Ducati have just released a look at the Updated Panigale V4 R, this extreme machine will go on sale in Australia May 2023 for an RRP of $70,200 rideaway... Press Release: Ducati ANZ.
In the fourth episode of the World Première web series, Ducati presented the new Panigale V4 R. With this bike, enthusiasts get the most sophisticated and refined technological solutions, which brings the road bike even closer to the WorldSBK machines!
The new Ducati Panigale V4 R is recognizable from the first glance thanks to the presence of carbon wings and MotoGP-inspired livery, which integrates the white plates with the number “1”. The bike will be produced in a numbered series with the progressive number and model name shown on the billet aluminium steering clamp.
The heart of the Panigale V4 R is the new 998cc Desmosedici Stradale R, an engine capable of reaching 16,500rpm in sixth gear (16,000 in the other ratios) and delivering a maximum power of 218hp@15,500 rpm. The new Desmosedici Stradale R, despite all the improvements, delivers slightly reduced performance compared to the previous version due to the limitation generated by the exhaust system complying with the strict Euro-5 homologation. The full potential of this engine is expressed on the track by fitting the racing exhaust, which allows it to reach 237hp, 3hp more than the predecessor.
Full power can be reached by fitting the track-only exhaust system. How awesome does that look?
The engine development of the new Panigale V4 R also involved the production of a special oil developed by Shell in collaboration with Ducati Corse. The new performance oil guarantees a 10 per cent reduction in mechanical friction and leads to an increase in maximum power of a further 3.5hp, which rises to +4.5hp at the limiter. The formulation of this oil is based on the use of racing-type additives, specific for high-rpm engines equipped with a dry clutch. It is in fact the dry clutch, as in MotoGP and SBK engines, that allows the use of additives, which would make torque transmission problematic in the wet clutch. The diameter and axial length of the clutch have been reduced (-24 mm) and above all its weight has dropped by around 800 grams.
With the combination of racing exhaust and dedicated oil, the maximum power output of the Panigale V4 R can therefore reach an extraordinary 240.5hp. These numbers are possible thanks to the adoption of technical solutions derived from MotoGP and WorldSBK. For the first time on a road bike, “gun drilled” titanium connecting rods are used, which are drilled longitudinally along the rod (1.6mm diameter hole). This solution, allowing the passage of oil from the head to the small end, improves lubrication and reliability in extreme conditions.
The white panels add a whole other dimension of cool to the Panigale V4 R.
The pistons of the Desmosedici Stradale R have a skirt characterized by DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) surface treatment, a solution used in MotoGP and Formula 1 racing competition, which reduces friction between piston and liner and which is applied for the first time on a road engine. The pistons also have a new geometry that makes them 5 grams lighter (equal to 2 per cent of their weight) thus reducing the forces of inertia, to the benefit of reliability. The other changes involve a more aggressive profile of the intake cams, characterized in this version by a greater lift (1mm) and matched to new variable-length horns, reduced by 5mm in the short configuration. This modification improves breathing at high revs and thus increases the power in the configuration with the racing exhaust.
The Panigale V4 R adopts the same gear ratios used by the bikes competing in WorldSBK, as was already the case with the Panigale V4 S 2022, with the lengthening of first (+11.6 per cent), second (+5.6 per cent) and sixth gear (+1.8 per cent) compared to the previous model.
With the 2023 Ducati Panigale V4 R, enthusiasts get the most sophisticated and refined technological solutions, which brings the road bike even closer to the WorldSBK machines!
The greater effectiveness of the new Panigale V4 R on the track is seen with the expansion and evolution of the Power Modes, new “Track Evo” display on the dashboard, engine maps with calibration dedicated to each single gear, refinements to the Ducati Traction Control and the Ride By Wire system, but also the adoption of the Engine Brake Control EVO 2 strategy, the new strategy for the DQS and the cooling fan control update.
There are four engine strategies: Full, High, Medium, Low. Full and Low are newly designed, while the High and Medium configurations have been revised. Full Power Mode allows the engine to express its full potential with torque curves without electronic filters, except for first gear. For the Medium and High Power Modes, a new Ride by Wire map management system has been developed with dedicated calibration for each of the six gears. The Low Power Mode, on the other hand, has been designed for riding on the road or for low-grip surfaces, limiting the maximum power of the bike to 160hp and offering a particularly manageable throttle response.
