Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1526959
P108 RIDE REVIEW I 2025 DUCATI PANIGALE V4 S 2025 DUCATI PANIGALE V4 S ($33,895) ENGINE Desmosedici Stradale 90° V4, counter-rotating crankshaft VALVETRAIN Desmodromic timing, 4 valves per cylinder COOLING SYSTEM Liquid FUELING EFI DISPLACEMENT 1103cc BORE X STROKE 81 x 53.3mm POWER (CLAIMED) 209 hp @ 12,750 rpm TORQUE (CLAIMED) 89.5 lb-ft @ 11,250 pm ELECTRONICS Three Riding Modes, Power Modes, Cornering ABS EVO, Ducati Traction Control (DTC) EVO 2, Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) EVO, Ducati Slide Control (DSC), Engine Brake Control (EBC) EVO, auto tire calibration, Ducati Power Launch (DPL), Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) up/down EVO 2, Full LED lighting with Daytime Running Light (DRL), Ducati Electronic Suspension (DES) EVO with Ohlins suspension and steering damper, Quick adjustment buttons, Auto-off indicators, Race-eCBS TRANSMISSION 6-speed CLUTCH Wet multi-disc CHASSIS Aluminum alloy "Front Frame" FRONT SUSPENSION Ohlins NIX30 43mm fully adjustable fork with TiN treatment. Electronic compression and rebound damping adjustment with Ohlins Smart EC 3.0 event-based mode REAR SUSPENSION Fully adjustable Ohlins TTX36 unit. Electronic compres- sion and rebound damping adjustment with Ohlins Smart EC 3.0 event-based mode. Aluminum double-sided swingarm FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL 4.9 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL 5.1 in. FRONT BRAKE Dual 330 mm semi- floating discs, radially mounted Brembo Monobloc Hypure four-piston calipers with Cornering ABS EVO, Race e-CBS REAR BRAKE 245 mm disc, twin-piston caliper with Cornering ABS EVO Last generation digital unit with five-inch TFT color display, Race e-CBS FRONT TIRE Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V4 120/70 ZR17 in. REAR TIRE Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V4 200/60 ZR17 in. SEAT HEIGHT 33.5 in. WHEELBASE 58.5 in. RAKE 24° FUEL CAPACITY 4.49 gal. WEIGHT (WET, CLAIMED) 412 lbs. Panigale's development, as has the employment of the double- sided swingarm. The V4 S's front frame comes with a claimed 40 percent reduction in lateral stiff- ness, while the new swingarm has a claimed 37 percent less lateral stiffness. Combined, the new swingarm, suspension and rear wheel assembly are 8.38 pounds lighter than before. Those are massive numbers on paper, but they translate—just like the electronics—to a bike that's plain easier to ride to for longer. The Panigale is still stiff, but nothing like it was last year or any time before that. The newfound flex matters at every point of the corner, but it is especially important at the mid- point where the brake begins to be bled off and the power fed back in. Now, the chassis filters some of the forces that make it to the tire out, allowing you to feed more power in faster and harder, thus allowing more mechanical grip from the tires to propel you forward. The new hollow swingarm is the result of three years of back- and-forth development with it and various single-sided ver - sions. Remember, Ducati hasn't fitted a double-sided swingarm to its lead superbike since the infamous 999 of 2003-2007, so for them to break with this tradi - tion means the double-sided unit is clearly superior. Having the extra stability of the double arm allowed for that reduction in lateral stiffness and a slight increase in wheelbase, the Panigale now enjoying the same feeling at the rear of the bike as many of its Japanese counterparts. The 2025 Ducati Panigale V4 S is an astounding motorcycle. It's the easiest 1000cc superbike I've yet ridden, but it's also prob - ably the fastest. Now Ducati has incorporated things like the DVO system and the Race eCBS, no doubt other manufacturers will follow suit, but—like aero winglets in MotoGP and production bikes— Ducati has broken the mold first. For my skill level, the '25 Pani - gale V4 S is impossible to fault. Maybe riders of a higher skill level than me could, but at my speed, I remain completely gobsmacked at just how good this bike is. CN S P E C I F I C AT I O N S