The Superleggera V4 has a 234 hp engine and comes with winglets designed from the 2016 Ducati MotoGP bike. The HP4 Race weights 146 kg which makes is lighter than a WorldSBK bike
Ducati offers a superior engine power and aerodynamic features with winglets inspired by the MotoGP bike. On the other hand, BMW comes with a dry weight that it’s lighter than a WorldSBK bike. Which one is your favourite superbike?
The Ducati Superleggera V4 is a 234 hp and 152 kg street-legal superbike with aerodynamic features developed from the 2016 Ducati MotoGP bike.
Its rival comes from Germany in the form of the BMW HP4 Race launched in 2017. It has 215 hp, weights 146 kg and like the Italian superbike, it has features like a carbon fibre frame, carbon wheels and a carbon fibre bodywork which makes the bike lighter than the factory World Superbike Championship bikes. The motorcycle was designed only for track use.
The engine configuration – 234 hp V4 engine vs. 215 hp in-line four-cylinder powerplant
The Ducati Superleggera V4 is fitted with a 998 cc 90° V4 engine making 224 hp @ 15,250 rpm in standard form. After fitting the Akrapovič full race exhaust system the power increases to 234 hp @ 15.500 rpm. Standard, the torque figure reaches 116 Nm @ 11,750 rpm and with the Akrapovič race exhaust, it delivers 119 Nm @ 11.750 rpm. The V4 engine features a counter-rotating crankshaft and four Desmodromic timing.
The maintenance is set at 12,000 km or every 12 months while the valve clearance adjustment is at 24,000 km.
The BMW HP4 Race features a 999cc in-line four-cylinder engine putting out 215 hp @ 13,900 rpm and 120 Nm of torque @ 10,000 rpm. The engine is fitted with a double overhead camshaft and valve activation via individual rocker arms.
The German’s superbike entire engine needs to be replaced every 5,000 km which means that it can work for around 12 track days.
The bodywork & aerodynamics – carbon fibre for the frame, wheels, swingarm, fairings on the Superleggera V4
The Superleggera V4 has a full carbon fibre frame, wheels, single-sided swingarm and fairings. The aerodynamic features include winglets designed from the 2016 Ducati MotoGP bike which create a downforce of 50 kg at 270 kph.
The HP4 Race comes also with a carbon fibre frame, carbon wheels, carbon fairings and no rear frame. The frame has a monocoque construction and weighs only 7.8 kg. The aluminium alloy underslung double-sided swingarm is made of milled and sheet metal parts. The German engineers didn’t fit the superbike with winglets.
Brembo brakes & Öhlins suspension
The Italian superbike comes with Öhlins suspension – an Öhlins NPX25/30 pressurised fork with TiN treatment, machined aluminium fork bottoms and it’s fully adjustable.
On the rear, the Superleggera V4 is fitted with a fully adjustable Öhlins TTX36 monoshock with GP-derived valves and a titanium spring.
The bike has Brembo brakes – two 330 mm semi-floating discs with radially mounted Brembo Monobloc Stylema R four-piston callipers featuring a remotely adjusted lever gap on the front. The rear brakes have a 245 mm disc with a two-piston calliper.
On the other hand, the BMW HP4 Race is equipped with an Öhlins FGR 300 Superbike World Cup fork with adjustable rebound and compression damping, adjustable spring preload and an adjustable Öhlins SD052 steering damper.
On the rear, the German superbike has an Öhlins TTX 36 GP monoshock with a central spring strut and features like adjustable rebound and compression damping, adjustable spring preload, spring strut attachment point adjustable at the top (0/3 mm) and adjustable spring strut deflection.
The HP4 Race has a front brake system fitted with twin 320 mm Brembo Racing T-floated discs with four-piston monoblock Superbike World Cup fixed GP4-PR calliper with titanium pistons.
The rear is fitted with a 220 mm Brembo Racing single disc with a four-piston Superbike World Cup fixed calliper with titanium pistons.
The electronics – race track riding modes, cornering ABS, adjustable traction control
The Ducati Superleggera V4 has three reprogrammed Riding Modes (Race A, Race B and Sport) and five additional Riding Modes that can be personalised with the rider's preferred settings.
It’s also equipped with cornering ABS, up/down quick-shifter and EVO 2 Ducati Traction Control (DTC) system to name a few.
The BMW HP4 Race comes with four riding modes (Wet, Intermediate, Dry1 and Dry2), Shift Assist Pro for up and down gear shifting, adjustable Dynamic Traction Control system with five levels programmable for each gear and the Engine Brake is also adjustable for each gear. There are 15 levels of adjustment for the Traction Control and Engine Brake System.
Other features include Launch Control, Wheelie Control and Pit Lane Limiter.
Ducati Superleggera V4:
– three reprogrammed Riding Modes (Race A, Race B and Sport)/five additional Riding Modes
– Power Modes
– Cornering ABS EVO
– Ducati Traction Control (DTC) EVO 2
– Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) EVO
– Ducati Slide Control (DSC)
– Engine Brake Control (EBC) EVO
– Ducati Power Launch (DPL)
– Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) up/down EVO 2
– GPS module
– Lap Timer EVO 2
– PIT limiter
– Öhlins steering damper
– Auto tyre calibration
BMW HP4 Race:
– four riding modes (Wet, Intermediate, Dry1, Dry2)
– BMW Motorrad Race DTC (Dynamic Traction Control) +/- seven levels
– EBR (Engine Brake Regulation) +/- seven levels
– HP4 Race Shift Assistant (Up/ Down)
– 2D data recording/stick logger/lap timing/GPS
– Pit Lane Limiter
– Wheelie Control
– Launch Control
– steering head angle adjustment (variable using an accessory kit)
– swingarm centre of rotation adjustment (variable using an accessory kit)
Weight – 146 kg dry weight for the BMW HP4 Race
All that carbon fibre, titanium, aluminium and magnesium components took the Superleggera V4’s dry weight down to 152.2 kg equipped with the racing kit and the Akrapovič full race exhaust system. The standard dry weight sits at 159 kg.
The HP4 Race is even slimmer with a dry weight of 146 kg thanks to the carbon fibre parts used. This means that the German superbike is lighter than the factory World Superbike Championship bikes.
The price & units available – a price tag of €80,000 +
The Ducati Superleggera V4 will be made in a limited number of 500 units at a price tag of €100,000 while the BMW HP4 Race was built in a limited number of 750 units priced at €80,000.
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