Ducati to work on new and cheaper variants of V4 engines

Michelle Liew

August 10, 2018

Good news for many as according to Ducati’s CEO Claudio Domenicali, the brand will be pushing forward new versions of the V4 Stradale engine for other models in its range. The homologation special Panigale V4 R will be the first motorcycle to carry such engine and will be set for its launch later this year.

The Panigale V4 R will have a short-stroke litre-class engine so that it conforms to the WSBK homologation regulations. Such would ensure the bike is eligible to compete in the 2019 season. Apart from that, Ducati is also setting sights on more plans to come out with variants of the engine.

The Stradale is extremely compact due to the new 90-degree V4 configuration. It allows low centralization of mass. It is capable of producing an output of 210 bhp and 120 Nm of torque.

This variant is less powerful than the Panigale engine. Considering the fact that manufacturing a V4 engine is much more time-consuming and expensive than the L-twins, the engine will only be used in the litre-class and higher capacity bikes.