Not ridden the R but for my use case, your summation of the two is pretty much as I suspected. In truth, the S/SP are more than enough for my humble abilities.
Mine is going on the dyno for a custom tune/map next month. It’ll be interesting to see what it does on the rollers Obviously the power delivery is different between the two bikes because of the two different engines but also bear in mind the other factors such as the lower gearing of the R which gives you better acceleration and matches the top end of the S because it revs higher, but also all the reciprocating weight removed from the crankshaft assembly helps the engine to spin up quicker as well. Things you don’t see on the dyno yet will see in the real world either on the track or on the road.
ok so my background on the v4 is I had a v4s when they first came out in 2018, did 5k miles on it (including the IOM and absolutely thrashing it over the mountain all week - although i had to get it recovered after the oil cooler failed there). That went back after multiple oil cooler fails and water pump seal fails (still was a incredibly capable bike!) and was changed for a v4r in 2019, I did 15k miles on this including the IOM and a Ducati track day at Donington, only issue i had was in the first few months the clutch seal was leaking oil which was fixed and the bike rang faultlessly after that apart from eating clutch packs/hubs every 3-4k miles I got the a '23 gen2 v4r last year and have done 3.5k miles on it so far without issue (apart from the clutch loosing pressure - separate thread). So would i choose an S or an R? If budget is not a factor then absolutely it would be the R. The R (as all R do) feels so much more special, the motor is an absolute peach. The 2 things I did wonder at first going from the S with the leccy ohlins was that on our bumpy roads the R without this would be a handful when being pushed? Well, not at all, the aero more than makes up for it. Now I appreciate the S has the same aero now so bit of a moot point but the R with the aero alone really is that good. The next was the motor, the torque of the v4s is amazing and it feels stronger than the 1299s low down which i didn't expect. The mapping of it is very, very good. While the R doesn't have quite the same grunt it still has way more than you need to just ride without caning it on the road IMHO. Tbh you can ride the R just like the S and you are just short shifting. To use the full rev range on an R you have to be REALLY committed on the road to use it, you are going utterly ballistic when you do and this is only for someone who can manage it! As for gen1 or gen2 V4R? That's a tough question! I think the gen1 R that can currently be had used at around £22k (with 1-2k miles) is SERIOUS value, if i hadn't done so many miles on mine i would have kept it. The V4R absolutely must have the full race kit to fully exploit the higher revving motor, the standard system feels like it doesn't let the motor really breathe like it should. The gen2 does feel a lot different to the gen1, it's so much taller and feels a lot more taught in comparison to the gen1, the motor feels smoother but with the wheelbarrow exhaust race kit sounds gruffer/angrier compared to the under engine variant on the gen1. The slipper clutch is better and the bike feels better when on its ear. I was dithering when it was announced but what helped me pull the trigger was talking to Nelly (Neil) at Cornerspeed about it, he had seen the specs of the bike and motor itself and described some detailed improvements over then gen2, there are LOTS. Suffice to say i was on the phone the next day to confirm my order!
Does the R engine come with one less piston ring than the S. So drops compression earlier, and requires a refresh much sooner?
You might be right. If you’re racing the R the maintenance/refresh regime is quite extreme. But it’s an impressive/extreme engine. The V4S has an extra 103cc wriggling room with which to add a bit of stroke therefore a touch more torque. The R is a rev hungry over square engine in comparison. I’ve never ridden an R but apparently it feels a different animal to the S. I’ve followed some on track days and they certainly ain’t slow!
I was reading about the 1299 FE on Ducati's website, and it stated the bike required a desmo service at 7500 miles, of street use.
