Ducati does racing. Enter the Panigale V4 R—a homologation-special, open-class literbike aimed at conquering World Superbike competition. The R model shares the same basic frame structure as the Panigale V4 S, but is machined to reduce weight. Likewise, semi-active suspension bits are swapped for an Öhlins gas-charged, titanium-nitride-coated 43mm NPX 25/30 fork and TTX 36 shock. Engine specifications have been changed too. The R shares identical 81mm by 41.4mm engine architecture as the Desmosedici GP racer, lowering displacement to 998cc. Oh, and MotoGP-derived winglets!
The Panigale V4 R encompasses serious track performance, so much so that we named it Best Superbike in Cycle World's Ten Best Bikes of 2019.
We strapped the Panigale V4 R to our in-house dyno, recording horsepower and torque measurements. Ducati’s homologation-special superbike produced 203.99 hp at 15,820 rpm and 76.65 pound-feet of torque at 12,300 rpm.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/octane/QAQ4UHGSV5FVPMZMUUVMUO4PQE.jpg)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/octane/WITX54BXLRH2VDJYD3U6NA33BQ.jpg)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/octane/U4WPVLMA4ZCCTCS3UL5WZQDXQY.jpg)
