UP CLOSE & PERSONAL WITH DUCATI’S PANIGALE V4 S
Ducati’s all-new Panigale V4 range is attracting a lot of attention and quite rightly so. On specification alone, it reads like a winner straight from the packing crate. Ducati claims the standard Panigale V4 and V4 S each produce a serious 91.5 lb-ft of torque that, in turn, delivers a stunning power figure of 214 horsepower. Meanwhile the V4 Speciale goes a kick further with 226hp! An on-board electronics suite that wouldn’t look out of place on BSB / WSB or even a MotoGP race bike has been designed to make the Panigale V4 range a fun and safe place to be. On top of all this it’s unquestionably a good-looking motorcycle.
Two weeks before the world’s motorcycling press got to ride the new Ducati Panigale sports missile at Circuit Ricardo Tormo – otherwise known as Circuit Valencia – we here at Evotech Performance had already cast engineering and lusting eyes over the new Panigale V4 S in the comfort of our Lincolnshire-based engineering facility. How was this possible? That’s an easy one to answer.
Nearly everyone here at Evotech Performance is a motorcyclist and, like many motorcycle owners, we all fell for the Panigale V4 when it was officially revealed at last November’s EICMA Motorcycle Exhibition in Milan. So much so, we immediately placed an order for a V4 S model at our nearest Ducati dealership, Italia Moto of Lincoln.
The main reason for the purchase decision was to enable us to get underway with design and fabrication of a wide range of Evotech Performance accessories bespoke to the Panigale V4. Plus, the Panigale V4 S would provide a summer of riding pleasure, which is what motorcycling is all about. Not long after the order was placed, we got wind of early deliveries of the new Panigale range to UK dealers, ours included. To say we were excited about this news was an understatement.
Within two hours of the Panigale’s arrival at Evotech Performance HQ, every one of us had stared, touched and drooled over it. It was then time to set about detailing areas where our famed chassis and component protection knowledge could be applied and, of course, the requirements for another legendary “plug and play” Evotech Performance tail tidy.
It was obvious from the start the new Panigale’s chassis design of cast aluminium front sections bolted to the upper section of the engine had created an extremely compact layout. In engineering terms, it can only be described as “tidy and tight”, meaning there is very little available space between mechanical and aesthetic components. Even fairing removal looked daunting…
It was early evening on the first day of Panigale V4 S ownership when we finally got up close and personal with the removal of its bodywork. With this done, our way was clear to start next day the process of 3D scanning. Although we have utilised this exacting measuring process for a number of years, 3D scanning – the use of a handheld laser to scan areas and then reconstruct these areas as one computer 3D graphic model – is not a quick process.
Many scans from every angle have to be taken to ensure an accurate, detailed model is drawn. From this model we can use triangulation points to determine exact dimensions. The 3D scan process is then repeated with the bodywork replaced, this time to measure clearance tolerances and other requirements. The scan process and resulting 3D model info is very precise. The collected data is made up from many scans that are produced from millions of pixels and requires a lot of computing power to run the software that builds a 3D graphic image. You can probably imagine this process also places great stress on our canteen tea-making facilities!
We have completed the 3D scan process and already into first stage design of Evotech Performance quality accessories for the Ducati Panigale V4 series. While many people consider 24 hours in a day is ample, for us here at Evotech Performance this is not enough. But rest assured, we are working to maximum capacity to ensure new products – for many new models – are available as quickly as possible after development and rigorous testing.