. Very impressed.
"Ducati has really, truly, created a landmark motorcycle
with the new Panigale V4 S." That was what I wrote for
Cycle News in January of 2018. I still believe this to be the
case, especially when you consider the machine the V4 S
replaced: the glorious but brutish, twin-cylinder 1299.
Two years on from the launch, I've since ridden three more
V4 S machines, all essentially the same as the bike I waxed
lyrical about in Valencia. The last outing was at Laguna Seca
in 2019 at the Pirelli track day following the WorldSBK
round, and I'll admit to being a tad underwhelmed.
To be fair, I had just completed my first laps on the stonking
V4 R prior to riding the V4 S, but the V4 S felt sluggish in the
steering compared to the R, not to mention cramped with
about half the wind protection afforded by the V4 R.
And then there was the extra ponies afforded to the V4
R over the S—it meant the V4 S didn't leave as great an
impression on me it did in isolation that January day on
the edge of Spain's Balearic Sea.
THE DUCATI PANIGALE V4 S BROKE NEW GROUND FOR THE COMPANY WHEN IT WAS RELEASED
IN 2018. NOW, TWO YEARS ON, WE SEE THE FIRST EVOLUTION OF THE SPECIES.
