Ducati Panigale V4 SP
A sharper, menacing but more engaging superbike
Ducati have made “special” iterations of their superbikes since the first SP version of the iconic 851. However, it is also, for most of us, simply a poster bike: a dream designed to be as extreme as possible. The Euro-5 SP features some of the technology of the Superleggera, but with a more usable 1,103-cc V4 instead of the rev-happy 999-cc race-derived Superleggera power unit. Here is our first impression following a first ride
Iam lucky, I know. I have been professionally testing bikes for 25 years and I still get a buzz from riding every day. but every so often, there is a special day. I get excited, like a child before christmas, counting down the days with excitement and anticipation. It takes a special bike or trip to do this — and Ducati’s Panigale SP is just such a motorcycle. I first saw it earlier this year and have been waiting to get my hands on one ever since. luckily, Ducati loaned me SP number 29 for the week, which coincided with a heatwave in the united kingdom. Dry, warm, and sticky roads plus a Ducati SP — heaven! moreover, despite a limited production run, prices start at a more affordable £32,295, that is, Rs 33.26 lakh (if you can call that affordable).
I set out to write this road test without mentioning things like soul, character, and beauty and I hoped to avoid a clichéridden gush about Ducati styling, too; but neither can be done. look at the SP… take a moment… it’s stunning.
There are machines like bmw’s m 1000 RR in the market that can match the SP in terms of performance and price, but few that can match its intrinsic appeal and desirability. I do not know if it is because of the history of Ducati and its shimmering Italian glamour — I cannot put my finger on it — but the Panigale SP overloads the senses, builds excitement, and makes you feel like a teenager on a first date.
The SP is one of those bikes that freezes time. a quick lookover extends to a 30-minute stare. Those carbon wheels, that brushed aluminium fuel-tank borrowed from the R model, Stylema R brake calipers from the Superleggera, the mcS, and remote adjustable brake lever… I love them all. check out, too, the multi-adjustable billet aluminium foot-pegs. It is strange to feel an instant emotional attachment to an object, especially one that I have only borrowed, but I do with the SP. That is what makes this Ducati so special.
The SP has been designed primarily for the track, but, unlike the R and Superleggera versions, the SP is targeted at “average” riders, not retired racers and the like and, unlike the aforementioned v4s, is euro-5 compliant. This means that despite having a dry clutch, it does not rattle like the bikes of old — 851 SP anyone! — and at low revs the bark from the v4 is even a little subdued.
Power output is the same as the lower-spec and much cheaper Panigale v4 and v4S, which were tweaked for euro5 this year. apart from that new dry clutch, the 1,103-cc Desmosedici Stradale 90-degree v4 remains unchanged.
all right, the SP engine has not been injected with a full dose of Ducati corsa ferocity, but it is still impressive: 214 hp at 13,000 revolutions per minute (rpm), with peak torque at 124 nm at 9,250 rpm. I have ridden the v4 and v4S extensively on track and never headed for home afterwards wishing I had had more power, even at theatres of speed like mugello or bahrain’s International circuit where they launched the 2020 model.
In fact, on the road, its performance is almost too much — do you really need over 200 hp in a lightweight chassis? when you throw a leg over the SP, look down at its carbon wings, watch the revs dramatically rise and fall with every blip of its ride-bywire throttle, it is hard not to feel a little intimidated. but Ducati have thankfully thought of that.
There are four simple riding modes: Sport and Street for the road and Race a and Race b for the track. Interestingly — and partly key to the Ducati’s surprising ease of use on the road — is a reduction in torque in the lower gears in all modes apart from Race a. It is only when you flick into Race a that you get the full flavour and soon realise all those Italian horses want not so much to run as to stampede.
even in Street mode, the SP feels quick. The first big handful of throttle took me by surprise. you think it is accelerating hard, then it just keeps going and going and revs on to a staggering 14,500 rpm. It feels like there is no mechanical friction, the revs (and power) rising seemingly without limit or resistance and doing so accompanied by a clattering, thunderous Ducati v4 exhaust tone.
when you first ride the SP, you instinctively change gear early because you are accelerating so fast and assume you are close to the red-line, especially if you grew up riding Ducati twin, but you are not. keep in the gear longer, let it rev to the peak power at 13,000 rpm… and it is breath-taking.
