Join us as we take the 2025 Ducati Panigale V4 S for a spin and experience its cutting-edge technology at the Vallelunga Circuit in Italy. With its 1,103cc V4 engine, all-new chassis, and upgraded electronics, the V4 S pushes the boundaries of superbike performance. In this first review, we’ll dive into the Panigale V4 S’s updates, from its new double-sided swingarm and refined electronics to its overall rideability. We’ll also talk to Ducati personnel about the new Ducati Vehicle Observer rider aid systems and answer the question: how hard is it to ride a potent, 216 hp superbike? Watch the video to find out! #Ducati #DucatiPanigale #PanigaleV4S #PanigaleV4 #motorcyclereview #superbike #sportbike
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Check out the story at https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-reviews/ducati-panigale-v4-s-first-ride-review/
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SportsTranscript
00:00This is an absolute weapon!
00:05Hey everyone, welcome to Rome and welcome to a day with what I would consider to be
00:11the pinnacle of mass production sport bikes.
00:14That is the 2025 Ducati Panigale V4S.
00:19It's a bike that was built with really one goal in mind and that is the fastest possible
00:24lap time around a racetrack.
00:26How fast can Ducati build a production bike using all the technology, all the information
00:30they have from MotoGP and World Superbike?
00:32And then what's it like riding a $34,000 machine that's as advanced as a production motorcycle
00:40can be?
00:41Stick with us because we're about to find out.
00:53Interestingly what Ducati says, they were very honest and open with this, one of the
00:57main issues with the previous generation Panigale was in the apex, the feel and comfort and
01:04performance of the bike at the apex of a corner.
01:07So you have two major components here.
01:10The first is an updated front frame.
01:13It's 17% lighter but more importantly it's got 40% less lateral stiffness.
01:20There's been an evolution in suspension and tires.
01:23They can take such a load and the thing is you're on the side of the tire and you need
01:28to have a chassis that is able to absorb those and have some flex to them and be able to
01:34give the rider a better feel and feedback at lean.
01:39The weight thing is a little bit interesting because the way Ducati discusses it, they
01:42say the rear setup, so it's essentially the swing arm, the wheel and I think the brake
01:48rotor but it's about a 5.9 pound weight savings over the single sided swing arm.
01:54This was a massive project for Ducati to develop this.
01:57They did not take it lightly.
01:59It was something that they developed with a very expansive test team at multiple tracks
02:05to understand is this going to be an advantage.
02:08They've gone with a very unique design, a unique setup that gives them way better feel
02:14at lean and also better mechanical grip as the tires start to drop off.
02:20A couple other changes, kind of chassis side, we've got a new braking package from Brembo.
02:26These are the Hyper brake calipers up front.
02:29It's an incredible braking package, a really big evolution in caliper design from Brembo.
02:35This of course is the V4S, so we've got an upgraded suspension package over the base
02:41model V4.
02:42The V4 standard model is going to come with a Showa fork and Sachs rear shock, fully adjustable,
02:48yes, but it's non-electronic.
02:50It's a base model setup.
02:52This V4S has got the Ohlins electronic front and rear, somewhat related and while we're
02:57talking about the differences between the V4 and the V4S, this V4S is going to have
03:03your forged aluminum wheels versus your cast aluminum, just premium components that you've
03:07always been able to expect on the upgraded S model.
03:12This is a 2025, so of course that means so much of the development went into the electronics
03:19package.
03:20The biggest thing that we have here is what Ducati describes or calls, I should say, their
03:26Ducati Vehicle Observer System.
03:29This system is so advanced that it takes all of the data from the machine and it understands
03:36the capabilities of the bike and it understands what it can give the rider, both with the
03:41traction control and wheelie control, and really incredibly complex package, something
03:46that will really change the ride experience and in a lot of ways is just the evolution
03:53of electronics and honestly something I haven't seen any other manufacturer do just yet from
03:59a production side.
04:01So it's an example of Ducati pushing the limits of what is possible with the technology and
04:08the knowledge and experience that they have.
04:11Another important upgrade from an electronic standpoint is with what Ducati calls their
04:16Race eCBS.
04:18Now this is a part of their ABS braking package.
04:22It's a linked braking system that understands the dynamic of the motorcycle and depending
04:26on the level that you're in, especially in your level one, which is your Race eCBS, it's
04:32going to apply rear brake as you're getting into the corner to help tighten up the corner.
