Is Ducati's new £30,000 Panigale V4 S the best sports bike on the planet? We test it to find out

• e-mail

Thirty thousand pounds is a considerable wedge to spend on a car, let alone something with two fewer wheels.

But that's what you need to fork out if you want the latest motorcycle from Ducati that's steeped in MotoGP hand-me-down design and technology. 

The exotic Italian bike maker - widely considered the Ferrari of the motorcycle world - has launched its new £29,995 Panigale V4 S.

Adam Child has been riding the new £30k Ducati Panigale V4 S. It might cost the same as a Mercedes-Benz A-Class but is packed with a suite of new high-tech aids that compliment any rider 

It's the closest riders can get to buying a full-blooded race bike from a showroom with a number plate and indicators, and then legally using it on the road. 

The cost is equivalent to that of a new Mercedes-Benz A-Class - one of the more luxurious family hatchback cars on the market with enough room for a five people and their luggage, a lavishly-finished interior and bundled with heaps of gizmos.

It means this two-wheeled rocket needs to offer unparalleled performance to warrant such a steep price tag.

Experienced road tester and journalist Adam 'Chad' Child has been among the handful of first people to swing a leg over the new superbike at the global launch in Italy to experience the performance on track ahead of anyone else.

So, it this the new yardstick for sports bikes? 

Ducati is to motorcycles what Ferrari is to cars - pure exotica. And the 1,103cc Panigale V4 S is its ultimate sports bike. But it comes at a price...

For the same £30,000 price tag, you could go out and buy a new Mercedes-Benz A-Class family hatchback

While £30k is unquestionably steep, the Ducati is crammed with technology that has filtered down from MotoGP - the blue-ribbon motorcycle racing series

Ducati Panigale V4 S: What's new? 

This significantly updated Panigale is lighter, more powerful and festooned with more technical wizardry than ever before to make it clearly the most advanced road-going Ducati ever. 

The brand's target goals for the V4 S were to improve lap times, reduce the riding effort and to allow the new bike to effectively boost the skill of any rider.

The big talking point for many is the introduction of a double-sided swing-arm, which takes over from the much-loved single-sider and follows instead the design of Ducati's dominant MotoGP GP24 bike in a bid to manage ever increasing levels of power and grip. 

Despite having a double arm, it's lighter (by 2.7kg) and has 37 per cent less lateral rigidity. 

In the flesh it looks pleasingly elegant, too.

One of the big talking points for the new motorcycle is its double-sided swing-arm, which takes over from the much-loved single-sider. It has been introduced to manage ever increasing levels of power and grip expected from these machines

The V4 engine generates an incredible 216bhp. Flat out, the Panigale can reach speeds up to 186mph

A redesigned 'front frame' has also had its lateral stiffness reduced by a comparable 40 per cent, while suspension features the very latest Smart EC 3.0 electronic TTX36 (front) and NPX 25/30 (rear) units from Öhlins.

The familiar 1,103cc Desmosedici Stradale V4 engine with counter rotating crank gets a little more power to keep the headline writers happy (the older machine was hardly lacking).

It also gets treated to all-new Brembo Hypure brake calipers - debuting on this very motorcycle - and more aerodynamic detailing and styling which gives a certain legendary Ducati 916-look to the silhouette.

A reconfigured riding position includes more inboard pegs and a longer and wider seat to bolster the comfort levels.

The latest road bikes already gave a selection of adaptable riding modes, anti-wheelie systems and adjustable traction control. But the new Ducati takes things to the next level...

It has a ground-breaking lean-sensitive braking system. This combines the front and rear brakes so that even when you release the front brake and arrive at a corner apex, it continues to gently apply the rear without any rider intervention to help turn the bike

An abundance of technology

Like the latest cars, the technology being fitted to new motorcycles is flabbergasting.

Read More

Bentley launches its first motorcycle in collaboration with Italy's Ducati - but it isn't cheap

Adaptable riding modes that disperse power differently depending on the conditions and type of road, racing-derived anti-wheelie systems (to make sure riders can plant as much power as possible without the front wheel lifting) and adjustable traction control have been around for some time.  

But the Italian manufacturer has now taken it to the next level with an electronics package that includes the Ducati Vehicle Observer (DVO) system.

This uses an algorithm developed by the Ducati Corse MotoGP technicians to precisely estimate and optimise multiple rider aids to compliment the customer sat aboard (who is already £30k lighter at this point).

Built into this is a ground-breaking lean-sensitive braking system, which in basic terms helps you brake like a MotoGP rider as you enter a corner.

Test conditions at Vallelunga - a 2.5-mile circuit just outside Rome - where I've ridden the bike have been perfect and with a Ducati Corse technician on standby, Pirelli slick tyres and six long sessions available, a thorough and fast test of the new Panigale V4 S was very much on the cards.

