2025 Ducati Panigale V4 S review

For over a decade, riding a fast Ducati came with a disclaimer. Sure, they looked drop-dead gorgeous and sounded like the apocalypse on fast-forward - but they were also infamously hard work. If you weren't sweating, swearing, or praying mid-corner, you probably weren't riding it right.

Even their MotoGP machines had a reputation. Just ask a certain Mr. Rossi. If he couldn't tame the Desmosedici, what chance did the rest of us have? That floaty front end, the on-a-knife-edge throttle, the tendency to treat corner exits like a game of Russian roulette - Ducatis were built to go fast, but they rarely felt like they were built for the average rider.

The Panigale has been Ducati's poster child of the last decade. Stunning to look at, but savage to ride. You admired it, feared it, maybe even loved it - but you couldn't trust it.

But Ducati's changed. Maybe it was the meditated success in WSBK. Maybe it was Bagnaia proving the GP bike can finally be tamed. Whatever it is, the new Panigale V4 S doesn't feel like it's fighting you anymore. It feels like it's finally on your side in heart and soul.

It's still fast - stupidly so. Still loud, still dramatic, still very red. But now, it's got range. It'll still lap faster than you have any right to expect, but it no longer treats you like a liability while doing it. And that's the biggest compliment you can pay a modern Ducati.

Organic Velocity

One glance is enough to tell you it's a Panigale. But stare a little longer, and you'll notice Ducati's changed its approach. This one doesn't look like an angry robot. It harks back to older, elegant Ducatis and the more organic-looking form looks like it evolved in a wind tunnel over a thousand hot laps. A celebrated Japanese designer once told me that a Ducati has to look fast, no matter what angle you look at it from. And the new one doesn't disappoint on that front either.

Gone is the overt aggression for aggression's sake. The aero now flows with the form, not just stapled on for homologation or convention. The new fairing is 50mm wider - not for vanity but for sanity! It's there to deflect wind from your torso when you're tucked in and flat out down the back straight. And yes, it works even if you're built more like a weekend warrior than a WSBK wildcard.

Even the ergonomics have matured. The seat's wider and longer - not dramatically, but just enough to stop your thighs from plotting revenge after a track session. Tank grips are better integrated, and finished in stealth black, and the new rear subframe gives you more room to move around. Pegs are narrower and sit 10mm higher for better cornering clearance, but without turning your knees into origami.

It's still sharp, it's still unmistakably Ducati - but a lot more welcoming and accommodating in the saddle.

Chassis, Tyres & the Double-Sided Drama

Now let's address the elephant in the paddock - the swingarm. Yes, the 2025 Panigale V4 S has traded its iconic single-sided unit for a conventional double-arm setup. Ducati loyalists, breathe. Instagram will cope.

This isn't some design regression or a cost-saving hack. It's a proper upgrade. The new dual-sided swingarm is hollow, which makes it lighter without compromising rigidity or durability. More importantly, it gives Ducati the flexibility they needed - literally and mechanically. Track-focused Panigale riders have long been running full WSBK-spec rubber, and the move to wider rims now allows for fatter tyres like the new-gen Pirelli SCQs to fit cleanly and work optimally. That extra contact patch meant Ducati could play around with torque delivery - resulting in meatier mid-range and top-end shove. And to reliably put that power down, the dual-arm layout just made more sense. More flex, more grip, better torque tolerance… and a lot less highside paranoia.

The forged wheels play their part too - 2.17kg shaved off, which might sound small, but that's rotational mass we're talking about. The difference is real, especially on a track like Chang. In those fast left-right transitions, the V4 S now feels more precise, and more fluid. Less "fight the bike," more "point and it goes." It's the difference between holding the line and holding your breath.

The chassis geometry hasn't gone soft either. The revised frame is lighter, offers more lateral stiffness, and pairs beautifully with the new suspension logic. The Panigale still turns like it's on rails, but it now does it with feedback and forgiveness - not just brute force and prayer.

Suspension & Brakes

The Panigale has finally realised that not every rider shows up to a trackday with a chiropractor in their pit crew. The new Öhlins semi-active suspension now comes with a wider operating range, and crucially, it knows what to do without you having to cycle through menus every time the mood changes. Ride hard, it firms up. Back off, it relaxes. No drama.

And you feel it too. The old bike always felt like it was set up for pole position, even when you were just trying to get through lap three without blacking out. This one's got a more human bandwidth - it adapts, it breathes, it even lets you cruise without feeling like you're squatting on scaffolding.

But the cleverest bit is in the braking. Yes, the new Brembo Hypure callipers are a few grams lighter and feel as sharp as ever. But what really deserves a clap is Ducati's electronic rear brake logic.

You don't use the rear brake on track? Doesn't matter. The bike does!

The front and rear brakes operate together like most new-generation combined braking systems (CBS). But in Race Mode, you can go a lot harder on the brakes than you ever imagined. The rear brake is now guided by Ducati's MotoGP-sourced eCBS. It watches what you're doing - lean angle, throttle, braking force - and applies just the right amount of rear brake, just like a racer would. No toe tap is needed. You can trail brake a lot more into the corner if needed and the preditive algorithm will automatically apply the rear brake if needed even if you aren't pressing the brake lever.

Mid-corner, mid-lean, mid-oh-dear moment? It quietly bleeds in or out rear pressure to help you hold the line, without unsettling the bike or making you look silly. And this is a game-changer!

It's not some comfort feature. It's a lap-time tool. And for riders who want to go quicker without needing pro-level ankle mastery!

The Fast Bit Got Faster

The engine is still a gem. Still a 90° V4. Still dry-sumping its guts like a racebike. Still sounding like it's gargling gravel at 14,000rpm. And now - somehow - still more powerful, despite stricter emissions.

216PS. Six kilos lighter overall. One whole kilo shaved off the engine alone. Ducati calls it their "Magic Engine," and that's not just Italian marketing. This thing delivers the low-down punch of a V-Twin and the top-end hysteria of a screaming inline-four - and the transition between the two is seamless. Violent, yes. But seamless.

And then there's the real magic trick: the electronics.

Ducati's latest Vehicle Dynamics Control system doesn't just react to what you're doing. It predicts it, thanks to the rider patterns that Ducati has gathered and analysed from its MotoGP outings. Think lean angle, brake force, fuel load, tyre grip, throttle aggression - it's reading it all, all the time and predicting your next move. That's the kind of AI I'm more interested in! The traction, wheelie, and torque control systems feel less like electronic nannies and more like an extra layer of intuition baked into the bike.

The result? You twist the throttle and something wicked happens - but always in a way that feels like you're in charge, even when you're not.

Proof? During the World Ducati Week Race of Champions, riders on nearly stock Panigale V4s lapped within 105% of the MotoGP pace. Same chassis. Same electronics. Just slicks and courage. A decade ago, that would've been career-best stuff. Now? It's available on a showroom bike with clever code.

Verdict

The 2025 Panigale V4 S is still built for speed. Still designed to terrify lap-timers and first-timers. Still looks like it escaped from a paddock at Mugello. But now, for the first time, it also wants to help you ride fast. Not punish you for trying.

It's quicker, yes - but also smarter, more forgiving, and way less fatiguing. It doesn't demand a pro rider's body or a gladiator's mental stamina. You can actually use more of the performance without ending up in physio or therapy.

This is no longer the "win on Sunday, suffer on Monday" Panigale. It's "win on Sunday, grin on Monday" - which, if you've ever ridden an older V4 in anger, is probably the most Ducati thing Ducati's ever done.

Respect is still mandatory though - this is a 216PS superbike, not a rice cooker - but fear? That's optional now.