DUCATI PANIGALE V4 AND THE EP FINISHING TOUCH
For owners and soon to be owners of the all-new Ducati Panigale V4 range, plus the many fans of intricate CNC machined aluminium alloy accessory motorcycle parts, we have good news indeed. We here at Evotech Performance have completed development and rigorous testing of a new range of EP accessory parts for Bologna’s latest superbike missile. These components are now listed on our online shop.
To say developing EP accessories for the V4 was difficult wouldn’t be true, but it wasn’t a walk in the park either. The basic job of fairing removal proved to be daunting, but only because this was our first time and the initial trepidation of unbolting the stunning red bodywork was, well, no different to any owner doing it for the first time i.e. nerve wracking. Anyway, with one man either side of the bike, we cautiously set about unscrewing and removing the ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) panels.
First thing we noticed and commented on was the fact there’s not much in the way of free-space around the V4 engine – there are no see through gaps to talk of. Using the engine as a stressed member, where it’s the structural mainstay for all components, isn’t new. It’s just that with the V4 being basically an engine with just about every necessary running component attached to the 1103cc V4 lump, we marvelled at the way Ducati has spent time to put everything into a neat, tight package.
We are talking about the ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) pump, all the electronics such as the ECU (Electronic Control Unit – the bike’s brain), and also the swingarm and the two frame stays used to provide mounting points for the steering assembly. Even the exhaust manifolds have shields. Compact is one way to describe how it’s all put together; another word is “impressive.”
Working around the engine to execute a comprehensive series of 3D scans proved to be a little tight around the radiator and oil coolers, especially with the air inlet shields in place. However, we got there in the end.
To view the finished EP Radiator Guard in place to match the rad’s curvature and neat lines doesn’t show how securely mounted it is on six rubber damper mounts. The V4’s radiator is quite a large radiator as motorcycle rads go and the mounts also serve to soak any vibration. The EP Oil Cooler Guard (comes as an EP Radiator and Oil Cooler Guard package) fits with the same contact method as used with the radiator.
At the other end of the Panigale V4 is yet another swish Ducati tail end design – only time will tell if this shapely rear will become as iconic as the legendary 851/888 and 916 models. The use of our new EP Tail Tidy should help somewhat. Its main construction is CNC machined aluminium and incorporates EP’s trademark Concealed Designed Wire Technology (CDWT) – the standard wiring for the indicators and registration licence plate illumination are retained and concealed inside as per the overly-long standard unit.
Our bare aluminium test pieces looked the dog’s dooberries. Now the production units have our standard protective black powder coat they are, said an EP friend, who’s big into bike customisation, “the business. For the three minutes it takes to swap the standard plate mount to the EP Tail Tidy, it makes a major difference to the neatness of the rear end – and that’s with the standard plate lamp in place. We can only guess at how much more svelter the V4’s bum is going to be with aftermarket small LED indicators in place.
Meanwhile, in the Evotech Performance boardroom aka the canteen, during a tea break, we discussed whether we should design and manufacture a front brake lever guard for the Panigale V4. Within two hours of the nods of agreement, we had EP Lever Guard designs on the computer screens and an hour later a 3D printed prototype from which we could design a satisfactory mounting method.
To date, the Ducati Panigale V4 EP accessory list is quite extensive… with one or two accessory ideas still on the canteen chalkboard. More on these later.