Ducati Panigale V4 S 2019 — Specifications

When an eBay auction leads to a special series, something unusual has happened. In 2018, during the World Ducati Week, the "Race of Champions" brought together riders who have worn or still wear the colors of Bologna. Michele Pirro won this exhibition contest on his V4. His machine went to auction and soared well beyond expectations. Ducati drew the logical conclusion: it was necessary to immortalize this moment in the form of a special edition, adopting the exact livery of the winner.

The visual result is striking. The Ducati Panigale V4 S Corse borrows the color codes of the Desmosedici GP18 entered in MotoGP, with its contrasting red panels contrasted by metallic grays and a touch of blue. The Alcantara seat fits into this track logic. Beyond this attire, the Corse 2019 is strictly identical to the base V4 S, which is no small feat.

Because the Ducati Panigale V4 S 2019 is not easily tamed. Its Desmosedici Stradale engine, derived from the MotoGP program, delivers 214 horsepower at 13,000 rpm from its 1103 cm3. The torque of 124 Nm arrives at 10,000 rpm, which means that you have to keep the engine high in the rev range to extract all of its substance. All for a weight of 195 kg fully fueled, or a power-to-weight ratio that the R1 from Yamaha or the CBR1000RR-R from Honda struggle to compete with point by point. The Ducati Panigale V4 S price was set at 30,096 euros at launch, which immediately places the machine in a category reserved for drivers convinced of their use.

The S version justifies its surcharge with its semi-active Öhlins TTX36 suspensions, electronically pilotable in compression and rebound, and its forged aluminum Marchesini rims, which lighten the whole by three kilograms compared to the standard V4. The electronic arsenal is that of a complete modern sportbike, with traction control, anti-wheelie, cornering ABS, bidirectional quickshifter, launch control assistant, engine braking management and automatic tire calibration. The 5-inch TFT screen centralizes all of this through three riding modes. Brembo Stylema calipers bite on floating 330 mm discs; the bite is surgical.

This machine is not for everyone. The seat height at 830 mm and the sharpened temperament of the four-cylinder make it a mount reserved for experienced riders who frequent circuits or seek on the open road sensations that few machines can provide. One can find a Ducati Panigale V4 S used today at significantly lower prices than the launch price, and the Corse version even gains in desirability with hindsight. One question remains open: why did Ducati choose the Pirro livery rather than a tribute to Bayliss, whose motorcycle had triggered a comparable bidding frenzy? Troy certainly already had his special editions, the 998 S of 2002 and the 1098 R of 2009. Nevertheless, objectively, a replica in Australian blue would surely have driven collectors wild even more.