More power. Less weight. Still red.
Silver and Gold
It may just be my old school outlook on things, but the Ducati range should all be powered by V2 engines. And red. The V4 bikes are, of course, technical masterpieces and the staggering amount of power that they put out wouldn’t have been out of place on a MotoGP bike a few years ago. The thing is, though, I like the twins because I find the power so usable and by association easier to ride and ride fast.
That's a 'hard no' to chicken strips
Now there’s a new V2 Panigale with the usual standard and S models. The weight saving on the S being is a remarkable 17 kilos when compared to the older bike. While it takes its lead in the design department from the V4 Ducati are at pains to make sure we know that it’s a brand new bike. It’s not, they assure us, a small V4.
The kerb is there to be used...
Having said that the new bike takes all of its fairing technology from the bigger bike. On the surface it has similar lines. It uses similar passive cooling and ventilation to keep the rider happy. Even the lines are similar as is the shape of the LED headlight. The less well informed amongst us could be forgiven for getting the two confused.
There is, of course, a button to prevent this type of thing...
Down the back the rear fairing and the underseat exhausts take their styling leads from the companies MotoGP machines. The tail lights, once again, are split over both sides of the fairing. The wheels are new. The black Y spokes look very cool and accent the red colour of the bike itself very nicely indeed.
Ergonomics take the weight off the riders wrists
The real difference is under the bikes skin. While the new frame changes the ergonomics slightly, it’s the new engine where all the fun is.
The new 90° 890cc V2 puts out 120bhp. Add the Termignoni race exhaust and that number goes up to 126bhp and the weight falls by another four and a half kilos. It makes nearly all of its 93.3 Nm of torque below three thousand RPM. What I really like about it is that it’s power to weight ratio is staggering.
Clever fairings help keep the rider cool
That 126bhp may not sound like a lot. But it’s a number that’s easy to use and easy to control. That control becomes even more pronounced when the total weight of the bike is an astonishingly low 176 kilos.
Even the standard suspension set up is impressive
A fully adjustable suspension system features a pair of Marzocchi forks married to a Kayaba rear shock. The S version gets the gold treatment with Öhlins all round. It even has a lithium-ion battery and a pit lane limiter on both models!
Brembo brakes and Pirelli Diablo Rosso 4 tyres, the rear is a 190, add to the who’s who list of components.
The electronics package, as with most of the class, could raise Steve Jobs from the dead. The standard six-axis IMU supports its cornering ABS, wheelie control, engine braking, traction control. A quick shifter is as standard on both models. There are four different modes to choose from. The usual three and another that the rider can customise. All of this is displayed on a TFT screen.
Taking phone calls on a Panigale is a moral failure
If you wanted to use it on the road, probably because you missed the memo about it being a track bike, you can add, deep sigh, cruise control and a navigator that displays on the TFT screen. You can even connect a comms set to your helmet to take phone calls and play music on. There’s a 43 bhp version available for riders on an A2 licence. If any of that last paragraph contains anything that sounds appealing to you take a look at the other side of the Ducati store that you’re in and think about the, more than acceptable, Scrambler range.
If you're going to get your 'pose' on ride a Scrambler
Ducati Rosso have all the details including prices. Give Declan a call on 014642211. If you ask about pairing the thing to your phone we’re going to have problems…