There is no need to use the dry clutch; instead, tap the quickshifter and, once you have processed the first few gears and are into full power in fourth gear, you are at
warp speed and going directly to jail — it is that quick.
To ride the SP at full throttle you need either to be on track or live on the Isle of man. even at some tracks, I would probably still opt for Race b mode or even Sport. The reduction in torque in the lower gears does not make the bike slower; it just gives the rider aids an easier time. Reducing power and torque in lower gears is a trick most race teams have been using for years.
meanwhile, Race a turns up to a rock concert drunk and then stands next to the speaker all night before throwing the television set out of the hotel window and driving the Roller into the pool — I love it! For pictures and for the purpose of this test, I was “forced” to turn off the rider aids and ride in this hell-raiser of a riding. So set, the SP is simply a race bike with mirrors and even those lovely carbon wings cannot control the endless wheelies, especially at low speeds — and when I say low speeds, I mean below 160 kilometres per hour.
but, like the v4 and S, the SP has a split personality, which makes it relatively calm in the Street and Sport modes (which also change the multiple evo 3 rider aids; more on that later). you can pop to the shops, no problem, take it easy on a sunny afternoon and happily cruise down the motorway, but if you poke it with a stick and flick it into either race mode, it will bite back.
The big talking point is the lightweight five-spoke carbon wheels, which save 1.4 kilograms over the v4S and 3.4 kg over the base v4. now, 1.4 kg might not seem much, but this is a huge saving in unsprung weight. The Ducati Panigale v4 has always been a light bike, easy to turn and handle, but now it is even more so. The difference is not especially noticeable at road-legal speeds, but at race speed during fast direction changes, the SP flicks effortlessly from knee-down left to knee-down right. a few times I gave the SP too much input effort and turned too tight, hitting the apex too early. a 1,103cc v4 should not be this easy to turn.
like the v4S, the SP is equipped with electronically
controlled (ec) Öhlins nIX 30 forks and TTX36 rear shock and even the steering damper is a Öhlins Smart ec 2.0 system. This system is mighty impressive and allows you to electronically personalize its settings, but I found the road settings to be almost faultless. bumps, fast corners, changes in the surface, and hard acceleration… the Öhlins took it all. It is worth mentioning that the Pirelli Supercorsa SP tyres complement the bike perfectly. In admittedly perfect british summer weather, they provided endless grip. on some very bumpy back roads I would have liked a little more plushness, especially at low speeds, but as the pace picked up and the suspension worked harder, they matched the SP’s intentions perfectly.
historically, some older ec suspension systems lacked feel, but this certainly is not the case with the SP. I was hitting familiar sections of road at speed and had great feedback. I could keep leaning and carrying ever-more corner speed, knowing I had the very latest rider aids on hand to keep me safe. In fact, I cannot remember the last time I rode on the road and had so much knee-down fun. The SP encourages you to lean further, release the brakes, and carry more speed — highly addictive, if not fully legal.
we have only briefly mentioned the electronic rider aids, which, apart from being the very latest evo 3 system, are easy to access via a five-inch TFT dash and simple to adjust.
The electronic toys at your fingertips are evo cornering abS and traction, slide, wheelie, engine brake, and launch control; not forgetting the standard up and down quickshifter and Öhlins electronic suspension.
