For the second time in a week, we have spy photos of the Ducati V4 superbike. Like before, the new superbike model is still in its unfinished state, with testing equipment strapped to its frame and bodywork.
Even in its pre-production state though, the new V4 machine reveals some of its secrets, the most notable of which is its frame/chassis design. It also teases us that the V4 model will look very similar to its predecessor.
Ducati appears to be continuing its “frameless” chassis design, though with a twist. The headstock noticeably attaches itself to the rear cylinder head on the V4 engine, and presumably does the same on the forward cylinder head as well.
This of course isn’t any different from the chassis design on the Ducati 1299 Panigale, but with the more compact V4 cylinder layout, and the engine raked back further into the chassis, it makes for an interesting engineering choice.
Additionally, the fairings shown here look tremendously like the Panigale superbike that we already know and love, which is a very interesting choice for Ducati. With such a radical departure on its engine design, it’s surprising that the Italian brand has been so conservative on the styling.
This leads to some less-than-loved elements from the Panigale carrying over to the V4 project. For instance, we can also see that the odd exhaust pipe under the tail section returns.
The exhaust routing also pushes the rear shock to the side of the bike, again like on the Panigale. However, the mounting appears to be more traditional, rather than being nearly parallel to the ground, as we saw on the v-twin model.
On the rumor front, there is some talk that Ducati will bump the displacement of the street model up to 1,200cc, while the homologation bike will be the more standard 1,000cc. If true, this is a pretty bold move by Ducati, though one has to wonder why such an approach would be made by the Italian brand.
On all fronts, these photos and rumors mean it will be interesting to see what debuts in Milan, Italy later this year.
Source: Bike Social
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