A sensible Panigale. Can such a thing even exist, and more importantly, should it? This was a consistent thought I grappled with in the approach to riding this bike. After all, on paper, it seems like a big step away from the previous-gen Pani V2. Yes, it lost a lot of weight, which is great, but it also dropped down from a solid 155hp to ‘just’ 120hp.
Not love at first sight
It’s not like these thoughts are lost when you first spot the bike in person. There are some beautiful details to take in at a close glance, including that crafted swingarm, the gorgeous monoshock mounts and that sculpted fairing. But step back, and it’s just missing something – the drop-dead gorgeous sex appeal that the Panigale name is supposed to carry simply isn’t there. The design is almost an amalgamation of a Panigale and a SuperSport 950; and given that the latter is no longer made, perhaps that explains it. Hmm.
Swing a leg over the tall 837mm seat, and you’ll be greeted by ergonomics that reflect the SuperSport design vibes, with surprisingly high and wide bars and footpegs lower than you’d expect. As a tall human with poor flexibility and shameful levels of fitness, this is something you won’t hear me complain about. But it does further drive home the point of just how different this new Panigale is.
Unexpected impressions
Anyhow, time has taught me that sometimes it’s best to stop thinking and let the bike do the talking. On the first lap out, my immediate impression was one that you will read in no review of this motorcycle anywhere in the world – it felt heavy! This is exactly the opposite of what anyone would normally think, because the new V2 has had a massive weight loss, and I knew that this problem was entirely in my own head. After all, I’d just spent the previous day riding a mind-bendingly light, 132kg, national championship-winning Pro Stock RACR race bike.
What was not just in my head was that something could improve with the suspension setup. It felt way too soft, and the bike wasn’t gelling with the Madras International Circuit’s many bumps. With some help from racing legend Rajini Krishnan and the super-helpful folks at Ducati Chennai, we dialed in the manually adjustable Öhlins (only on this S model), and I headed out for my second track session. This time, things felt much better, and the bike behaved more predictably over bumps. I got a real confidence boost after the session ended when I saw the lap times. In just the second session of the day, I’d gone faster than I managed all of the previous day on the race bike. That was unexpected!
It all makes sense
To have broken just under the 2min barrier at the MIC so quickly was a revelation about how easy and encouraging this bike was to ride. This character was extra valuable in the brutally hot and humid weather one gets treated to in Chennai in May. But for all the comfort from the relatively kind ergos, I felt no limitations in pushing the bike to my limits. The only area that needed caution was in not putting unwanted leverage into the tall and wide handlebars, which was easy to do in certain situations.
The best way to sum up the V2’s handling is friendly and forgiving. It turns when you ask and exactly how you expect, which is great for confidence. The light handling, as well as the bike’s ability to forgive poor or corrective inputs from the rider, is what I fell in love with, along with the fact that it’s not as exhausting to ride as a proper crotch rocket can be. The seating position is also quite spacious for taller riders, and it’s easy to hold onto the bike as well, thanks to more grippy footpegs than on the bigger V4.
I ended the day setting 1min:56s lap times, which is quite quick, but nowhere close to professional racer pace. Incredibly talented riders like that will probably want more committed riding positions and perhaps firmer suspension, but for the rest of us ‘normies’, this new V2 is a spicy treat on the track while remaining easy to digest.
Baby boomer
The new 890cc 90-degree V-twin engine plays a big role in this. The lower power is a downer on paper, but man does this engine impress in person. It feels light, quick revving and goes up surprisingly high, making peak power at 10,750rpm before the limiter kicks in at around 11,000rpm. But meeting that limiter was a rare occurrence because the 93.3Nm of torque was so rich and easy to access that the engine didn’t need to be constantly screaming at the limit. With the low 187kg kerb weight, the V2 was quick enough to just kiss 200kph on the display before some of the braking zones. That’s not bad considering the MIC has no massive straights, and you never see 6th gear here on a bike like this.
This particular dealer bike was also garnished with an official Ducati accessory exhaust. This carbon-fibre beauty from Italian specialist Termignoni produces a delicious bark on track that really elevates the riding experience, especially on rapid usage of the bi-directional quickshifter. The downsides are that it’s not road legal and it will set you back by a further Rs 3.63 lakh.
Braking is handled by twin front discs bitten down on by Brembo M50 calipers. These aren’t the latest or greatest in the world of production bike brakes, which is disappointing on such an expensive bike, but there is no doubt that they work very well. The Pirelli Diablo Rosso 4 tyres are just about okay for fast track work, and you’d undoubtedly find more confidence on more appropriate tyres. Nevertheless, like all Ducatis, the new V2 has comprehensive and excellent rider aids – keeping the traction control on at a lower level provided some valuable peace of mind when cracking open the gas at big lean angles.
If you can
At Rs 21.53 lakh for this S model (Rs 19.5 lakh for the standard V2), value is not a part of this conversation – as it has become with all Ducatis of late. A Rs 12.5 lakh Kawasaki ZX-6R will do a similar job for far less, although it lacks the Ducati’s advanced electronics and is a noticeable step down in the suspension and braking departments. In fact, the V2’s price is up there with proper 1000s like the ZX-10R and even the base BMW S 1000 RR.
Tempting as that may be, I have seen over the years that far too many folks jump onto 1000s at track days and then struggle. Those bikes are mind-blowingly capable and have the most spectacular spec sheets – but they also demand tremendous skill and fitness to satisfyingly exploit. Come to think of it, I myself have never jumped off a litre-class superbike on a racetrack feeling particularly good about myself as a rider...
But this smaller V2 bike is a revelation in that regard because it’s far easier to exploit, doesn’t completely overwhelm you physically and, most importantly, leaves you feeling good! So, if you can afford it, I’d go so far as recommending this over a Panigale V4 for most people, especially those just getting into the track-riding scene.
It’s a fantastic little thing, and it has carved out a space in my money-no-object imaginary garage. Not a lot of bikes do that.
Autocar India News Desk
Dinshaw Magol