The pre-set riding modes dictate the amount of computer intervention and, to be honest, on dry roads with grippy Pirelli rubber, the wheelie control was the only rider aid working overtime (despite the carbon wings doing their best to reduced wheelies).
but on track or in less favourable conditions, these rider aids are the Ducati’s ace card, especially for less experienced hands. In the wet, especially on the road, cornering abS is a godsend. and even if you intend to ride the SP on the track only, you will quickly discover the benefits of one of the most effective suites of electronic support available in the market. Imagine the final session of the day when you are feeling tired and the rear tyre is going off: just flick into Race b or Street mode and
the SP will run with more intervention and reduced torque in the lower gears but you will still be having fun — and be putting in some fast lap-times.
The SP shares the impressive braking set-up as the Superleggera, which I rode last year at mugello. The brembo Stylema R front brakes are incredible, race-spec brakes, which are faultless on track. There is also a remote span adjuster that is very trick, easy to use, and comes in useful surprisingly often. I prefer a closer lever around town and further away during fast riding and the remote adjuster allows you to easily change the span on the move. with the mSc levers, it also looks trick and caught everyone’s eye when they looked closely at the SP. and lots do…
It is easy to get carried away talking about carbon wheels, racing Stylema brakes, and a brushed-aluminium fuel-tank, but, at the end of the day, you have to live with and ride your SP. Practically speaking, it is not bad. In 2020, Ducati fundamentally changed the Panigale bodywork, making it wider and taller. The SP also comes with very trick billet aluminium adjustable pegs which can be moved for comfort or sporty riding. The ergonomics are not as bad as you would expect either and it is one of the roomier superbikes in the market; very un-Ducati like. In the softest suspension mode, I was pleasantly surprised by the comfort on the motorway and the clocks are easy to read and navigate, with multiple trips, km/l (both average and instant), and even ambient air temperature. with its substantial screen and that relatively wide bodywork, you could embark on some serious miles, though you would soon be wishing for a plusher seat.
Sadly, however, that is where the compliments end. The brushed-aluminium fuel-tank feels and looks lovely but, at only 16 litres capacity, the SP needs fuel every hour or every 130 km. nobody buys an exclusive superbike and worries about km/l and tank range, do they? but fuelling up
You think it is accelerating hard, then it just keeps going and going and revs on to a staggering 14,500 rpm
every 145 km or so is a pain, especially if you are riding somewhere remote.
Ignoring the fuel range for a moment, Ducati have done everything possible to reduce the heat from the back cylinder reaching the rider, yet your inner legs get cooked. In heavy traffic and 30 degrees celsius heat, it was almost unbearable, especially on the left side.
The dry clutch is designed for racing and is heavier than standard and it makes neutral harder to find. Down from second, up from first — it is in there somewhere — and I have never experienced this problem with the standard Panigale. Finally, the price… and SP is not cheap and getting hold of a limited-edition is going to be hard work.
Despite my gripes about everyday life with an SP, I still want one. I have never dated a supermodel — they are not generally attracted to balding, 5’ 7” britons who drive a van — but I imagine their stunning looks may come with expensive habits and a tendency towards the temperamental. That is the SP. when your legs are on fire, you cannot find neutral and you are wondering why you cashed in your pension to buy one, but you will catch your reflection in a window and nod in approval. yes, I made the right decision.
Ducati claim a non-professional rider will lap faster on the SP version than on the dedicated homologation special R version, as it is easier to ride. I agree with that; the SP is forgiving, thanks to lighter wheels, a less race-focused race engine, and impressive electronic rider aids. The SP is simply an easier way to ride fast while still looking factory good.
on the road, you do not need remote span-adjustable levers, carbon wheels or a limited-edition “winter Test” livery — nor the bike’s number machined on to the headstock — but if you had the money, you would. I, for one, do not care about the tank range and I will not bother with neutral at the lights and if my testicles set on fire, who cares. Just look at it, the Ducati I mean.
It is breathtakingly fast — mind-blowing, in fact — and the handling is unbelievable. I will stick my neck out and say that it is possibly the finest handling road bike available in the market at the moment and certainly in the top three. I never tired of the looks, it attracted admirers like seagulls to a fishing boat. It is a future classic and one I certainly did not want to give it back.