Ducati Panigale V4R

The Ducati Panigale is already one of the most beautiful and desirable superbikes available in the world, and with the V4 R, the desirability quotient hits the roof and has been taken to a whole new height. Ducati has made some noteworthy changes and introduced a few add-ons to make the Panigale V4 R a more extreme and sharper motorcycle to look at.

The front fairing of the Ducati Panigale V4 R gets the same triangular and pointy-looking dual housings featuring LED projectors within them and having daytime running LED strips above them. While the fairing gets a large and aerodynamic-looking transparent cowl at the top, it has received redesigned carbon fibre winglets on the sides. These elements help the Ducati Panigale V4 R to achieve better stability at both high-speed stretches and corners.

The side profile of the Ducati Panigale V4 R gets cleverly-styled fins within the side fairing panels, above and beside the V4 engine (more on the engine later). The exclusive highlights which make the Ducati Panigale V4 R feel even more special are the number ‘1’ plate above the headlamps on the front fairing, the Moto-GP-inspired red-and-white livery, carbon fibre front and rear mudguards and a new fairing to enhance the cooling of the engine. Further exclusivity is assured by the presence of a new 17-litre brushed aluminium fuel tank, a flatter rider’s seat and racing-style hand grips.

The Ducati Panigale V4 R misses out on a functional pillion seat and instead gets a pointy and uprising tail section, which looks compact and accommodates the aggressive-looking LED tail lamp assembly. The 17-inch Marchesini forged aluminium alloy wheels and the dual underbody exhausts neatly integrated within the lower fairing panel make the motorcycle look even more premium.

The Ducati Panigale V4 R shares its full-TFT instrument console which offers a plethora of track and performance data while on the go. The additional features which the Panigale V4 R comes equipped with are auto-off LED turn indicators, quick adjustment buttons, a lithium-ion battery and a high-flow air filter.

Sitting on an aluminium alloy front frame with optimized stiffnesses, the Ducati Panigale V4 R has a fully-adjustable 43 mm Ohlins NPX 25/30 pressurised fork with TiN treatment at the front and a Fully adjustable Ohlins TTX 36 unit with hydraulic spring preload adjuster. Adding more extremism to the chassis of the Panigale V4 R are Öhlins steering damper and Billet aluminium steering stem with bike number. Riding on 120/70 ZR17 front and 200/60 ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP track-oriented tyres wrapped over Marchesini forged three-spoke aluminium alloy wheels, the Panigale V4 R gets dual 330mm discs at the front and a single 245mm disc at the rear for braking.

The Ducati Panigale V4 R sources its power from a high-revving four-stroke, liquid-cooled, V4, 998cc engine, which features a counter-rotating crankshaft, 4 Desmodromic timing, and 4 valves per cylinder. Mated to a 6-speed transmission, this bonkers engine develops 218 bhp of power and 111.3 Nm of torque output. However, with the optional full racing exhaust, the performance shoots up to 237 bhp of maximum power and 118 Nm of maximum torque, thus making it one of the most ballistic and full-blown super sports motorcycles one can buy in the present era.

Apart from the bare-basic essential of cornering ABS EVO, the Ducati Panigale V4 R also gets Ducati Power Launch (DPL), Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) up/down EVO 2, riding modes with a new ‘Track Evo’ mode for making track riding easier and safer.

The Ducati Panigale V4 R might not be for everyone with its astronomical pricing and performance, but that’s what makes this motorcycle feel so exclusive. It redefines extremism on two wheels with top-class acceleration, straight-line and cornering rideability and premium hardware on offer.