VOL. 54 ISSUE 26 JULY 4, 2017 P29
DUCATI V4 BREAKS COVER
I
t's been years in the
making, but the Ducati
V4 superbike has finally
been spotted testing in
Europe.
Ducati has been hint-
ing at a production V4
superbike for a very long
time, after first releasing
in the MotoGP replica
Desmosedici D16RR way
back in 2006.
The company has
always been true to its
V-twin roots and has re-
leased ever more power-
ful and technologically
advanced versions of its
Panigale to stay competi-
tive in superbike competi-
tion, but the advent of a
V4 means a direct link
from the MotoGP program
to the consumer and is set to
fundamentally change the Ducati
superbike forever.
It's been a busy time for
Ducati lately, with the drip feed
release of the Panigale Final
Edition—a machine set to be
unveiled to the public at the up-
coming Laguna Seca WorldSBK
round.
We've known the Ducati V4
has been in the works since
January and has been devel-
oped as the racing successor
to the Panigale, however, the
machine will not be race ready
until 2019, and we expect to see
a production-ready version of the
V4 at the EICMA Show in Milan
this year.
There're big changes not just
in the engine but also the chas-
sis of the new V4. The Pani-
gale's monocoque is now gone,
replaced by a conventional
twin-spar design and a tubular
steel subframe. The rear shock's
placement has moved to the
left rear, just behind the rider's
ankle, while the fork has no sign
of electronic adjustment like on
the current Panigale S. Expect
that to change when the V4 hits
the market.
The bodywork is similar to the
Panigale range although slightly
wider, indicating the designers
want to keep the physical evolu-
tion of the machine that debuted
in 2012 in tact.
No word has been released
on the official name of the
machine or indeed the capacity,
although for it to race in WorldS-
BK it has to be under 1000cc for
a four-cylinder engine. There is
a possibility Ducati could release
a 1200cc road version, much
like Norton did with their V4 SS
machine, while keeping a higher
spec R model under 1000cc for
racing purposes. CN
The end is nigh for the V-twin
superbike. Ducati's new V4
promises to be something special.
