V4 Panigale V4 Advice

March Edition of Practical Sportsbikes Magazine (which now incorporates Performance Bikes Mag) has a Rutter Test on the V4 base model - interesting article, it's the fastest bike ever on Rutter's Donnington test series - yes it beat the V4S - maybe worth a read?

 

Okay, I ride a 2012 Multistrada S and a V4, both bought new. Just had a second desmo service done on the Multistrada yesterday and it still makes me smile every time I ride it. I’m still in the first 600 mile running in period on the V4 but with every mile, the engine just blows me away. I am however struggling with the electronic suspension set up as I prefer a softer ride than most, even on a superbike. Before I take the V4 on track, I will be seeking professional set up advice.
IMO, if the base model suspension doesn’t deliver what you want, you can invest some of the money saved over the S to upgrade to KTech or Ohlins both of which will be a big improvement on the OE suspension.
Currently buying a new V4 gets you a free Bike Trac and reduced subscription worth about £350/£400. There is not a huge dealer margin to chip away at but depending on your local dealer you could expect some token bling. The Ducati tail tidy isn’t cheap so they might only offer free fitting as part of the PDI but the seat could be a good shout. I’ve fitted the race seat and it is a much better seat than the OE.
One thing, however much I’m blown away by the V4, I’m not getting rid of the Multistrada. Andy

 

I’ll need to go buy it, always like to read his review on bikes, was also glad to see he laps quicker on the Ducati than he does the bmw.

 

Two hundredths of a second... what’s that? A front tyres depth? It means nothing to us mere mortals.

From what I can work out, the extra £4K gets you superior quality suspension and electronic interface. And wheels?? I see K-Tech’s James Harpham noted the V4 (non S) suspension would deteriorate faster with age.

For anyone who’s interested, @nelly had mine on the scales the other day. 176kg. 96 front and 80 rear. Awaiting the return of my FullSix carbon fibre tank so we can add a couple of kgs for that...

 

Yes, it was press sensationalism but still, quicker
Different test days - so different conditions, but still shows the base model in good light.

 

Silence! I kill you!

 

Look at what you could have won


V4............................... V4S

 

I think for the road the electronic suspension will be far superior. Even not rack for mere mortals the S would be better, for the likes of Rutter and proper fast guys then you would benefit from non electronic suspension that is set up perfectly, a lot of the guys with beemers tend to swap out the ddc suspension.

 

My 2 cents. I've had lots of litre sports bikes, and spent quite a lot of time on the track. I'm still not very quick which is down to me. Confidence is the key. I know having ridden some other peoples well set up bikes that good feedback from the suspension improves your confidence considerably. This in turn allows you to spend thinking time where you really need it - on your vision, body position and steering technique. When all of that is working well you feel relaxed, you achieve rhythm and you go faster with less risk. I've been in that zone maybe 3 times in the last 20 years. But what a place to be.

If I bought aftermarket suspension, I would need to get it fitted and set up. I would have to make the decision that its going to be set up for road or track riding. I would need to test it and try and explain my feelings on the bike to a 3rd party to help refine those settings. So then you've got to go over the bike adjusting with screwdrivers and recording the values of each setting you have changed. All that is less time riding.

So what's my point. With the V4S I don't have to compromise. I can hit a button on the handlebar that gives me comfort to ride on the UK's crappy roads. However if I rock up at Donington in a few seconds I can select the track optimised settings that I need to give me the confidence to seek that elusive but satisfying zone.

For me as an average Joe the electronic suspension and in particular the ability to adjust everything expect preload from the dash translates to more time riding the road or the track. And it's the riding that gives the pleasure.

 

Generally speaking track orientated suspension is better than the Ohlins ERS...Not sure about V4 but Yamaha R1 with cartridge kits and upgraded shock is miles better than an R1M, but only if riden very fast.
However, if mostly used for road and not pursuing lap record I would go for the semi active suspension.
Road, 2-3 track days - V4s
Track - V4 (also cheaper if binned)

 

Purchased the mag the day, they couldn’t quite fathom why he was quicker but it wasn’t just the fact that the bike was quicker (negligible times tbh) but the fact the bike felt more planted and easier to control. The suspension was set up to suit Rutter.

I’m of the opinion like above, for mere mortals I believe the S suspension will work really wel, the fact you don’t have to worry about settings other than - hard harder etc - but the fact it will work really well on the road again without worrying about settings.

 

There can be 6-8hp output difference on stock engines..196-193-188hp all brand new bikes on dyno.(under 300miles)

 

For me I would prefer non electrical suspension, I have this on my multi and no matter what I do I find that it is either one or the other, none of which suits my riding. I prefer something set to me like I had on my Fireblade which I had fitted custom matched 30mm catridge kit, I changed my springs out from summer to winter depending on my tyres. the rear I used a TTXMK2 which I found rubbish in the winter months because the valve body would not flow well in cold conditions and the piston rod corroded like hell, so ditched that and went to a custom made Wilbers with high and low speed damping which the ohlins did not have as it was more a racing shock than a road unit, so to be fair it wasn't the shock for my style of riding. It is really easy once you get your head around what settings do what to adjust your suspension but that has taken me years to learn and most people won.t dare touch their setting of fear of ruining their bike!!!
I want suspension that fits with my requirements and not what the manufacturer thinks I want... because we all ride different. Fact.
I am looking at getting a new V4 Pani this year and I shall be testing both, but my heart say's buy the standard version and spend it on suspension instead as this really is where dividends pay as my previous bike proved to many. So yes the easy system does appeal to riders who have never stripped down suspension or changed springs and oil height to see what effects it has as a positive move and that is why they sell.

 

Tbf though you can come out of dynamic mode and set the suspension up as per how you would conventionally albeit it via numbers displayed in settings, maybe if Rutter had done this when he tested the S it may have been a different story.

 

They have K Tec there at every test I think

 

Yeah they do but I never read that issue so not sure whether they had it in dynamic or whether they set it up out with dynamic mode with compression and rebound set to x amount.

They would have set up sag that’s for sure.

 

IMO the S is worth paying extra for. As mentioned above, you can set the suspension into manual mode which is just like the "click" with an allen key on the normal unit. The benefit being you can have a different set of settings for each of street, sport or race mode and switch between as you ride. You also have a different Custom Dynamic mode for each profile and again switch between them as you ride. Or, you can use the default Dynamic modes for each profile. Personally I have a soft setup in Custom Dynamic for street, which suits bumpy roads or the wet, a more firmly damped Custom dynamic for Sport for dry smooth roads and a manual setup for race for trackdays that gets tweaked to suit conditions. On the roads of north yorkshire and cumbria its great being able to run mainly with my sport setup but quickly switch to my street setup when the heavens open as they inclined to here, or my route goes onto some of "challenging" B or C roads.