Alessandro Valia, Ducati chief test rider
“At Mugello the V4 is about one second per lap quicker than the 1299. Maybe a little more, because when we tested them together the gap was about one second, but the V4 was not yet quite at the same point of development. I think if we tested them aga ain now the gap would be something more.
“Partly the V4’s advantage is in its speed, but mo ost of all in the cornering speed. I think the reason is a combination between the counter-rotating cranksh haft, and also the front frame design, which is more flex xible, in side-to-side and also in twisting.
“At the beginning of the development we had so me problems because we had a lot of power. It was not t easy because our focus was to have a bike that wo orks for every rider, whatever their level. The Panigale V-Vtwin was not a friendly bike, especially if you push – everything was more demanding.
“But the V4 is much better in this respect. When n you enter the corner and you’re off the throttle, an nd especially when you open the throttle, this bike tur rns much better than the V-twin. It’s a more friendly bi ke, and mainly for that reason it is also faster.”
will reassure existing Panigale fans that the V4 has plenty of Ducati character.
That output is mightily impressive for an otherwise untuned production engine that comes with a two-year warranty and familiar 15,000-mile major service intervals.
But with this modified machine, too, it’s not so much the Panigale’s sheer power as its controllability and ease of use that make it so quick and rewarding to ride – and justify Ducati’s decision to start a new era of V4 superbikes.