04:39So it's an incredibly advanced piece of technology, again, that stems from not necessarily what
04:46Ducati and other manufacturers are doing in higher levels of racing, but it's a recognition
04:51of how riders are making the most of the machine, how riders are extracting a lap time, which
04:57is using brake and probably a lot of other systems, let's be honest, to close off a corner
05:02and hold the best line possible.
05:04Now as an overall for the electronics, I thought it was really interesting.
05:07One of the things Ducati said about their electronics package is that they consider
05:12it a skill booster.
05:14That's something where it kind of works in the background and it just allows the rider
05:18to push harder.
05:20It's not something that says, hey, we're coming in and we're ending all the fun.
05:24We're getting you some traction back.
05:25It's a way of, hey, we're working alongside of you.
05:28Let's get that lap time down.
05:30As for the electronic system as a whole, it is all manipulated through a new, very large,
05:37a very sizable, I should say, and beautiful 6.9 inch TFT display.
05:42An all new system for Ducati that is actually really sweet.
05:46I've seen some comments on this system thinking maybe that's too big or there's still too
05:50much information in there maybe, but man, it's actually really nice to see this display
05:55on the bike.
05:56It's really well integrated into the machine.
05:58Moving on to something that might not seem like a big talking point.
06:02We are talking about the ergonomics, the rider triangle.
06:05You've got more room in the seat area.
06:08The seat area is about 1.4 inches longer and two inches wider.
06:14That's important for taller guys like me, obviously, because it just gives you more
06:17room, but there's also a performance advantage because it allows you to manipulate the weight
06:24distribution a little bit and move your weight around, which is going to help when you're
06:28in the middle of a corner, under braking, things like that.
06:32The other thing is that you've got an all new tank for 2025.
06:36Ducati has gone to much greater lengths to make this something where you have bigger
06:40surface areas to grip onto.
06:42I can go into really long stories about riding the previous generation V4R and how hard it
06:48was to brake on that thing just because you didn't have something to bite onto.
06:52And finally, something really small from a rider triangle perspective, they've actually
06:56moved the foot pegs in 10 millimeters on each side.
07:00It might seem a little bit crazy to have talked about all of that and not mentioned
07:04the engine on this bike yet, but the reality is we kind of know what this engine is and
07:09there aren't a lot of changes for 2025.
07:12Most of the changes are related to the Euro 5 plus emissions regulations that are an absolute
07:18pain.
07:19Now, this thing has new camshafts with higher lift, both on the intake and the exhaust side,
07:25as well as kind of some changes to the variable length intake funnels that they've already
07:31had.
07:32Those intake funnels, the high is now higher than before and the low is lower than before.
07:38There isn't a massive performance advantage and again, I almost thought there was an aspect
07:43of rideability to it.
07:44That's not actually the case.
07:46This was just them balancing things out.
07:49Power wise, they say about 0.5 horsepower more.
07:53They're claiming around 209 peak horsepower on the thing.
07:58That's claimed.
07:59It's going to be a little bit different on the dyno, yes.
08:01And then with the torque, so a little bit less peak torque, but they do say that there
08:06is more torque on the bottom end.
08:09They've also pulled some parts over from their V4R package and that is going to reduce the
08:14weight of the engine.
08:15So it's about 2.2 pounds lighter than before, but all of those changes, that's just part
08:21of what makes this bike what it is.
08:24The other part is what it's like to ride.
08:25So we're going to cut over to some clips of us getting geared up, riding out, and then
08:30tell you what this machine is actually like to ride.
08:33All right.
08:34So I guess we're about five, 10 minutes away from getting on the bike for the first time.
08:39Expectations.
08:40What I'm thinking is this bike is absurd in terms of the potential, the capability
08:45of it.
08:46There's almost very few riders in the world who can use a bike like this to its maximum
08:51potential.
08:52But an interesting thing that a big focus for Ducati is on making this bike a bike that
08:57it's an easier bike to go fast on.
08:58So that's really what I want to focus on today.
09:00How can we get on the bike and how comfortable does it feel right away?
09:03I have some experience, a decent amount of experience on previous generation Pentagolics
09:07and I'll admit they were an absolute handful, a handful to ride.
09:10One of the big areas for me was always getting into the corner, getting on the brakes.
09:15They were so aggressive.
09:16I didn't feel comfortable in the seat and having a tank or an area on the tank to bite
09:21into.
09:22And that for me, I want to see, is this a bike that I can go out, ride quickly on, adapt
09:27to quickly and be comfortable on.
09:30So fingers crossed.
09:32That's the goal really.
09:33Okay.
