Ducati Racing Asphalt Motorcycle reviews

It’s been four years since the last update to Ducati’s SuperSport 950 platform, and now it’s on the receiving end of a fairly major rework ahead of MY2021. Tuned-up fairings enclose a more emission-compliant engine along with beefed-up electronics to complete the package. The SuperSport comes in the base 950 package, but if you’re a bona fide pegdragger, the 950 S version takes things up a notch or three.

Another model-year is upon us, and constant as the North Star, the bikebuilder in Bologna has a fresh update package for its Panigale family with the new-for-2021 Panigale V4. Aesthetically, the body is unchanged, but there are enough tweaks under the hood to qualify the Panigale V4 as a “new” model, at least according to the bikebuilders in Bologna. The V4 powerplant is cleaner this year, so it comports to the EU-5 emissions requirements and rolls with more race-tuned electronic wizardry than ever before.

Ducati headed into MY2020 with a revamped, low-displacement Panigale that the factory rebranded from the Panigale 959 to the Panigale V2. It’s a mixture of old and new with new body fairings over a modified monocoque frame, upgraded suspension components, and six-axis ride-quality controls to deliver extra safety on the road. Power comes from the Superquadro V-twin plant with over 150 ponies on tap to serve as the icing on the cake.

Ducati unleashed to the world their most extreme version of their famed V4 R superbike: the V4 Superleggera. This limited-edition fantasy will come with multi-wings, 234 hp, carbon-fiber chassis and body, and an eye-watering price tag.

And guess what? This maniac will be a street-legal carbon-fiber rocket, ready to rip on the track and the streets around your million dollar mansion upstate. The story inside is an all-new thriller that is bound to scare the daylights off of anyone trying to come close to this beast.

No other machine on two-wheels can give you what this Superleggera does. This is a legit no-compromise hyperbike for the streets.

The MY19 Panigale V4 was Ducati’s best-selling bike worldwide, and the factory looks to build on that success through a host of improvements ahead of the 2020 season. Ducati’s engineers struck a balance by increasing rideability and potentially laptimes to deliver more of what made the previous generation such a hit. Top-shelf electronics and a 200-plus horsepower engine complete the package, and it all comes wrapped in low-drag, windtunnel-tested bodywork for both performance and curb appeal.

Ducati expands its Panigale lineup and replaces its “1299” with a new model that’s meant to take over as the new apex-predator – the Panigale V4 – and the new Panigale V4 S Corse builds on that platform with a race-worthy package. Not only does it closely resemble the MotoGP version with much the same look and equipment, it doubles down with the factory race team’s unmistakable colors in its unique livery. Lest there be any confusion on this point, let me be clear; this is not a wannabe/poser machine. It doesn’t waste any weight on the road-legal gear that’s rather superfluous on a racebike, and it’s intended for the closed-circuit and proper road-courses only. However, no expense was spared in the ride-control electronics department, and the robust suite makes this a veritable marvel on two wheels.

Ducati released the 1299 Panigale R Final Edition in 2017 with much celebration. This last edition of the 1299 Panigale R superbike comes laden with top-shelf electronics and racing livery in a finale for the twin-cylinder Superleggera-derived Superquadro engine.

Ducati continued its Panigale legacy in 2018 with the V4 base model and its variants, the V4 S and the V4 Speciale. Dramatic as it may sound, the V4 family may well be the finest streetbikes at their price points, and that’s not just clever sales prose, it’s the troofus roofus. It isn’t just about the raw power — 214 horsepower from the base model V4/V4 S and 226 horsepower from the Special — because the electronics suite is nearly beyond compare with an absolute alphabet soup of acronyms for all the engine/brake/chassis-control features. That performance comes bundled with a sexy superbike visage that looks fast even when sitting still, and all for $21,195 for the base model. This is a weapon of mass seduction that is drawing down on the general riding public rather than an elite (read: rich) few.

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