2018 Ducati Panigale V4

The Panigale V4 is Ducati’s historic third effort at a four-cylinder streetbike, following the unsuccessful 1960s Apollo police cruiser and the exotic Desmosedici RR of 2008. Ducati entitles this latest effort as “a new opera,” and given the pronounced acoustic difference between the 214-hp, 1,103cc Panigale V4 engine and the previous Panigale 1299 R’s 209-hp, 1,285cc V-twin (that’s just been displaced as Ducati’s hero engine), the claim certainly rings true.

The soul of the Panigale V4 is its raucous MotoGP-derived engine, which makes maximum power at 13,000 rpm and peak torque at 10,000 rpm. And key to controlling this barely caged pandemonium is a Bosch six-axis inertial measurement unit that helps enable controlled slides during braking and other spectacular track feats. For an extra few thousand dollars, the Panigale V4 S adds features like Öhlins suspension and forged wheels. Or go all in for the limited-production, track-focused Panigale V4 Speciale, which delivers a claimed 226 hp at nearly double the base Panigale V4’s price. Hope you like talking to folks, because they’re gonna ask, “What’s it like?”

Likes: Amazing technology, breathtaking performance, hypnotically good looks

Dislikes: The Speciale costs more than an Alfa Romeo Giulia (but is worth it!)

Verdict: Ducati had to do this eventually. And thankfully, it did

The 2018 Panigale V4 S Is The Fastest Ducati Superbike We’ve Ever Ridden

The 2018 Ducati Panigale V4 Is A Sportbike Powerhouse