Cycle World tests the updated and rebadged Ducati Panigale V2 at Circuito de Jerez in Spain.
As a matter of stride, a few hair-raising moments incurred during an on-track flog aboard a modern superbike is to be expected. Whether it’s the startling rear slide under power, slight wheel tuck on the brakes, or bit of spirited bar wag as the front gets light and touches down exiting a corner, such thrills and chills are part and parcel.
I experienced nary a wide-eyed moment hot lapping Spain’s Circuito de Jerez astride the new 2020 Ducati Panigale V2. Ducati touts “accessible performance” and “total control” as key attributes of the generational update applied to its 959 Panigale V-twin. While this may sound like marketing hype, in my experience the V2 truly lives up to the claim.
Lap after lap the updated and rebadged Panigale V2 exhibited uncanny control at speed, displaying steadfast stability on the fastest straights, superb composure under hard braking, and slung through corners like a ball on a string. Perhaps most impressive was its new level of control on corner exit, laying down a steady stream of power that paints a thin arch of rear tire rubber as steady and precise as a pinstripe brush.
Credit Ducati’s MotoGP-derived EVO 2 Traction Control, a “predictive” TC strategy that debuted on last year’s Panigale V4 R superbike and has now been passed down and implemented throughout the Panigale model range. Ducati states this latest DTC acts on variation of spin intensity instead of instantaneous spin value, producing smoother and faster intervention with reduced spin oscillation resulting in improved grip.
Featuring a six-axis Bosch IMU, the V2 electronics package also brings ABS Cornering EVO, Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) EVO, and lean-angle-sensitive Engine Brake Control (EBC) EVO. Expanding on this, DTC offers eight sensitivity settings and off, four levels of DWC, three each for EBC and ABS, a choice of two ride-by-wire throttle response settings, and an option to reduce peak engine output to 105 hp.
Helping make sense of the plethora of variables is a trio of selectable ride modes labeled Race, Sport, and Street providing factory set values for each of the parameters. Better still, the modes can be fully customized within the menu system of the new 4.5-inch TFT dash to suit personal preference. A practical example of this is the ability to program each mode with identical preferred settings with the exception of assigning a unique DTC level to each, thus allowing you to toggle modes while riding to choose between the three DTC levels.
The Superquadro 90-degree twin powering the V2 now complies with the Euro 5 emission standards, yet is up 5 hp on the 959 with a claimed peak output of 155 hp at 10,750 rpm and is blessed with a generous torque spread that remains within 40 percent of peak output across a 5,500-rpm band. The gains are attributed to the use of larger higher-flow injectors re-angled for improved fuel atomization along with improved intake efficiency. The latter comes via reshaped air inlets located beneath each headlamp, said to speed up airflow as it’s drawn in. The air is routed through revised ducts that now suffer less pressure loss as air feeds into the die-cast aluminum monocoque frame structure that serves as the airbox.
Chassis updates are comprised of the move to a single-sided swingarm, V4-style Y-spoke wheels, and recalibrated suspension damping for improved comfort on the street. Compared to 959 Panigale, the Showa BPF has been pulled up 2mm and a longer Sachs shock absorber (yielding a 5mm increase in rear ride height) that together with the new Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa II tires have reduced trail, resulting in a more agile steering character.
Prior to my first on-track session I dove into the dash menu on pit lane and set Street mode to low power output to give this “wet road” mode a brief feel on the out lap while scrubbing in the fresh Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V2 race rubber standing in for the stock fitment radials. My take on low power and Street mode’s default level-6 DTC is that while delivery is predictably tame, it felt very natural without an artificial feeling of ride by wire taking over too much right-wrist authority. Another V2 feature is Ducati Quick Shift EVO with auto-blip and lean angle awareness. A lap taken at a leisurely pace showed DQS should serve well on the street, providing very fluid shift action under light loads.
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