This is the first new model with the Ducati Vehicle Observer system. This uses an algorithm developed by MotoGP technicians to optimise multiple rider aids at any given moment

Not all about speed: A reconfigured riding position for the all-new Ducati Panigale includes more inboard pegs and a longer and wider seat to bolster the comfort levels

What's it like on track?

The most obvious improvement over the bike it succeeds is its improved stability. 

The V4 S I rode back in 2022 felt planted, however, I did find its limitations.

Riding around the Vallelunga track, especially through a fourth-gear and fearsomely fast and committed kink, it would gently weave or move the bars to indicate you were towards the limit, forcing me to short-shift through this section of the challenging circuit. 

The 2025 Panigale, though, is much more predictable and even in the first session I had more confidence to make full use of the power. 

This newfound stability might be down to extra flex in the frame and longer swingarm, or the new electronics, or a combination of everything, but from lap three the difference between the old and new bike felt obvious.

Rider aids are inspiring; the lap ends with tight, twisty second-gear corners and late apexes, followed by hard acceleration with risky lean angles. 

But with the technology working overtime beneath you, it allows you to aggressively open the throttle without fear of it bucking and kicking like a freshly-branded bull. 

The throttle response is nearly perfect, and you can apply power quickly while relying on the aids. I don't think I've ever exited corners so hard and early on a road bike.

On occasion, I could feel the torque reduce as a slide or wheelspin was corrected by the tech, especially when exiting first and second-gear corners hard on the throttle. 

It's amazing what you can get away with and how unfazed and planted the Ducati remains.

Stopping is equally as impressive.

It is now managed by new Brembo Hypure calipers, and also the new Race eCBS [electronically controlled braking system] combined ABS system. 

There are seven levels of ABS, with level 1 the dedicated Race eCBS. 

This new system combines the front and rear brakes so that even when you release the front brake and arrive at a corner apex, it continues to trail the rear brake, without any rider intervention. 

With DVO ensuring it won't lock or slide the rear wheel while working out the fastest, safest braking strategy for the corner, you can, in theory at least, steer and lean to the apex. 

According to Ducati, a trailing rear brake tightens the line and adds stability mid-corner and, most important of all, makes you feel like Ducati Corse's double world champion, Pecco Bagnaia.

'It's amazing what you can get away with and how unfazed and planted the Ducati remains,' Adam says

Adam says you can take plenty of liberties with the new braking aids, which allow the rider - on track - to brake harder and later than before

'The astonishing level of grip from the chassis, rider aids and big slick Pirelli rubber allows crazy lean angles. If you ever want to get your elbow down – this is the bike to try it on,' Adam added

The older Panigale was impressive on the brakes, but the combination of the Brembo Hypure stoppers and new technology is a hugely potent package. 

You can take real liberties: brake so late it's physically painful; brake so late and with so much power up to the apex it's almost hard to comprehend and calculate.

Towards the end of the day, I was desperate to forget the lap timer for a while and simply enjoy the new Panigale and have some knee-dragging fun, which is what the Ducati does so well. 

Yes, you can chase lap times, but as it's now so much easier to ride fast you can also maintain both a pace and safety margin higher than you thought possible while still having trackday fun.

The astonishing level of grip from the chassis, rider aids and big slick Pirelli rubber allows crazy lean angles. If you ever want to get your elbow down – this is the bike to try it on. 

The chassis feedback is forensic. You feel in tune with the chassis, understand completely the Pirelli rubber and elevate your riding too. 

Sometimes electronic suspension can dilute the connection with the bike, but this is not the case on new Panigale.

Ducati's electronics package makes any rider feel like an elite racer on track. Time will tell to see how it performs on the road

Verdict

Ducati has made significant progress. 

The new 2025 model is more stable and planted and therefore easier to ride. 

Where the older bike occasionally asked you to use calming shortshifts, particularly on the exits of fast, hanging sweepers, the new one asks for full gas and every one of its Italian horses in all the corners and does so without hesitation. 

This makes the bike faster and cuts faster lap times.

Secondly, the advancement in rider aids and braking technology is truly breathtaking. 

Never has a Ducati superbike been this easy to ride consistently and safely. 

You can take outrageous liberties and rely on the rider aids, which takes a conscious re-configuration of your riding because the new Panigale allows you to do things on a motorcycle you really shouldn't. 

It flatters the rider, improves lap times and in turn makes riding on track more enjoyable. In short, it makes you faster.

We don't know what the new Panigale will be like on the road, and all this new technology comes at a price that now puts the V4 S is close to £30,000 in the UK.

But if I were the competition, I'd be worried. 

Ducati has taken race-winning MotoGP and WSBK know how and technology and transferred it to their road-going superbike so we can all feel like an elite racer. 

In a word, it's stunning.