Ducati India launched the recently unveiled Panigale V4 R at Rs 51.87 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) placing it amongst the most expensive motorcycles on sale in our country. Bookings for the superbike are open across all Ducati India dealerships and only five units have been allotted to be sold here. The Italian brand has also mentioned that owners will get the deliveries of their bike in Q1 2019 if they book the V4 R before November 30, 2018 – or else they will have to wait till Q2 2019.

The V4 R is the Italian brand’s latest homologated race bike – it is powered by a 998cc motor (the stock Panigale V4 features a 1,103cc engine) that adheres to the homologation rules for the WorldSBK Championship. The new powerplant is a derivative of the Ducati Desmosedici GP racer – with identical bore and stroke – and employs titanium connecting rods. This V4 motor pumps out 221hp at 15,250rpm and 112Nm of peak torque at 11,500rpm; and if that wasn’t enough, there’s an aftermarket Akrapovic racing exhaust system that bumps the power output to an incredible 234hp at 15,500rpm. This classifies the Ducati Panigale V4 R as one of the most powerful production motorcycles to ever go on sale in India.

The Ducati Panigale V4 R is the first production Ducati motorcycle to come fitted with the winglets seen on the company's MotoGP machines. According to the Italian brand, the wings produce 30kg of downforce at 270kph. Also, the new flyscreen is now higher and has a steeper angle. The bike’s wider fairing has larger side vents, which increases engine cooling by 16 percent.

Ducati has incorporated lightweight materials in the powerplant and in other components. The frame is similar to the V4 S and is suspended on a race-grade titanium-nitride-coated 43mm Öhlins NPX 25/30 fork at the front and on an Öhlins TTX 36 shock at the rear. Mechanical suspension was chosen over an electronic set-up to contribute to its reduction in weight. The forged aluminium wheels have also helped shave off 0.7kg. As a result of all this weight reduction the V4 R tips the scales at a lighter 193kg (kerb weight). Anchorage is provided by radial-mounted, four-piston, Brembo Stylema calipers.

As expected, the Panigale V4 R has been loaded with electronics, which include cornering ABS, multi-level traction control, a bi-directional quickshifter, launch control, wheelie control, power modes (Race, Sport, and Street), Ducati Slide Control (DSC) and Engine Brake Control (EBC). This array of electronic goodies is controlled by a 6D Bosch inertial measurement unit (IMU).

The Ducati Panigale V4 R is now the most powerful production-spec offering from Ducati for India; and while the bike is road-legal, it is still more at home posting blistering-quick times on the racetrack.