The first spy shots of the Ducati V4 superbike project have emerged, with the bike being tested somewhere in Europe. The V4 superbike has a single-sided swingarm and underslung exhaust, quite like the Panigale, and it's likely to feature a "frameless" chassis design, with the headstock, swingarm, and rear subframe all attached directly to the engine. The rear cylinder bank of the engine is banked far more rearward, in all likelihood a design element to aid the chassis balance.
The V4 engine is expected to borrow design elements from both the Superquadro v-twin engine design and the MotoGP Desmosedici V4. As such, the new bike will have pedigree that will be more closely based off the Ducati MotoGP powertrain. Ducati has already teased a final version of the outgoing 1299 Panigale, the current flagship product. The new Ducati V4 superbike will replace the Panigale, but that is likely to happen only sometime in 2018. The V4 is expected to debut at the EICMA show in Milan later this year.
Ducati V4 superbike will be unveiled at EICMA 2017
The Ducati V4 Superbike is based on the 1,000 cc, 90-degree V4 engine that currently powers the Ducati Desmosedici GP race bike. The road-going model will likely have power in the range of 200 bhp, with the WSB spec version getting more power in its state of tune. The V4 will replace the 1299 Panigale, which doesn't meet the current Euro 4 emission limits. Ducati though will continue making the traditional v-twin engines for the Monster, Multistrada, Supersport, Hypermotard and even the entry-level 959 Panigale.
Ducati has also been in the news this week with reports rumouring Harley-Davidson now preparing to bid for ownership of the Italian performance motorcycle brand. This week also saw Ducati introducing the new Multistrada Enduro Pro, an even more off-road oriented version of the Multistrada Enduro. Ducati has also teased the special edition version of the 1299 Panigale, likely the last limited-edition run of the flagship superbike.
