Unless you have been living under a rock all this while, Ducati->ke622 has stopped working on its superstar L - twin Superquadro powerhouse that made its final act with the recently launched 1299 Panigale R Final Edition.

We must accept the end of something in order to build a new something which can take you past that feeling. It is becoming ever so difficult for Ducati to adhere to the rules package in most of the World Superbike Championships the Panigale is currently in competition; its v-twin superbikes will soon lose out to the four-cylinder counterparts. Luckily, the Italian company is also churning out a new V-4 superbike as we speak.

Like all good things coming to an end, the L-twin Brobdingnagian motor is also spurting towards the end and is being replaced by a V4 engine currently being developed for the Italian's brand new fully faired superbike.

It will replace the L-twin powered Panigale and become the flag bearer of the Italian company. But that is only going to debut later this year, at the EICMA show in Milan. But according to this invite from Ducati, we might be wrong. Or are we?

The invite reads:

Ducati had, last year, showed us a glimpse of the Supersport at the World Ducati Week that took place at the same venue, the Misano World Circuit. It was, however, officially launched during the 2016 EICMA show in Milan.

Running a similar showdown, we believe Ducati will have the new V4 Superbike on display at the Misano Circuit for those in attendance. Or, Ducati might be showcasing the production engine only, rather than the fully built up production model of the superbike.

After all, the engine alone is a big deal for the folks at Ducati who have possibly created another stellar performer having the same pedigree and DNA of the brand’s MotoGP powertrain, the Desmosedici V4. The V4 engine will also borrow cues from the Superquadro v-twin engine design elements to get the right packaging and balance.

We have already seen the V4 Superbike snapped testing on the streets with full test equipment and light camouflaging. We figure that the single-sided swingarm and the underslung exhaust unit remain similar to the current Panigale and the Superleggera. Ducati will also make use of the current “frameless” chassis design that has the headstock, swingarm, and rear subframe attached directly to the engine mounts.

Other mechanical elements cannot be verified for sure, but it looks like this V4 superbike will make use of Ohlins semi-active electronic forks up-front and a conventionally mounted rear shock unit. Expect all kinds of electronic rider aids and rider modes to be made available to the rider to hoon the new power on the Italian machine.