There are four engine strategies: Full, High, Medium, Low. Full and Low are newly designed, while the High and Medium configurations have been revised.
To improve stability, precision and directionality in braking and corner entry phases and allow the rider to define more precisely the best electronic engine configuration on each circuit, the Panigale V4 R also adopts the Engine Brake Control (EBC) EVO 2. This electronic engine brake management system features a different gear-by-gear calibration on each of the three selectable levels. The strategy was developed to optimize the intensity of the engine brake as a function of the load on the rear axle.
For those who use the Panigale V4 R only on the track, the Bologna-based company has developed the specific Ducati Performance DTC EVO 3 software for slicks and rain tires (sold as an accessory, and which makes the V4 R not approved for road circulation open to traffic), which now also allows to activate the flashing of the rear position light, as required by racing regulations in case of rain, and replaces the Street Riding Mode with a Rain Mode specifically designed for use on wet surfaces.
Track riding has been kept in mind. You can keep your Panigale V4 R in road mode as seen above, or you can buy a genuine kit to turn it into a track monster!
To improve rider feeling when opening and managing the throttle, a new throttle control that is 50 per cent more compact and characterized by radial and axial clearances reduced to a minimum, as well as being virtually free of initial idle travel, has been adopted. As on racing bikes, there is a Pit Limiter to limit the speed at the exit and entry of the pit lane.
The Panigale V4 R continues with the layout based on the “Front Frame” and single-sided aluminium swingarm of the Ducati Panigale family. It is possible to adjust the height of the rear swingarm pivot in 4 positions in 2mm steps. To increase nimbleness, rider feeling and grip, the chassis of the Panigale V4 R maintains fully mechanical suspension adjustment. At the front, the Öhlins NPX25/30 pressurized fork increases its travel by 5mm compared to the previous “R”. This technical solution, combined with an Öhlins TTX36 shock absorber whose centre distance goes from 312 to 316mm and a standard adjustment of the swingarm pivot to the +1 position, increases the rear height by 20mm.
The adoption of a less rigid spring for the shock absorber (from 105N/mm to 8 N/mm) and a lower ground load on the front due to the lengthening of the fork travel accentuates load transfers by exploiting the greater negative travel of the suspension, increasing grip and feeling when entering corners. At the same time, the greater travel of the fork allows the front wheel to maintain contact with the asphalt even when faced with more accentuated load transfers towards the rear during acceleration, while the position of the swingarm pivot accentuates the anti-squat effect by improving stability, precision and ability to maintain the trajectory when coming out of corners. To speed up and simplify calibration, the rear shock absorber is equipped with a hydraulic adjuster for preload.
The bodywork of the bike have also been updated, with the adoption of a brushed aluminium tank with a profile that offers better support for the rider’s arms and legs when braking and when cornering.
The bodywork of the bike have also been updated, with the adoption of a brushed aluminium tank with a capacity increased to 17litres and a profile that offers better support for the rider’s arms and legs when braking and when cornering. The changes to the tank are added to a flatter saddle, with a reduced amount of foam and with a different covering, which on the one hand guarantees greater freedom of longitudinal movement, and on the other helps the rider to become more stable.
On the Panigale V4 R the aerodynamic package has also been revised with a view to greater efficiency: the new two-element wings (main + flap) guarantee the same aerodynamic load, but are more compact and thinner (respectively by 40 per cent and 50 per cent ).
To improve the cooling of the engine, stabilizing its performance in extreme use on the circuit, the fairing has been modified in the layout of the extractors in the lower area and complies with the World Superbike Championship regulations. Also in the lower part, on the left side, there is an air intake to cool the sensor of the Ducati Quick Shift.
There are so many accessories for this machine, plenty to lose weight and add power. A complete overview of the accessories is available here. The Panigale V4 R will have a suggested rideaway price of $70,200 in Australia and a suggested rideaway price of $77,500 in New Zealand. It will be available in Aus and NZ from May 2023.
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