If you're into street-legal machines that would be equally comfortable on a closed-circuit track, Ducati has some good news for you in 2019 in the form of its top-drawer Panigale V4 R. The “V4 R” builds on the “V4 S” with a host of tweaks and improvements that were requested by none other than Ducati Corse, the factory's own racing team. Additionally, steps were taken to conform to WSBK requirements with a new powerplant, among other things, so you could actually use the V4 R as a proper race bike. Even the electronics were on the receiving end of a tuneup to bring them more in line with the demands of professional riders to make this a truly special machine

2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R Design

The bodywork is an exercise in engineering excellence; to call it windtunnel-tested just doesn't do it justice. A series of Computational Fluid Dynamics studies started the process before it ever went to clay, so this machine is totally a test-tube baby with a background firmly planted in the science of speed.

The V4 R rocks a super-duper aerodynamics package with a taller, angled windscreen added to the nose fairing that itself is taller and wider by 15 mm per side. There's a set of lateral fairings that are 38 mm wider to create a larger wind pocket for the pilot, and all of this is intended to reduce the drag created by the pilot's arms, shoulders and legs.

The cowling runs with revised, gill-like vents that increase the through-speeds at the water cooler by 6% and the oil cooler by a whopping 16% for more efficient removal of waste heat and reduced drag. That's what we call a win-win, folks. Bigly.

None of that is particularly obvious at a glance, especially since the eye is drawn inexorably to the carbon-fiber winglets on each side just aft of the dual LED headlight-plus-DRL recesses. They're more efficient than the actual MotoGP wings, and come with a vertical member at the outboard ends to eliminate the drag associated with wing-tip vortices much like modern aircraft. This exerts a downward force on the front end that helps keep the front wheel planted at high speeds when the wind pressure has a tendency to make the front end light, and operates just like the ones on Formula race cars. That's some hot stuff right there folks, no doubt about it. It generates 66.13 pounds of downward thrust at 167 mph, so no, you aren't going to garner much benefit from them on public roads, but it certainly makes a good conversation piece, if nothing else.

In order to meet street-legal requirements the V4 R comes with mirrors and a plateholder, as well as the necessary kits to remove them and plug the holes for track days. Clip-on bars pull the rider into an aggressive posture over the flared fuel tank that wanes to a wasp-like waist where it meets the saddle leaving plenty of room for extreme body English. You know, the kind that have your elbow dragging on the tarmac as well as your knee. Pillion pad? Forget about it. A compact tail fairing and hugger finish off the gear in the rear.

2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R Chassis

The aluminum-alloy frame is every bit as special as the body shell. It comes shot in black, and like the rest of the machine, benefits from the factory's race team engineering with optimized rigidity in all the right places to keep the handling crisp and sharp. Additionally, in a move to minimize post-sale modifications, the single-side swingarm comes with four different pivot positions that move the pivot point by 2 mm each so you can dial it right in for preference and conditions without breaking out the cutting rig and welding machine.

Since this bike is built for the top-echelon riders, the factory dropped the electronically adjusted stems in favor of mechanically adjusted, 43 mm inverted Öhlins forks that are pressurized to limit oil cavitation and preserve ride quality. Out back, an Öhlins TTX36 monoshock takes care of business with an adjustable pivot point, and like the front end, comes with the full trinity of adjustments.

Cast-alloy, blackout Marchesini wheels round out the rolling chassis With Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP rubber to make the connection to the concrete. It runs a 120/70-17 up front opposite a 200/60-17 out back, and of course, they come with a ZR rating that can take whatever you can dish out and then some.

At the steering head, there's an Öhlins steering damper that also utilizes a mechanical adjustment rather than the electronic type we see on the “civilian” models. Rake is typical at 24.5 degrees, as is the 3.94 inch trail, so you can count on the V4 R's flickable nature to dive into the turns like a champ.

Brembo, four-piston Monobloc Stylema anchors bite dual, 330 mm front discs with a twin-piston anchor and 245 mm disc out back and Bosch Cornering ABS all around. That's right, the factory kept the antilocks tied in with an inertial measurement unit to modulate the levels of intervention based on the calculated traction so you can hit the binders in the turns in relative safety.

2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R Drivetrain

Ducati pulled the 1,103 cc plant out and replaced it with the Desmosedici Stradale R that measures in with a 998 cc displacement and a decidedly race-tastic disposition. Naturally, it uses Duc's Desmodromic valve-actuation system that eliminates the springs that are prone to float and failure at higher revs, and as a result, this thing will wind up to an incredible 15,250 rpm if you have the nerve to twist it that hard. I'm not sure I want something quite as frenetic as all that between my legs, but different streaks for different freaks, I guess.

