Casey Stoner: “Impressed by the Ducati Panigale V4”

Ducati – Much has been said and written about the closeness between the new Ducati Panigale V4, the first mass-produced motorcycle from the Bolognese company to be equipped with a 4-cylinder engine, strictly derived from the Desmosedics of MotoGP.

La V4 it effectively replaces the iconic 1299 Panigale and it does so by increasing performance and ease of riding, to offer every rider, from the least experienced to the top rider, great emotions and fun. Developed in close collaboration with Ducati Corse, it uses know-how and technology from the racing world to be the road bike closest to a MotoGP. To confirm the quality of the project an exceptional tester, Casey Stoner"I didn't expect such fluidity in power delivery. It really impressed me! For me the 1299 Panigale is a wonderful bike but compared to this one there is a big difference in terms of power. I also talk about balance and corner entry. She's more calm, you arrive more calmly".

"Honestly it's rare that a street bike can hit me. In MotoGP you find yourself with extreme power, but with this bike, with road tires I was left speechless – added the Australian driver -. She was ready to do wheelies everywhere, she really wanted to run. I had to dose the throttle more than usual, then as soon as I got confident, I opened more, much more and in the end on the straight I felt that it was going much faster than I expected”. Who then added: “Being able to intervene on all the parameters, setting everything as I like, the sensation was practically that of my bike in MotoGP, especially by opening the throttle and with wheelie control. The traction control is very smooth and doesn't make itself felt too much. It is precisely this that gives the bike this fluidity throughout the entire range of power delivery. It improves traction and the behavior of the bike is much more stable. It is undoubtedly a Ducati".

The Desmosedici Stradale engine is a 4° V90 with Desmodromic distribution like the Desmosedici GP, from which it also takes the bore value of 81 mm (the maximum allowed by the MotoGP technical regulations). This has been associated with a longer stroke (which leads to a total displacement of 1.103 cm3) to increase torque at low and medium speeds and reduce the maximum rotation speed in order to make power delivery more manageable. The new Ducati engine has a power of 214 HP, at 13.000 rpm, which makes the Panigale V4 the best performing motorcycle in the segment, but still enjoyable on the road thanks to a torque of 12,6 Kgm at 10.000 rpm. Ducati has also developed a new frame called "Front Frame", more compact and lighter than a perimeter frame and uses the engine as a stressed element of the chassis. This solution guarantees the right torsional rigidity when driving at the limit, always offering great feeling to the rider. By taking advantage of this chassis choice, the designers were able to create a slim motorcycle in the connection area between the tank and the saddle to guarantee great freedom of movement for the rider in sporty riding. Careful design and the use of lightweight materials have made it possible to keep the kerb weight for the “S” and Speciale versions down to 195 kg.