The big reveal at Ducati’s live stream event for EICMA 2018 is surely the Italian brand’s new homologation racing machine, the Ducati Panigale V4 R. A 998cc version of its potent street bike, the 2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R takes full advantage of the homologation rules for the WorldSBK Championship.
As such, the Ducati Panigale V4 R will surely hit the top limit of the World Superbike pricing cap, which is €40,000. For that price though, you get the pinnacle of Ducati’s superbike technology, including the company’s first use of winglets on a street-legal machine, which come straight from Ducati Corse’s MotoGP program.
Of course, the real show-stopper for the 2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R are the tech specs: 217hp (162 kW), with 83 lbs•ft (112 Nm) of peak torque, wrapped up in a 425 lbs (193kg) package, when fully fueled at the curb.
4.4 lbs lighter than the Panigale V4 S, the 2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R benefits from lighter internal engine components. These new engine pieces include forged pistons, titanium valves, titanium connecting rods, a new camshaft, and a larger throttle body.
With the lighter engine pieces, Ducati has been able too boost power by adding revs. As such, the Desmosedici Stradale R motor makes its peak power at 15,520 rpm, which is 2,250 rpm higher than on the 1,103cc version of the engine. The redline is set at 16,500 rpm.
If you add on the Ducati Performance exhaust by Akrapovič, peak power moves to a ridiculous 231 hp (172 kW) at 15,500 rpm. This easily makes the 2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R the most powerful Ducati ever produced.
The winglets on the Ducati Panigale V4 R are not legal in the MotoGP Championship, but are derived from the company’s previous work in the premier championship. One will also note the air gills on the side of the Panigale V4 R’s fairings, which help increase the airflow through the radiators.
Other features include an adjustable swingarm pivot, and mechanical Öhlins suspension pieces, which reduce weight compared to the electronically controlled pieces from the Swedish brand.
This of course means that there is no electronic suspension on the Panigale V4 R, but Ducati has updated the rider aid package to include a pit lane limiter as well as a GPS-powered lap timer. Cornering ABS, IMU-assisted traction control (with slide control), wheelie control, launch control, and rear-wheel slide control continue as part of the electronics package.
Source: Ducati
As always, Asphalt & Rubber will be covering all the new bikes debuting at EICMA this year. Be sure to follow our coverage for the most recent news and photos.
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