2025 Ducati Panigale V4S unveiled... meh

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new-bikes/2024/july/ducati-panigale-v4/

 

Ducati took arguably one of the most exciting, contemporary motorcycle designs and genericized it. Pity.

 

Separated at birth.

 

Wow boring. And a 2-sided swingarm? Bleh.

 

I don't get the reactions: were you guys expecting a new model for '25? What'd I miss?

 

They basically took the style (and single sided swing arm everyone loves) and made a boring version. All they really had to do was tweak a few things and people would've loved it, but instead they made it much less desirable.

 

At some point these manufacturers are going realize that more is not better anymore.

Give me a reliable 916.

GTFO with your 240BHP street bike that roasts your balls and looks like a 2007 CBR1000RR.

 

My reaction is two-fold.

First, my subjective assessment is that this revision ruined the once exciting styling and took away the SSSA (which was a USP in my opinion). Second, I was hoping Ducati would release a next-gen Supermono using the new 698 engine instead of a warmed over Panigale.

As for expecting a new model. This generation V4 superbike debuted in 2018, and with this being a '25 model, that's a 7 year lifecycle. The Panigale name goes back to 2012 or 2011. Typically, in product planning, a lifecycle is broken up into minor changes, major-minor change, and a full model change. This lifecycle arc usually spans 10-12 years. The Panigale product family debuted in 2012 as an 1199 and moved to a 1299 in 2014. It then went to the v4 in 2018 (I'd call this a full model change) and that took place about 6 years into the Panigale product family's lifecycle. Given that, you could argue that a new model is due. What it looks like Ducati chose to do was a major-minor change (bodywork, incremental engine update, and spec updates) v. a new model. Since that's the case, I'd expect this model to run until 2027 when the MotoGP and WSBK rules change. Which is a logical thing to do by Ducati.

 

I wasn't saying it isn't. But we already knew that it wasn't coming for '25. That's why the reactions are surprising to me.

 

I wonder what the wsbk swingarm will look like...

 

I'll cherish my 2022 V4S so much more now after seeing this.

 

Guess I posted in the wrong thread.

In MotoGP, where performance rules and prototype is king, can anyone point me to where Ducati used a SSSA?

Right.

 

I think it looks good. The new swingarm is not as pretty as the single-sided version, but it's still better looking than most swing-arms.

 

They say it's a second faster and the swing arm is 5 pounds lighter than the previous model.

 

It will suck.

go to bed gramps.

 

Well that's great, No one is taking this bike to MotoGP.
Right?

 

Yamaha might.

 

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying.

My point is, the production bike that will be raced in WSBK and every other production-based race series more closely matches, in very basic foundation, the bike that is at the absolute pinnacle of prototype motorcycle racing. They never used a SSSA in MotoGP, presumably, because it wasn't better.

 

I don't think anyone anywhere is arguing that the sssa is better for racing. The issue is the bike is made to sell units so the company makes profits and doesn't go out of business. The sssa was a massive selling point that a lot of people who bought the street bikes like and want. Look anywhere on the internet on the comments section about the unveiling and you'll see an unlimited number or complaints about the missing sssa. That's it. They did it before with the 999 and enthusiasts lost their shit. Ducati went back to a sssa after that (until now). We all know the traditional double sided swingarm is better for racing, but it means people looking for a "cool" Panigale will get a less cool looking one now, so they might buy something else. That's the whole thing we're talking about here.

I'm happy sitting in the MV shop looking at endless sssa and customers love them. No plans for these to go away on future models either.