2020 Ducati Panigale V2Handout / Ducati JEREZ, Spain You may have been under the impression that Ducati had given up on the V-twin engine layout in its supersport motorcycles. In 2018, the storied Italian motorcycle maker introduced a V-four power plant into its Panigale superbikes, breaking a tradition of using 90-degree V-twins since the early 1970s. Then, to affirm its apparent abandonment of the supersport V-twin, Ducati launched the Panigale R Final Edition in 2019, a limited-edition superbike that celebrates the twin-cylinder engine that marked the history of the Superbike World Championship.Well, if youre like me and you rather like a twin-cylinder Vees syncopated beat, narrow profile, and broad, flat torque delivery, then youll be relieved to know the V-twin is alive and well. The 2020 Ducati Panigale V2 isnt an entirely new motorcycle, but rather a rejuvenated version of the former 959 Panigale. It uses a recalibrated version of the 959 Panigales 955 cc V-twin, this time with 155 horsepower and a touch more peak torque at 77 lb.-ft.Not that long ago, a motorcycle displacing almost one litre and producing almost 160 horsepower would have been considered an open-class superbike. Ducati, however, calls the Panigale V2 a super-mid, or super middleweight, since todays open-class supersport machines produce 200 horsepower. Indeed, Ducatis own V4, for example, gulps down 1,100 cc of air with each two crankshaft revolutions and spits out 220 hp. The last iteration of the V-twin it replaces specifically, that Panigale R Final Edition I mentioned displaced 1,285 cc and boasted virtually the same output. A V-twin with 160 ponies is just mid.Despite sharing engine and chassis components with the 959, the Panigale V2 gets completely new bodywork that closer resembles its V4 brethren. It may lack the bigger bikes downforce-producing winglets and has smoother fairing sides, but it does boast the gaping front air inlets, which reduce intake pressure losses. The seat is 20 millimetres longer for easier manoeuvring on a track, and it gets a single-sided swingarm usually reserved for Ducatis premium supersport machines. The suspension has revised damping, said to improved comfort on the road, and claimed wet weight is 200 kilograms.Aside from the appearance, the biggest change is the additional electronic intervention. The Panigale V2 now benefits from lean-sensing ABS and traction control, wheelie control, anti-lift ABS, adjustable engine braking, and a quick shifter that permits clutch-less gear changes. All of these parameters except the quick shifter are individually adjustable, even within the three ride modes (Race, Sport and Street). While traction control can be turned off, European law now forbids manufacturers from completely turning off the ABS unless the bike is designed for off-road use. The ABS nonetheless has three setups; the least intrusive of which turns it off at the rear so you can slide into turns, MotoGP-style.Managing the electronics is done through a 4.3-inch TFT screen by using the turn signal switch to select the various menus, and a separate rocker switch to scroll up and down. Ducati got some help with the interface from Audi; changing settings is intuitive, taking me a couple of minutes to learn the system without guidance. Now, I dont care if you ambitiously claim MotoGP-level riding skills, but managing a 200-plus horsepower bike puts a heavy toll on your synapses and requires Olympian strength and endurance to ride at anywhere near its limit on a racetrack. Sure, riding a bike that squashes your eyeballs into your skull on acceleration is an exhilarating experience, but it also demands brain-sapping levels of concentration to ride. Unless your paycheque is signed by a MotoGP race team, just two sessions of manhandling such a boisterous beast at your local racetrack will leave we mere mortals feeling like a clammy wet rag.This is where the Panigale V2 becomes exceptionally relevant. Ducati claims the bike is designed to be more accessible and easier to ride on the road (and track) than a full-bore supersport machine. After having ridden five sessions at the physically demanding Jerez circuit in Spain and requiring no supplemental oxygen or jolt from defibrillator I can attest the Panigale V2 is indeed easier to ride than a big bike, a motorcycle on which you can twist the throttle to its stop at corner exit and not scare yourself into submission with every lap. The engine pulls hard, but a completely linear power delivery makes it relatively easy to manage without threatening to loft the front wheel over your head. And its not just the sub-160 horsepower that makes riding it easy; the advanced electronics work seamlessly in the background making sure you dont hit the ground. My only gripe with the bike is with the brakes they maintained good feedback, but exhibited some fade nearing the end of the sessions, the lever coming ever closer to the
Origin: First Ride: 2020 Ducati Panigale V2