2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R Review | First Ride

Cycle World
Cycle World
43.6 هزار بار بازدید - 6 سال پیش - Cycle World heads to Spain
Cycle World heads to Spain to turn the first laps on Ducati's $39,995 superbike homologation special, the 2019 Panigale V4 R. The Ducati V4 Panigale is one of the greatest sportbikes ever made. The 2019 V4 R adds more technology, increased power, and put MotoGP-inspired wings on its fairing to take another step toward riding the ultimate lap.

The 2018 Ducati Panigale's V4's glory is based on its MotoGP pedigree, never mind the 1,103cc displacement or Ducati's long history in superbike racing. We loved the power, torque, and sound of the Desmosedici Stradale 90-degree V4 engine and excellent chassis performance so much, we named the V4 S Best Superbike in our annual Ten Best Bikes voting.

But every bit of the Panigale's design and performance is focused on track dominance, and the 2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R is the short-stroke 998cc version that will assert this dominance on the World Superbike Championship stage. FIM homologation rules state that 125 V4 Rs must be produced prior to the bike's first race, and a total of 500 units need to be made within two years. So even you could own a V4 R, provided you bring the $39,995.

What you get is a motorcycle Ducati touts as having the most powerful production engine the company has ever offered. That said, US noise regulations temper the North American R-model to a claimed 209 hp at 13,250 rpm. I suspect many Stateside owners will outfit the bike with the same accessory Akrapovic titanium racing exhaust and engine map as on the bike I rode, uncorking a claimed 234 hp at 15,500 rpm!

It was fitting our first ride of the Panigale V4 R came at Circuito de Jerez in southern Spain right around the time of a World Superbike test.

Rain the night before our ride day prompted Ducati staff to fit Pirelli Diablo Rain race tires to the bike for the first of our four 15-minute on-track sessions. Prior to riding, a technical presentation was conducted inside Jerez’s landmark hospitality space straddling the pit straight. Several R-model-specific components were set for display with chassis bits including the new Öhlins pressurized NPX 25/30 fork, TTX 36 shock, and manually adjustable steering damper.

A pair of forged aluminum swingarm pivot brackets featuring four-position eccentric adjustment begged the question of potential retrofitment to a V4 S. Sorry, no dice, said a Ducati rep. However, the R-model’s CNC-machined STM-EVO dry clutch is also available as a race-kit item that is compatible with the wet-clutch V4 engine.

The characteristic dry-clutch clatter is suppressed by the R’s noise-damped standard cover, but installing the accessory carbon-fiber half-cover realizes the aesthetic and aural appeal that many red-blooded Ducatisti desire.

Also displayed was a bare frame with surprisingly large holes cut from the main spars. These are said to “improve rider feeling in cornering phase,” but this R-model modification had only recently been finalized and wasn’t implemented on the preproduction bike I rode.

R-specific engine parts include visually stunning polished crankshaft and titanium connecting rods lending assurance that beauty lives beneath the surface. Friction-reducing two-ring (single compression and oil ring) forged alloy short-skirt pistons of box-in-box design, titanium intake valves, higher lift cams, larger oval-section throttle body, a shorter-length base stack on the two-stage variable-height velocity stacks draw through a high-flow race-kit air filter. Even the R's drive chain has been downsized from #525 to #520 to save weight from both chain and sprocket. The diavel is in the details.

Third in the rider rotation, I noticed the rear tire was showing signs of abuse from the drying track as I climbed into the padded saddle. The crew had wisely dialed in conservative electronic rider aid settings with a combination of tempered Sport-mode throttle response, DTC (traction control) level 7 of 8, DSC (slide control) level 2 of 2, DWC (wheelie control) level 5 of 8, EBC (engine brake control) level 2 of 3, and cornering ABS active front and rear.

It had been a dozen years since I last rode the 2.75-mile, 13-turn layout, putting in heated laps at Master Bike, an annual sportbike comparison organized by Spain's Motociclismo magazine. Following a couple familiarization laps aboard the V4 R, I picked up the pace and soon realized that the soft-compound rain rubber was doing us no favors as tread blocks deflected under load, inducing big-time butt-puckering instability and chassis weave. I'm relieved to report all handling ills were rectified with Pirelli superbike slicks spooned on for the three remaining track sessions.

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6 سال پیش در تاریخ 1397/11/04 منتشر شده است.
43,640 بـار بازدید شده
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