At the top end, you can expect a solid 221 horsepower (234 with the Akrapovic exhaust) and 83 pound-feet of grunt that comes on fully by 11,500 rpm for an approximate top speed of 180 mph (289 km/h). It's massively oversquare with an 81 mm bore and 48.4 mm stroke, and of course, the compression ratio is hot as a sun flare at 14-to-1.

Ride-by-wire inputs control 56 mm elliptical throttle bodies (up from 52 mm) with dual injectors in each cylinder and a variable-length intake funnel system that helps to deepen the torque well so the grunt starts to come on earlier. It's a four-cylinder mill in a “Vee” configuration, but that doesn't tell the whole story since the Twin Pulse firing order makes it run more like a V-twin with cylinder pairs that fire very close to one another in the rotation. That's right sports fans; two bores are producing power at almost the same time, and that's where a lot of the torque comes from. A dry, slipper-type clutch couples engine power to the six-speed transmission via a gear-type primary drive, and it rocks the Ducati Quick Shift feature that works both up and down the range.

In spite of the apparent aversion to electronic fandanglery in the suspension, the engine comes with an impressive suite of control and safety systems. I mean, this thing has everything. It starts with Power Modes that let you dial in the juice and a Power Launch feature that helps you safely stick the holeshot. Next up is the Traction-, Slide- and Wheelie-Mode functions that keep the chassis stable, and an Engine Brake Control that gives the rear contact patch some extra protection on hard downshifts. Finally, there's the Riding Modes that mix and match the systems so you can quickly dial in with preset profiles.

For the bona fide racers out there, a Pit Limiter restricts your speed to 50 mph, and of course, the V4 R enjoys a race data-collection system that lets you study your “fight tape” after the fact so you can identify your mistakes. Oh yeah, and a Bluetooth networks your phone with the Multimedia infotainment system so you can answer calls hands free and listen to your favorite jams.

2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R Pricing

You might expect a machine like this to really break the bank with the price tag as a sort of firewall to keep most of us mere mortals off it, but the Panigale V4 R rolls for $40,000 so it'll keep the noobs away, but too many folks that have no business on this kind of machine will still be able to afford it. The V4 R comes in the red and silver race-team livery, though they aren't on showroom floors as of this writing. Ducati will absolutely let you reserve one for you guys who are like, “take my money, now!”

2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R Competitors

Road-friendly race machines are a rarity, relatively speaking, but there are nevertheless a number of current machines out there that reach for the same pinnacle as the V4 R. When I think of road-ready racebikes, it's impossible to not think of Honda's RC213V-S. Sure, it's a few years old now, but much like the Duc, the “213” is a MotoGP machine that was made for the masses; not necessarily the unwashed masses though since its price tag gets into six-digit country at $184,000. That's what I mean when I talk about a price firewall folks. Yikes!

That aside, Honda runs a V-4 mill that displaces 1,000 cc with 252 ponies on tap and an approximate top speed of 225 mph. On the downside, the electronics are found to be a bit wanting on the Repsol ride, so credit to Ducati for keeping the fandanglery affordable.

Yamaha gets in on the action as well with the YZF-R1M that is intended to be its street-legal race tribute. Of the three, it's the lowest on the totem pole in just about every important category, though it still blows most production supersports right out of the water. Top speed is 182 mph, and that comes from the 162.4 horsepower and 73.2 pound-feet of torque that is tucked away in the inline-four engine. The electronics are fairly robust, and the price tag is definitely friendly at only $22,999, but it isn't quite as advanced as this new Panigale. Of course, to be fair, it's due for an overhaul or replacement, maybe even overdue, so we'll have to see what the future brings.

He Said

“Holy smokes, this is one Hell of a bike, y'all. I mean, it would be a complete waste for me to even throw a leg over it; my skillset probably won't get me safely across a parking lot no matter how many gadgets they put on it, and I suspect that most people are in the same boat. This bike is meant for a very narrow subset of riders-- noobs need not apply.”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “Horsepower on the V4 R is higher by about 10 hp over the V4 S and about 25 hp more if you go for the Akrapovic exhaust. Red line is higher, from 13k to about 15.5k, but notice that it has less torque than the V4 S, almost 10 less pound-feet. No kidding, this is an awesome bike; but honestly, unless you actually do plan to race it (not on the freeway, but at a proper track) to take advantage of that horsepower, you're better off going with the V4 S for the street.”

2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R Specifications

Further Reading

Honda RC213V-S

See our review of the Honda RC213V-S.

Yamaha YZF-R1 / YZF-R1M

See our review of the Yamaha YZF-R1 / YZF-R1M.

Ducati Panigale V4 / V4 S

See our review of the Ducati Panigale V4 / V4 S.

Ducati

Read more Ducati news.