2020 Ducati Panigale V4 / V4 S [Model Overview]

The Panigale V4 MY2020 features new, specially developed Ride by Wire system mappings with several torque delivery control settings. Track-dedicated RbW mapping aligns rider demand with delivered torque more closely, resulting in smoother, more predictable throttle response.

The Panigale V4 is powered by the 1,103 cc Desmosedici Stradale (banked 42° back from the horizontal), a MotoGP-derived 90° V4 with Desmodromic timing, a one-of-a-kind engine featuring a counter-rotating crankshaft and Twin Pulse firing order. The engine can deliver 214 hp at 13,000 rpm and a torque of 12.6 kgm at 10,000 rpm, making for awesome road riding.

The new engine is designed around the Desmodromic system, a characteristic that helps make Ducati the fastest prototypes of the top racing class in motorcycle racing. With this high-rotation engine the “Desmo” achieves its maximum technical value, reaching levels of sophistication, compactness and lightness never seen before on a Ducati.

On street bikes the crankshaft rotates in the same direction as the wheels. In contrast, in MotoGP the counter-rotating crankshaft that rotates in the opposite direction is commonly used. The Desmosedici Stradale has borrowed this technical solution to compensate for part of the gyroscopic effect produced by the wheels, making the bike more agile and precise when changing directions. The counter-rotating crankshaft also generates a torque due to inertia that tends to lower the front end during acceleration, and the rear end when braking, thus reducing the wheelie phenomenon.

Combined with the V engine layout, this particular shaft geometry allows for a special ‘Twin Pulse’ ignition sequence. The distinctiveness lies in the fact that the two left-hand cylinders fire closely together, as do the two right-hand ones. On the timing chart, the ignition points are, then, at 0°, 90°, 290° and 380°. This particular firing order makes the V4 sound just like the MotoGP Desmosedici.

The Panigale V4 range features Brembo Stylema® monobloc calipers, developed out of the already high performance M50 calipers.

Stylema® calipers, machined from a solid aluminum alloy block, have lightening zones on the body and attachment bushings; compared to the M50, these zones make them visibly more compact and lighten each caliper by 70 g without affecting stiffness. Other improvements on the internal ventilation front have made for more consistent efficiency.

Because of their extreme stiffness, Stylema® calipers offer outstanding hydraulic efficiency; this means riders can count on excellent braking responsiveness, limited brake lever travel and first-rate ‘feel’.

The dual Brembo calipers, each mounting four 30 mm pistons, bite down on 330 mm discs to give exceptional braking power. At the rear, instead, the system mounts a single 245 mm disc with a 2-piston caliper. Braking is aided by the ABS Cornering EVO system, which uses the ultra-light 9.1MP control unit.

The Panigale V4 is equipped with a 43 mm Showa Big Piston Fork (BPF) that provides fully adjustable spring pre-load and compression and rebound damping. The fork bodies house chrome sliders with Brembo radial caliper mountings. A Sachs steering damper completes the front-end package. At the rear there is a fully adjustable Sachs shock absorber, one side of which is attached to the Desmosedici Stradale engine via a forged aluminum bracket.

The Panigale V4 S, instead, mounts an Öhlins NIX-30 fork, an Öhlins TTX36 rear shock absorber and an Öhlins event-based steering damper. On this version suspension and steering damper are controlled by the second-generation Öhlins Smart EC 2.0 system which, among other things, features the new OBTi (Objective Based Tuning Interface).

On both versions, fork and single-sided swingarm have softer, less pre-loaded springs, resulting in more efficient use of suspension travel to even out pits and ripples on the asphalt. The combination of reduced fork stiffness and higher pre-loading gives better dive control during braking, resulting in easier, more intuitive turn-ins, especially for the less expert rider.

The Front Frame is now the same as the one on the V4 R but differs slightly on account of the lighter, machined sides; these ensure attainment of the stiffness targets set by Ducati Corse for the SBK championship and reduce weight even further.

Greater frame flexibility means less on-track tire stress and improved front-end ‘feel’ at maximum lean angles.

Completing the chassis is the light magnesium front sub-frame and the shell-cast aluminum seat sub-frame (attached to the Front Frame at the top and bolted to the head of the rear cylinder bank below).

The fork mounting has been lowered 4 mm, while the suspension now has two link rods that are shorter by 5 mm. These changes have resulted in a 5 mm higher bike barycentre. The result? The bike is swifter at the drop-in and arrives at the apex faster.

A higher rear end also increases the chain pull angle: this results in an anti-squat effect and, therefore, greater bike stability during acceleration.

With a 24.5° rake and 100 mm trail, steering geometry remains unchanged.