First shots of Ducati’s new litre engine
The Italian manufacturer is working on a replacement for the Panigale V-twin. It seems that the new V4 is specially made for WSBK and will eventually be presented as a series bike. The spy shots that confirm the V4 rumor were released today by the Belgian publication MaxxMoto.
The V4 lines come from the existing Panigale, having the same fairing design. Sharing the same front end and mono swingarm you can be easily fooled to assume this is a Panigale. Also, the test bike in the photos has data acquisition systems fitted on the rear. The main difference is the engine covers that – they are not the same as on the Ducati big-twin. Ducati uses the same recipe – the engine is the central parto of the structuri. Knowing that the Panigale just got an update we strongly believe that the V4 is underway. Hopefully, we will see it at EICMA this fall.
The Ducati displacement now is over 1200cc, with 200cc more that the highest class in any competition. With the 1299 Superleggera, the Italian manufacturer squeezed the maximum out of the Panigale. The decision to produce a 1000cc V4 will put Ducati on the same page with other motorcycle big names.