Ducati has unveiled a heavily revised Panigale V4 S superbike for 2022, debuting new bodywork, electronics, a new gearbox and exhaust.
Starting at the top, Ducati has revamped the bodywork to give you smaller winglets but the same amount of downforce as the 2021 model. The company is claiming 81 lb of downforce at 186 mph, and the lower part of the fairing has redesigned extraction sockets to improve cooling at high speed.
We’ve been lucky enough to ride every iteration of the Panigale here at Cycle News, and the 2020/21 V4 S model was a big step forward in terms of high speed stability after it received the Panigale V4 R’s bodywork. It will now be interesting to compare the two, given Ducati’s claims of shorter wings producing the same effect.
Jorge Lorenzo will doubtless be rubbing his hands in a personal “I told you so” moment, because the Panigale V4 S gets a flatter seat with a new tank design that helps the rider grip the bike better with their legs to aid in braking stability—exactly what Lorenzo was trying to get the factory team to do for him when he raced there in 2017/2018. The tank design also makes provisions for the rider’s arms at full lean, allowing them to tuck into the bike better when leaned over.
The motor itself is largely unchanged in the 1103 cc V4 Desmosedici Stradale, with Ducati claiming 210 hp at 12,500 rpm and 90 lb-ft of torque at 11,000 rpm. However, the gearbox has come under scrutiny with a taller first, second and sixth gear. This allows the rider to use first gear in tight corners more often, thus getting the benefit of the greater acceleration first gear provides. The taller sixth gear is also claimed to give a 1.8 percent increase in top speed.
Ducati pulled a surprise with this one, the 2022 Panigale V4 S is more than just a small touch-up.
The new gearbox has necessitated a redesign of the Ducati Quick Shifter (DQS) to give a faster, smoother cutout in those first few gears when under full power.
As for the electronics, Ducati has revamped the riding modes which come in Race A, Race B, Sport, Street, and each of those modes has four engine configurations of Full, High, Medium, and Low.
Full power gives as much as the engine can produce, and a new Ride-by-Wire map management system has been developed for the High and Medium Power modes. The Low mode lowers the engine output to 150 hp for inclement weather or low grip conditions.
Ducati’s exhaust partner Akrapovic has also developed a new full titanium exhaust as part of the Ducati Performance catalog that reduces the decibel output to 105 db, thus getting it under the limit for most racetracks around the world. This can be limited to 102 db when you fit the decibel killer.
Inside the electronics sits a new Track Evo mode that puts the revs across the top of the dash like on Pecco Bagnaia’s bike, with the gear position in the middle and the traction, wheelie, slide and engine brake control down the right of the dash. These sectors light up individually when the electronics are working on a certain parameter, remaining on for the time necessary for the rider to identify which indicator is activated.
You can easily see the new lower fairing extractors designed to get rid of some of the Ducati’s well-known heat.
The new exhaust is equipped with high silencers alongside the tail and ensures a power increase of 18 hp to 228 hp, while torque rises to 96.6 lb-ft, and weight is reduced by 11 lb.
The Front Frame is unchanged but the swingarm gets a 4 mm higher swingarm pivot for more anti-squat action to help stabilize the bike under acceleration.
As for the wheels, suspension and brakes, you get the new Öhlins NPX 25/30 electronically controlled pressurized fork up front and TTX36 shock at the rear mated to the Ohlins Smart EC 2.0 event-based algorithm (braking, cornering, acceleration).
The new front suspension runs a slightly softer spring from 10 to 9.5 N/mm and the fork has 5 mm more travel than before, while the rear is unchanged to the 2021 unit.
Unfortunately, Pecco Bagnaia’s riding skill doesn’t come with the purchase.
Brakes come in the form of the Brembo Stylema four-piston monobloc caliper and the three-spoke forged aluminum wheels come wrapped in the Pirelli Diablo™ Supercorsa SP tires (120/70 ZR17 front and 200/60 ZR 17 rear).
If all this is too much, the standard Panigale V4 features a 43 mm fully-adjustable Showa Big Piston Fork (BPF), Sachs steering damper, Sachs monoshock (also fully adjustable) and cast aluminum rims with a five-spoke design.
The Panigale V4 and Panigale V4 S will be available in North America starting in February 2022 in the Ducati Red color. United States pricing for the Panigale V4 will start at $23,295, with the Panigale V4 S starting at $29,995. Canadian pricing will start at CAD $26,495 for the Panigale V4, and the Panigale V4 S pricing will start at CAD $33,895.
For more Ducati news and reviews, click here