09:35Here goes nothing.
09:36Hey Brad, am I recording?
09:38Do I have a red light on?
09:40Yes sir.
09:44So, what we're going to do here is go out a little bit, slow pace the group, figure
09:53the track out, follow the circuit.
09:56There's some fast stuff on the first half.
10:01Yep, perfect.
10:03Just telling us we're going to follow, follow the guys up there and yeah, so a lot of fast
10:11stuff on the first half and then it totally switches up, goes into really tight technical
10:16stuff.
10:17So we'll see how it goes.
10:21Whole goal is to take it, take it easy today, get this thing figured out, figure this bike
10:26out, figure the track out and have some fun.
10:29All right, let's do it.
10:32And trust me, these guys are not slow.
10:35They're not messing around ever.
10:37So they say it'll be a little warmup, find the track, find the layout, but they're going
10:43to get on it right away.
10:44I can almost guarantee you.
10:46Wow.
10:47This is beautiful already.
10:51I like it.
10:52Oh gosh.
10:54Planted feel, so solid.
10:58Wow.
10:59This tightens up a lot through here.
11:04You gotta love a track with some variety.
11:09Wow.
11:10What an easy motorcycle to ride though.
11:12The planted feel and stability.
11:19All right.
11:20I'm going to get to work here and focus, figure this place out.
11:24Oh, first session.
11:27That's a wrap.
11:28What a brilliant machine.
11:29I'm not comfortable on the track necessarily yet, but this is an absolute weapon.
11:36Woo!
11:37Woo!
11:38This thing's beautiful.
11:41I'm not exaggerating.
11:43Oh, what a machine.
11:45So this is pretty cool.
11:46Ducati actually had team members on hand to work with us after each on-track session to
11:51review data gathered from the new Ducati Datalogger that's available as an accessory.
11:56Now, using software developed by Ducati engineers, we're actually able to look at things like
12:01lines, gear position, brake markers, and more, all in an attempt to get up to speed as quickly
12:06as possible and just learn the capabilities of the bike.
12:10And then, just as quickly, it was time to get geared up and do it all over again.
12:21Let's go.
12:52Okay.
12:57Halfway through the day.
12:58Three sessions down, three more to go.
13:00Figuring the track out a little bit.
13:02Wanted to talk a little bit about the engine because obviously not a ton of changes for
13:06this year and for sure in terms of power, no big changes, maybe even a little bit less
13:11torque than before.
13:12But you think when we start explaining, describing the engine, it's going to be all these superlatives,
13:18right?
13:20And this excitement and this rush of adrenaline through the power delivery.
13:24But it's not, honestly, in a lot of ways.
13:27And the speed that the bike builds in short order is impressive.
13:31There's no doubt about it.
13:32But there's not any sharpness or aggressiveness in that power curve.
13:38It gives you still so much brain capacity to be thinking about other stuff.
13:42It's a very user-friendly engine, which sounds crazy to describe a plain 209 horsepower motorcycle
13:49as user-friendly, right?
13:51But I think that speaks a lot to the work that Ducati has done.
13:56It's overall really smooth and it's got this grunt to it and it bites and it goes.
14:01But again, it's not the sharpness to it in the power delivery.
14:05You may expect this bike to just be raw and brutal and just throw you into the back of
14:10the seat.
14:12Well, again, it's fast.
14:14It's plenty potent.
14:16It doesn't do that in a way that's raw or unrefined.
14:21Plenty potent, but rideable.
14:23That's how I'd describe the engine.
14:27Okay, so for the electronics, obviously a big new thing for this year is Ducati DVO.
14:33Exactly.
14:34And can you explain a little bit how the system works?
14:36Yes, the system tries to reconstruct and analyze the behavior of the motorbike, simulating
14:44a sensor.
14:45So there is not a precise sensor that measures the physical of the motorbike, but with a
14:53model of the dynamic of the bike, we try to reconstruct the physical sensors and use them
15:02to perform and to give to the rider the maximum performance.
15:08So is it all coming, the information is coming from the IMU?
15:11Yes, we use the information coming from the IMU and all the dynamic model of the bike.
15:18Okay.
15:19And with that information, we can reconstruct how the bike will be moving if we put some
15:27torque at the ground and what will be the maneuver of the rider.
15:35Okay.
15:36And so we try to make...
15:37Predictive in a way.
15:38Exactly.
15:39How big is the step, in your opinion, from an electronic standpoint for charge control
15:43and wheelie control with the DVO?
