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2024 · Supersport · Buyer's Guide
Beauty With Race-Grade Bite
The Panigale V4 runs a 1103 cc Desmosedici Stradale V4 that makes 216 hp at 13,000 rpm and 91 lb-ft at 11,000. What sets this generation apart isn't the peak number, it's how easy that number is to reach. The aluminum monocoque chassis and a full 6-axis electronics package (cornering ABS, traction control, wheelie control, launch control) turn a genuine 216 hp into something you can actually put to the road. In a class where potential too often stays locked behind rider skill, this Ducati hands you the tools to use it, and it looks like nothing else in the process.
On the road it rewards commitment. Lean clearance is effectively limitless for anything you'll do on the street, and the whole bike is built to make its pace usable rather than intimidating. This is for experienced riders who want beauty and speed in one object and will ride hard enough to justify both. The honest caveats: the 33.5-inch (850 mm) seat sits tall, the 4.5-gallon (17 L) tank keeps range short, and touches like cruise control are optional rather than standard. Buy it as a focused sportbike that happens to be genuinely gorgeous, not as an everyday companion.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 216 hp (159 kW) @ 13,000 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 91 lb-ft (123 Nm) @ 11,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 1103 cc |
| Engine | V4 |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 330 mm |
| Front tire | 120/70 ZR17 |
| Rear tire | 200/60 ZR17 |
| Wheelbase | 57.8 in (1469 mm) |
| Seat height | 33.5 in (850 mm) |
| Fuel capacity | 4.5 gal (17 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Connectivity
Drivetrain
Lighting
Safety
Swing a leg over and the commitment hits you first. The reach to the bars is long, the 33.5-inch (850 mm) seat sits you high and forward, and your weight loads the wrists the moment you stop rolling. Thumb the starter and the V4 clears its throat with a hard, metallic bark that settles into a fast, busy idle you feel through the tank and the pegs. At real road pace the bike feels light and alert underneath you, tipping side to side with almost no muscle and holding whatever line you set. The front tire keeps feeding you a steady read on grip, so you always know exactly where you stand. It stays planted and calm as speed builds, never nervous, never asking you to fight it back into shape.
It comes from years of listening: paddock talk, owner conversations, club-night chatter, and the messages riders send Nils directly. One pattern holds for the DA-3 Panigale V4. The strongest agreement gathers around how it behaves when the pace climbs; the steady grumbles are about living with it every day.
Two things dominate the positive chatter: the electronic aids and the way the bike holds a line. Owners describe leaning on cornering ABS, traction, wheelie, slide, and launch control rather than wrestling them, pushing on street and track without feeling exposed. The other constant is how clearly the front end and frame communicate, so they set a line and trust it. The lighter wet weight comes up too, said to turn in more eagerly than the bike before it.
Nearly every gripe is about comfort. Heat leads by a distance: owners report serious warmth off the right leg and seat that makes stop-and-go traffic hard to enjoy. Close behind is a position that loads the wrists, with fatigue creeping in on longer days even after the improved padding. A smaller group raises cruise control, offered only as an option, and notices it missing on long highway runs.
Rear brake hose heat damage recall
On certain 2025–2026 Panigale V4 models, the rear brake hose can degrade from exhaust manifold heat, potentially causing brake fluid loss and rear brake failure. Dealers will replace the thermal shield with an extended version (NHTSA 26V050).
Where this Ducati Panigale V4 pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Panigale V4 is actually built for.
For Angeles Crest weekends this is more machine than the road strictly needs, but the easy pace and front-end feel let you enjoy it well under its limit. It fits if you want beauty and precision over quiet sense.
Made for Angeles Crest Highway · Coronado Trail / US 191 · Highway 1 / Big Sur
This is exactly where the V4 belongs. The endless lean clearance, honest front-end feel, and full electronics package let you chase apexes and braking markers while the aids quietly cover your mistakes.
Made for Barber Motorsports Park · WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca · Circuit of the Americas
On the Dragon's tight, technical stuff it's fast and razor-precise, but it stays a committed, focused machine. Ideal if you ride for front-end feel and real skill, not for relaxing through the pass.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
The Ducati Panigale V4 also comes in these variants, models and special editions. Each has its own page covering only what differs from the standard Panigale V4 — equipment, electronics, specs and used price.
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Ducati Panigale V4. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
