EICMA 2017: The all-new Ducati Panigale V4 is here!

Ducati has pulled the wraps off its all-new offering called the Panigale V4 just before the EICMA 2017. What makes the 2018 Ducati Panigale V4 an important superbike for the Italian brand is the fact that it is the brand's first first production four-cylinder motorcycle to arrive from the Ducati factory at Borgo Panigale. We did get a glimpse of the MotoGP-inspired Ducati V4 superbike few weeks ago, revealing some bits on the design.

The all-new motor replaces the legendary L-Twin that had earned Ducati multiple victories at the World Superbike championship. Ducati has kept the 81mm bore but increased the swept volume to make it a 1100cc to help with more road-going torque. The all-new, 1103cc, 90-degree Desmosedici Stradale V4 engine makes 214PS at 13,000rpm and 119Nm of torque between 8,750rpm to 12,250rpm. The engine can rev up to 14,000rpm and Ducati says that it doesn't need a counter balancer because of the 90-degree V-angle. Ducati head Claudio Domenicali commented that while the company loves their V-twin engines, the reason for the change in size is to extract more power from the twins.

For this they had to increase the bore which resulted in running out of room in the chassis, so the new V4 came into picture. He also added that the shape of the firing order of the new V4 has been kept very similar to the twin-cylinders to retain some of the same experience.

The addition of two-cylinders makes the motor of the 2018 Ducati Panigale V4 heavier than 1,285 cc unit by 2.2kg, while the kerb weight has gone up by 5.5kg. However, the new motor has an increased power output of 214PS, which can be further increased to 226PS with the help of a full titanium exhaust. Ducati states that the service intervals for the V4 Panigale are 12,000 km for a minor service, 24,000 for a major.

The chassis of the all-new Ducati Panigale V4 comes with a new frame that bolts on the front and rear cylinder heads while the swingarm mounts on the back of the engine casing. The superbike comes with Showa big piston forks with a Sachs shock and steering damper on the standard model. For the more premium S and Speciale versions of the Panigale V4, both ends get Ohlins with a new objective based tuning arrangement making a semi-active suspension setup. Doing braking duty are the new Brembo Stylema monoblocs.

On the electronics front, the 2018 Ducati Panigale V4 comes equipped with ABS Cornering Bosch Evo with a 3-level lean angle-sensitive system, Ducati traction control, Ducati slide control Evo, Ducati wheelie control Evo, three-level launch control, engine brake control, electronic suspension only available on the S and Speciale versions. Additionally, it gets race, sport and street riding modes that alter the throttle mapping and response along with suspension settings.

For those who want more, there is the Ducati Panigale V4 S model that comes with active Ohlins suspension and steering damper along with lightweight forged aluminum wheels and a super light lithium battery. And lastly, there is the Ducati Panigale V4 Speciale model that comes with carbon fibre mudguards, a distinct top triple clamp, Alcantara-trimmed seat, adjustable footpegs, full titanium exhaust system, race screen, license plate removal kit, machined mirror plugs, the Ducati Data Analyzer system.