15:45It's a big step because we move from a thing that just weights the maneuver of the rider
15:53and then work after to something that aspects something from the motorbike, starts to move
16:02in this direction and if the rider actuates what the system thinks, it's ready to respond.
16:12So the feeling of the rider increases a lot.
16:16Okay.
16:17What enables this step?
16:19Is it just a pure of the surplus of data that you have from years of riding or is it recent advancements
16:28in electronic equipment and chips and things like that?
16:31We think that is the experience of Ducati Corsa that help us because the hardware and everything
16:39maybe could be ready also in the past but the deeply knowing of the dynamic of the vehicle
16:47and the complete model of the bike is necessary for the system.
16:51So it's just a research and continue research and use all the data and the experience.
16:58Obviously the cuts don't feel as aggressive.
17:01You don't feel the electronics working so much and maybe as I'm talking to you about it,
17:06it's because it's prepared to make these changes very early so the bike never gets out of hand,
17:13things never get out of hand where it's got to come in heavy handed.
17:16It can react sooner and then in a smaller way.
17:19Exactly.
17:20It's exactly this thing because the bike is ready.
17:23The bike maybe is strange but the bike know what is the maximum request both in traction and wheelie.
17:31So if you exceed some level, the bike know that the physics change.
17:37So does not allow to overlap the limit and if you get over, the bike is ready.
18:00So these are the new Brembo Hyper Calipers.
18:03What Brembo is able to do is change the design a little bit so they use less material
18:08but the material is in places where you still have the rigidity that you need.
18:11I kid you not, this has got to be one of the best braking packages I've used.
18:15Not just in the sense of the feel at the lever and things like that,
18:19the power which is what we always talk about, right?
18:21Those things are excellent but together with the chassis on this,
18:25the potential of this system is incredible.
18:30It's incredible.
18:31Every time I start going deeper in the corners, grab the brakes harder
18:34and the feedback that the system gives you and the stopping power that it has.
18:39Blown away by this brakes in the tight stuff.
18:42That was one of the things I really realized over lunch
18:46was I realized that I was losing time in the tighter corners
18:49and here's a system that was really allowing me.
18:52I start pushing the envelope of it, maximizing the potential of it
18:57and that's where you start making up time.
18:58The big thing here is this was a request from the World Superbike team
19:03because the thing is the World Superbike team realized
19:07they're racing with homologated product
19:09and they think that the potential with the double-sided is high enough
19:13where Ducati Corsa, they've asked on the manufacturing side
19:17to get a double-sided swingarm.
19:18That's really where this came from.
19:20The double-sided swingarm is obviously what they're using in MotoGP
19:23and in MotoGP they've spent so much time developing the swingarm
19:27and have so much data for it
19:29that now having it on a production bike for the World Superbike team
19:33they're able to leverage all of that information.
19:36They said it's one of the biggest projects that they've worked on.
19:39The amount of testing that they did to really make sure
19:42that this was the direction that they wanted to go,
19:44that there was an advantage and at the end of the day
19:47this swingarm had not only more feel
19:50but also a little bit more mechanical grip
19:53especially as the tires were dropping off.
19:55So you had better feel and better lap times
19:58between the front frame, between the swingarm
20:00and again with that braking package, just this chassis as a whole.
20:03It's phenomenal. So much feel.
20:06You have so much confidence in the bike.
20:08It never binds up and feels aggressive or stiff.
20:11You keep leaning the thing into the corner
20:14and you've got so much mechanical grip
20:16then you just roll on the throttle.
20:17The thing digs into the asphalt and just drives forward.
20:22We're five sessions in, we're learning the bike
20:25but it just feels like there's so much potential here.
20:42I am going to do my absolute best
20:45to kind of bring this all together
20:48and kind of just summarize my thoughts
20:51and the experience from the day.
20:54The first thing, again, I've got to apologize
20:57because I know everything's great, great, great
20:59and there's so much of that in this video, right?
21:03And in riding this bike.
21:04But it's just a sign of where we're at with Superbikes
21:10and I think it's also a sign of the commitment
21:14that Ducati has made to the category
21:16and Ducati is really pushing the envelope.
21:20I just haven't ridden a motorcycle like this in recent years.
21:25There hasn't been a motorcycle like this.
21:27It's a continued evolution.
21:29This is Ducati not just accepting Euro 5 emissions regulations
21:35and accepting what the category is.
21:37It's them saying, we see that, we understand it,
21:40we're still going to continue doing what we do
21:43which is building the absolute most
21:45performance-oriented machines that we can.
