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Ducati Panigale V4 S in the driving report

Improved drivability with the same performance

At the EICMA 2019 in Milan, fans could already marvel at the revised Panigale V4 / S. MOTORRAD was able to drive it as part of the presentation of the S model on the “Bahrain International Circuit” in the Persian Gulf.

D.he external differences to the previous year’s model are striking: wider and higher front fairing with a steeper, higher windshield, winglets on the side fairings, gill-like side air inlets. In Bologna they made similar far-reaching modifications to the chassis. A higher center of gravity should improve the handling, softer springs for the fork and rear damper as well as a respectively changed preload should increase both the driving comfort and the driving stability. The front frame with more flex of the R version should also contribute to this. The R serves as the basic racer for the Superbike World Championship.

Last but not least, Ducati reprogrammed the traction control, the automatic gearshift and the electronic throttle (ride-by-wire). In contrast, the power and torque remained identical. As before, the Italians promise 214 hp and 124 Nm. But what do these changes bring? MOTORRAD is now driving this out as part of the presentation of the S model at the “Bahrain International Circuit” in the Persian Gulf.

Ducati

Chassis became more sensitive

In fact, the 2020 Panigale is very sociable. We the mostly flat asphalt with its few bumps, the advantages of the new chassis setup do not fully come into their own, but the direction is clear: the fork and shock absorber filter out bumps more sensitively, the modified Pani is more stable on such on the surface. In addition, the Ducati remains stable on course even when braking hard thanks to the low stoppy tendency, and the tendency to break away to the side is almost zero.

Noticeably improved traction control

There is also good news when accelerating in an inclined position. If the "old woman" tended to rock back violently, her successor masters this exercise very confidently. In addition to the chassis changes, the modified traction control and the changed power output also played a large part in the better manners. The former intervenes earlier and more gently, and thanks to the changed engine mapping, the Panigale serves its power less explosively. As a result, the wheelie tendency is much lower. However, the 2020 model sometimes moves clearly with the front at full acceleration when driving straight ahead. Significantly a consequence of the higher front in combination with the lower negative spring deflection. A trial setting with a preload that was two turns less resulted in a significant improvement without noticeably impairing the braking stability.

Wind protection got better – probably

Good news also with the wind protection. The wider and higher fairing protects pilots much better against the airstream than the narrow and deeper previous version. However, Ducati installed a racing screen without homologation for the presentation, which is a little higher than the series counterpart. How the Duc behaves with the original screen remains (still) unclear.

What is clear, however, is the price. The 2020 Pani costs 28,890 euros in the S version and 22,790 euros as a standard bike. In both cases this means an increase of 500 euros. In relation to the significantly improved driving behavior, this is a comparatively moderate increase from a MOTORCYCLE perspective. Thanks to its greater user-friendliness, the Panigale V4 is ready for the new season.

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