Panigale's have never
been considered comfort-
able street bikes. They are
hard-edged, track-focused
weapons, but it's nice to ride
one to the shops every now
and then. Again, the rain
in Bahrain allowed for this
softer setup to really shine,
because in the wet you want
soft, anyway. The track conditions
made it impossible for me to give
you a like-for-like comparison to
the 2018 model (the Valencia test
was run in brilliant sunshine) but
the overall feeling, at least at my
sedate pace, was of a bike that
didn't wear the rider out to quite
the degree the 2018 model would.
The electronic Ohlins Smart
EC2 suspension is the same
from the 2018 mode, no changes
there. But the springs bring with it
a five millimeter taller ride height
As for the shock itself, it's
now five millimeters longer
than in 2018, with the rear
linkage length reduced also
by five millimeters. The fork
breaks the five-millimeter-
mold by being raised four mil-
limeters, with the motor now
sitting five millimeters higher
in the front frame chassis.
MAX DRIVE, ALL
THE TIME
For any motorcycle measuring
200-plus horsepower, top of the
priority list should be being able
to actually use it. Ducati said its
2018 model was a bit of a beast
(no argument here), so for 2020
the electronics boffins have sunk
their teeth into the V4 S and
revised the torque settings in
the first three gears, and played
around with the TC.
2020 DUC ATI PANIG ALE V4 S
R I D E R E V I E W
P84
front and rear, with the center of
gravity and seat height also up
five millimeters. The softer setup
naturally gives the bike more for-
ward and rearward pitch, which is
fine up until it's too much and the
suspension is maxed out. I think
most will never reach this level on
the road, let alone the track.
Plenty of horsepower,
approximately 214, lurk beneath
the now-winged fairing.
(Below) This gives you a brief outline
of which modes are equipped with
what settings across all parameters.