21:48And I think, again, if you are a genuine motorcycle enthusiast,
21:52if you are a fan of the sport,
21:54if you are a fan of technology and the evolution
21:58and growth of product,
22:00you just have to appreciate that.
22:02As for the bike itself, so much to digest.
22:06The biggest takeaway for me, again,
22:09is actually I have a quote here.
22:12Let me step down.
22:14What do they say?
22:15Because it is totally and absolutely true.
22:18The less the bike is demanding,
22:20the faster you can go for more laps.
22:22And that really does tell you so much about this machine.
22:27It's a lot. It's a lot of motorcycles.
22:29There's no getting around that.
22:31I mean, it's high horsepower.
22:33It's aggressive braking.
22:34It's everything.
22:35It's very quick handling.
22:37But it's a bike that is so refined in a way.
22:41You see that, again, in every single component of this machine.
22:44Every single thing has been so well thought out and organized
22:48and meticulously designed
22:51so that it gives nothing more than what it needs.
22:54It is nothing more than what it needs to be.
22:56I think I said something earlier along the lines of
22:58it's an easy motorcycle to ride.
23:00Maybe easy is not the right word.
23:04It's not overly aggressive.
23:07It's a motorcycle that you can ride aggressively
23:10without it feeling angry.
23:13And that's big.
23:14That's what's going to allow you to continue pushing the envelope.
23:18Chassis-wise, really great feel.
23:21Feedback from earlier generation Panigales to where they're at now is
23:25wow, the step that they've made in terms of overall rideability.
23:29Gosh, I remember some of the early generation Panigales
23:33coming into the corner, they were so aggressive.
23:36And then through the middle and exit the corners as you went to get on the gas.
23:39Just bucking and weaving and they were so much work.
23:43There was that potential there, but man, they were a handful.
23:45And it was so much to extract that potential.
23:49This is not that.
23:51This is a bike that you have so much feel when you're leaned over
23:54and it allows you to get into the throttle more to break deeper
23:57and understand what's going on at the contact patch.
24:00We've raved about this engine for years now.
24:03The way it builds its power, there's so much of it there.
24:09And it's pretty eye-opening in a way, but it's, again, not so aggressive.
24:15One of the things we did get to do is about halfway through the day,
24:19or sorry, just going into our fifth session,
24:21got to go into the full power mode.
24:24And for sure, there's that little extra bit of oomph to it there.
24:29It sounds angry, but it doesn't necessarily ride angry.
24:34It's still got that little bit of, no, softness isn't the word,
24:39but it still is a bike that you can ride.
24:43I don't know, maybe I didn't necessarily need that,
24:47but actually, as it turns out, a lot of their test riders,
24:50the reason they do it is because it adds a little bit of that fun,
24:53funness to it and that oomph to it that people want to feel
24:57when they're jumping on a motorcycle like this.
25:00And we've already raved about the brakes.
25:02The brakes are just, oh, man.
25:04And it's obviously them working with Brembo,
25:07and Brembo, again, being a braking manufacturer,
25:10that's pushing the envelope in the space and developing technology and evolving.
25:15And it's now that partnership where Ducati is able to take advantage of that.
25:20The electronics, that's a big thing, and there's so much to it.
25:23Thinking back to systems a couple years ago,
25:26where you had that judder to them as your traction control,
25:30your slide control was coming on,
25:32and you just don't feel that on this machine at all.
25:35It's the way, how quickly they're able to understand
25:39where the intervention needs to be and then able to do that intervention
25:44is, I think, one of the biggest advancements, the refinement there.
25:48And again, I'll probably use that term a lot here,
25:51but just the refinement overall, the looks of it, the design,
25:54the aerodynamics, the riding position, the seat obviously being longer, wider.
25:59A lot of that actually boils down to where the rider can adjust and move their weight,
26:05and that's going to change the dynamic of the motorcycle.
26:08So that's an important element.
26:10Overall, an incredible machine.
26:12It doesn't come cheap, but that is the reality.
26:15That's the world we're in.
26:16Today is officially a wrap.
26:19Such a good time. Really enjoyed our experience.
26:22Thank you guys again for tuning in. I know it was a lot.
26:25If you enjoyed the video, be sure to hit that like button.
26:28Hit that subscribe button if you're not already subscribed.
26:31If you've got any questions about the bike, be sure to drop it down.
26:34We want to know what you want to know and we'll get you answers as much as we can
26:38and love to hear some feedback from you.
26:40So thank you again and we'll see you on the next one.